With its kilometers of cellars in the basement of the capital of Burgundy wines and its 2 million bottles currently aging, Patriarche plunges its visitors out of time. But the house also lives with its time by offering its range of cuvées “Emotions”.
No less than 5 km of vaulted galleries under its cobblestone streets, the heritage of the Patriarch House in Beaune is more under the surface of the earth than above. This is where the famous Caveau de l'An 2000 is kept: for over 37 years, more than 2000 Burgundian Grand Crus of the 1959 vintage were locked up there to be tasted during the first Hospices de Beaune sale of the millennium. A visionary initiative by André Boisseaux, the historic leader of the house and an outstanding personality of the post-war period in Burgundy. It is the same André Boisseaux who was at the origin of the sparkling wine Kriter and of an original sponsorship policy to make it known. Sail racing fans still remember it.
The great times of Kriter boats is over because of the Evin law, but the house continues to innovate. In 2014, it launched a new range of Burgundy wines: the "Emotions" cuvées. A very limited selection of wines that elicited unanimity within the team of the house. Jean-Michel Gallette, head of the wine tourism activity, explains the approach: “Patriarch has been a trader and vintner for 220 years. Our job is to supply our partner winemakers - we have more than 70 in all of Burgundy - with whom we have been working for more than twenty years for most of them. For this Emotion range, we did not target specific appellations. In our tasting committee, wines provoke particular affinities. We have selected about twenty appellations on the last vintage. We particularly followed them up until bottling. In the end, we kept only a few wines on which the whole team was unanimous. Those who gave us all emotions, we did not look further to name the range”.
Wines that can come from both Mâconnais and Chablis. We can also mention Pommard, Meursault, Vosne-Romanée, etc. But it is not because a wine has been selected “Cuvée Emotion” on a vintage that it will inevitably be the following year. They are recognizable by their black and gold packaging which distinguishes them easily. The distribution channel is very limited since they are mainly present in the shop of Caves de Beaune and some local restaurants. “We do not want to dissipate these wines. For some of them the production is limited to a few hundred bottles. We want to keep them for our customers. We are not looking for quantity but to remain faithful to the typicity of the appellation”, continues Jean-Michel Gallette.
Laurent Gotti
Patriarche Père et fils, Meursault AOC Les Narvaux 2015
Dark golden yellow. A note of evolution on caramelized almonds, oven-baked apple, candied citrus fruits. A beautiful, dense and round palate, expressive and with a good salinity, good body. A beautiful, persistent and tasty finish of beautiful finesse. A beautiful wine.
Patriarche Père et fils, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Sous Le Puits Cuvée Emotion 2015
Dark golden yellow. Beautiful fine woodiness with notes of fine spices, butter and brioche. Beautiful dense and round palate, warm enough with a nice savory presence. More straightforward and slightly short finish but still full of flavors.
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