2022 Celine Boudard-Cote Bourgogne Cuvee Julia - Last Call -
Last year, by far our #1 selling red wine was Celine Cote Bourgogne - Cuvee Julia. It was quite a discovery and was well worth the trip to the Domaine to see firsthand. You’ll find our original story below.
A handful of my restaurant accounts were pouring this one by the glass, and requested that we hold back some inventory so it didn’t sell out while they have it on the list. We are now free to release the remaining inventory, which isn’t a lot.
Checking back in on this one, I brought a bottle home last night and
it is showing well. It’s hard to believe you can pack this much wine in a $27 bottle!
Vins Rare bought this directly from Celine and imported it, so we stand by the quality here; Biodynamic farming, meticulous winemaking and no middleman markup all add up to an incredible wine just under $30. I taste a lot of wines every year and if there is a better under $30 Pinot Noir out there I sure haven’t tasted it.
I would say Back Up The Truck on this one, but unfortunately there isn't enough stock! This is the last call on this absolutely stunning Bourgogne! Get it before it's gone forever!
STORY
The land of Celine Cote’s family around Molosmes was a wasteland for decades. When the Phylloxera crisis hit the region in the late 1800’s, as it had in so many other regions throughout France, church bells rang for the death of the vines and for the families equally devastated. It is not dissimilar to the church bells tolling during the bubonic plague. The panic and chaos that ensued in France is beyond the scope of Thomas Wine Imports storytelling.
Until Phylloxera, Celine Cote’s family had cultivated the vines for centuries and prior to that, it had been developed by monks dating back to the 13th century. So much history had been laid to waste until Celine’s parents reimagined this terroir, with all of its rich Kimmeridgian soil, producing outstanding wines again. It was a dream, but one made more realistic by their daughter Celine, trained in biotechnology and viticulture-oenology. Few families were so prepared!
In 1999, Celine and her parents replanted the steep, 1.5 hectare southeast facing slope surrounding their home (from which Cuvee Julia is made). From the very beginning, Celine insisted on farming organic, but she told me they had been farming biodynamically the entire time. She applied for the certification in 2016 when she felt the vineyard was starting to mature; their Demeter certification came in 2021.
Celine Cote understands and lives by three guiding principles; 1) control the yields, 2) high health quality of the berries and 3) adequacy between the maturity of the grapes and the organoleptic qualities. Her attention to detail and the way she speaks about caring for every vine in the vineyard reminded me of how many vignerons describe their Grand Cru vineyards in Burgundy. She strives for the best possible outcome and this is a show stopping Bourgogne.
Today the family has approximately 8 hectares of vines mostly planted to pinot noir, but with some chardonnay as well. This wine ranks up there as one of my Best Red Wine Deals Ever!
