Domaine du Château Philippe le Hardi, Bouzeron Aligoté `Les Louères`

Domaine du Château Philippe le Hardi (formerly Château de Santenay) was once the stately home of Philip the Bold, the first Duke of Burgundy. The duke was famous for banning the cultivation of Gamay in the Côte d’Or, in his edict of 1395 which stated that only Pinot Noir could be used to produce red wines from these fabled slopes.

The Château has a flamboyant, multi-coloured tiled roof ‘en tuile vernissée de Bourgogne’, one of the region’s most distinctive architectural traditions. In 2010, it was taken over by French bank Crédit Agricole after an extended period of neglect. The current owners have invested heavily in the estate, building a modern cuverie in 2014 and appointing a new, dynamic team led by Chef de Cave François des Moutis. François is focused on expressing the quality of the domaine’s single vineyards through sensitive winemaking. By embracing minimal new oak and gentler extraction, today, the wines of Domaine du Château Philippe le Hardi offer supple, characterful expressions of their well-respected sites.

The domaine owns 106 hectares of sustainably farmed vineyards which they are converting to organics. 72 hectares are in Mercurey, while 18 are in Côte d’Or villages, such as Chassagne and Saint-Aubin. Domaine du Château Philippe le Hardi increased their vineyard holdings in 2019 to include eight hectares in the Côte de Nuits, with parcels of Gevrey-Chambertin, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru ‘Petite Chapelle’, Clos de Vougeot and Chambolle-Musigny.

The Bourgogne Blanc Côte d’Or and the Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Beaune `Les Foires both come from high elevation vineyards above Saint-Aubin. Like the Bourgogne Pinot Noir Vieilles Vignes, made from old vines in Santenay and the Hautes Côtes de Beaune, these wines have remarkable concentration and intensity, performing well above their price point.

The Mercurey Blanc `Bois de Lalier` from a lieu-dit to the west of Mercurey displays lovely citrus fruit, good intensity, and a superb texture. The Mercurey Rouge ‘Les Chenaults’, from a neighbouring lieu-dit, has a perfumed nose with lovely cherry fruit and bright, lifted acidity on the palate. The Saint-Aubin, sourced from their four hectares in `En Vesveau`, offers excellent value in this increasingly sought-after appellation. It combines bright, concentrated citrus fruit with a touch of smokiness, and has brilliant tension on the palate.

The Beaune 1er Cru `Clos du Roi` is forward and scented, while the Aloxe-Corton `Les Brunettes et Planchots` is defined by intense, dark cherry fruit and a brooding structure. In the Côte de Nuits, the Chambolle-Musigny showcases the true grace and elegance of this famed village, all silk and lace in contrast to the more structured Gevreys. The Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru is a testament to the strides made by winemaker François des Moutis and his team in recent years. As a result, past vintages have been awarded the Clos de Vougeot Trophy, Red Burgundy Trophy and International Pinot Noir Trophy at the International Wine Challenge.