2017 Domaine Buisson Charles Pommard En Mareau 750 ml

En Mareau is a brand-new bottling from one of the Burgundy greats, Domaine Buisson-Charles—and you’ll only find it here. We were so impressed with it that we went ahead and locked up all the bottles available for retail in the US. We weren’t the only ones who took note of its charm, though: Burghound’s Allen Meadows gave it his coveted “Top Value” accolade, citing the wine’s “wonderfully fresh” and pretty nose, as well as its “exceptionally rich” palate. Because winemaker Patrick Essa says they have no intentions of charging “trophy pricing,” the wines are often sold out, so this was a special coup.

This may be a new bottling, but it’s not from a new winery: Patrick and his wife, Catherine, are the fourth generation to work the vineyards of this estate, having taken over a decade ago from Catherine’s father, Michel Buisson. Most of the family’s vines are Chardonnay and produce very fine Meursault, but there is a little bit of Pinot as well, and it does not get lost in the mix, despite hailing from a “white wine house.” The family represent the essence of a small, under-the-radar producer, farming just 16 acres, but they are more famous in France, partly due to Essa’s status as a cult wine blogger.

En Mareau is a small parcel in Pommard, about a mile and a half from Meursault, and known for showing the muscular, masculine side of Pinot Noir. That’s due to the high concentration of iron in the clay-limestone soil—one site in the village even takes its name, Les Rugiens (“Ruddy” or “Russet”) from the red hue of this iron-tinged terroir. For anybody who likes a Pinot with a larger frame and square shoulders, look no further. 

By keeping yields low, Patrick and Catherine maintain terrific concentration, allowing them to take a light approach in the cellar and still produce a Burgundy of great depth and texture. The farming is sustainable, conducted along organic principles, the harvest is by hand and fermentation is by native yeast. This cuvée, from 30-year-old vines, spends just 12-18 months in barrel (30% new), so the emphasis is on the terroir rather than the cellar.

The translation from soil to bottle is very clear here, with a freshness that speaks to En Mareau’s location, ideally sited uphill from the Premier Cru vineyards of Pommard on the combe (side valley) and just above the village’s small river, L’Avant Dheune. This gives the vines excellent drainage and cooling breezes, increasing the vital balance and freshness in the wine. All this is underlain by that firm, muscular substrate of iron-y terroir signature in a package that ably demonstrates the complexity that is Burgundy wine. 

The Buisson family has just a quarter-hectare in En Mareau (that’s just a few rows of vines), and so the production for this first bottling was just over 100 cases. Given the routine critical acclaim for the wines from this address, we expect this new bottling, for now a hidden gem, to become a darling for those in the know in Burgundy.