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B-21 Top Recommendation
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One of our top additions to our direct-import portfolio in the past two years is undoubtedly Domaine Michele & Patrice Rion, a consistently excellent property now run by Patrice's son Maxime. The domaine is on a true roll of late, resulting in benchmark renditions from their holdings in Vosne, Chambolle, and Nuits. Garnering generous accolades from Burgundy's three most influential critical voices, the 2023s follow suit on the equally stunning 2022s, highlighted by their trio of 1er crus from Nuits-St-Georges, which stand with elite company of the appellation in names like Gouges, l'Arlot, and Chevillon, but at a fraction of their prices thanks to our direct access to the domaine's cellars.
Each one is a pure reflection of its Nuits-St-Georges terroir and the outstanding 2023 vintage, offering undeniable collectible appeal for the cellar. The "harmony and beauty" of the 1er Cru Clos des Argillieres kicks it off with 96-point potential from Jasper Morris, while the "lovely" Les Hautes Pruliers, from a top-of-slope parcel in the famed 1er cru, shows 94-point potential per Neal Martin and quintessential appellation character. The crown-jewel of the domaine, however, is the singular 1er Cru Clos St-Marc from a monopole parcel of 60 year old vines just under a hectare in size. With 96-point potential according to Morris and 93-95 points from Neal Martin, the Clos St-Marc is "the Domaine's standout cuvée in 2023—superb," a powerful Nuits with focus and poise that will cruise for two-plus decades.
As great as the NSGs are, don't overlook the "racy, beautifully detailed and solidly concentrated" Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Charmes, a wonderfully suave and savvy buy that can punch with much more expensive expressions, or the stupendous value of the sub-$40 Cote-de-Nuits Village, which offers solid proof that "Rion takes things seriously at every level of their line-up."
We're thrilled to present these impressive, under-the-radar Cote-de-Nuits standouts to our Burgundy clients at our unbeatable, domaine-direct pricing, so don't miss this opportunity to load your cellar with some of the sharpest collectible buys in the acclaimed 2023 vintage. |
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Rion’s 2023 Côte de Nuits Village Vieilles Vignes slots in exactly where you’d expect at this stage in quality hierarchy. Mostly from vines in Comblanchien, it offers a solid step up in depth and structure from the Bourgogne Rouge class, the 45-year-old vines providing nice, compact fruit character and bracing tannins to support it. The aromatics lean a little darker than the Bons Batons Bourgogne Rouge, with touches of kirsch and mulberry filling out the otherwise red fruit profile, along with dusty soil tones and confident spice notes in the background. As mentioned, the palate offers more structural seriousness than the Bons Batons, as it buckles down in the middle before loosening up again on the finish. The oak is very well integrated (only 5% new), allowing the blackcurrant, red plum, and mulberry flavors to play out with touches of white pepper and crushed rocks underneath. It’s still a bit tightly wound but comes together in beautiful fashion with minimal time and aeration, so don’t hesitate to put a few bottles away for a few years. Like the Bons Batons, the CdN Villages was impressive enough to have us fully convinced that Rion takes things seriously at every level of their line-up, so we had no second thoughts about taking a big position on these wines, which all over-deliver at their respective prices.
91 points, Andrew Kitz, B-21 Burgundy Buyer (Aug 2025)
The 2023 Côte de Nuits-Villages comprises two-thirds fruit purchased from Clombanchien, and the rest Domaine fruit from En Luret lieu-dit. Blackcurrant and raspberry combine nicely on the nose, not concentrated per se, yet showing decent clarity and purity. The palate is medium-bodied with a slightly granular texture on the entry, lightly peppered though there are no stems in the blend. Focused and harmonious toward the finish, this is a worthy follow-up to the 2022.
89-91 points, Neal Martin, Vinous (Jan 2025)
This is aromatically similar to the Bon Bâtons but with notably more spice influence. The supple, delicious and energetic medium weight flavors possess a highly seductive, even velvety, texture while displaying very good length and depth on the balanced bitter pit fruit-inflected finish.
88-91 points, Allen Meadows, Burghound (Jan 2025)
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