Backfill & Diversify Vol. 1

We have been gathering together an assortment of superb wines to help expand your portfolios in an interesting way. Some of these wines are from vintages and regions that we have already included in an offer, but that show such intrinsic quality/value/excitement that we feel duty bound to bring them to Bowes Wine clients. Others will be one-off wines of very high quality from current vintages, originating from regions that we haven't yet offered, perhaps won't offer save for these stellar singletons.

And we start our Backfill and Diversify series with one from the former group, a brilliant Grand Cru red burgundy of the landmark 2005 vintage.

The Domaine

The wines here used to be rather insipid examples, which was a shame as the domaine owns a string of very senior vineyards. The reason for their underperformance was to do with the estate's US importers, who insisted that the wines be drinkable more-or-less at the time of their release.

All this has changed and Florent de Merode is making very high quality examples now.

The family lives in the Château de Serrigny, situated in the conjoined twin villages that make up Ladoix-Serrigny. The prince is married to the sister of Alexandre de Lur-Saluces, erstwhile owner of Château d'Yquem

Vintage	Wine	Drink dates	Case size	Price In Bond
2005	Corton Les Bressandes Grand Cru , Prince Florent de Merode, Burgundy, France Notes: In the glass, this wine is proper, pale cherry red Pinot Noir. Lift it nose-ward and one is met by delicious ripe red fruits in abundance, showing great purity and definition. I found red cherries and currants, as well as a lick of nut and spice. There is excellent concentration to the slightly floral aromas. It's the kind of nose that encourages rapid scribbling of notes so that one can swiftly move onto the palate and, once in the mouth, I found a beautiful richness of red cherry fruit. One of the things that really impresses about this wine is the mineral expression which evidently speaks clearly of place, of terroir. There's great poise and tension between the fruit and the wine's freshness. The finish positively jumps across the tongue performing small handstands: pretty joyous stuff! There's quite a bit of tannin, but it is entirely subservient to - and concealed within - the mass of fruit. As is usual with Bressandes, this is a more feminine, red-fruited and altogether queenly style of Corton. Lovely stuff indeed.	2013-2022	6x75cl	£192.00
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Click on the Notes icon to read Caspar’s tasting note. Here's the Wine Spectator magazine on this wine:

"This is simply pure fruit and terroir. After a slightly funky nose, the palate settles into concentrated cherry, plum, sandalwood and sweet leather notes. Keeps building on the palate to a fresh finish that goes on and on. Best from 2015 through 2030. 350 cases made. 94/100."