Flavour of the Year 2024 – Candidate No. 2

I find it extremely gratifying to promote new, talented people and estates. This is also what many buyers and collectors are looking for in a world of ever-increasing prices. This is why one of the primary goals of the Winehog is to explore new producers.

To explain this initiative a bit more, while I find the work of young vignerons like Charles Lachaux truly admirable, these well-known producers already have the complete attention of the wine world and, furthermore, often plenty of great vineyards with which to express themselves.

Young, small, negociants and estates do not have the same exposure or access to noble terroirs, although their efforts are as admirable and enjoyable.

The Winehog Flavour of the Year award is for these young and/or new talents in Burgundy.

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Flavour of the Year winners

Bastian Wolber of Laisse Tomber in 2023

Les Horées in 2022

Domaine Cassiopée in 2021

Marthe Henri in 2019

Domaine Garcia in 2018

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Domaine Chanterêves (2017)

Domaine Nicolas Faure (2016)

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Before Flavour of the Year

Before I created Flavour of the Year, I also had strong candidates. In 2017, I would have pointed at Maison – now Domaine – Chanterêves, who still holds a strong place in my Burgundy heart. Great aligotés, and great wines in general.

I got the idea in 2016 when I first tasted the fabulous wines of Nicolas Faure, the Henry Jayer of lesser terroirs, and the Henri Roch of the manual vertical press. Mostly, Nicolas Faure is simply himself, making no-fuss vins d’émotion.

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A change for 2024: three candidates

Three candidates will be selected, and the final selection will, as in previous years, happen in the spring/summer of 2024.

Candidate No. 2

Domaine du Puy de l’Ours

The second candidate is Domaine Domaine du Puy de l’Ours. A lovely and sympathique couple in Savigny-lès-Beaune. The domaine is focused in the Savigny-lès-Beaune appellation with an interesting terroir located in the upper part of Beaune (Hautes Côtes). These are all interesting vineyards, but normally not flashy enough to catch the attention of the classical label drinkers.

Somehow, the couple has nonetheless gathered the attention of the wine world with their beautiful, precise and quite delicate wines. The wines have a hedonistic glow … an effortlessness that is a witness to both meticulous work and talent. These are quite classic wines … to me, they are impressive in a more and more extreme world.

To the geeky Winehog, the Blanc de Noirs “l’Absurde” from Domaine du Puy de l’Ours is a stroke of genius creating an attention breaker for the domaine, and furthermore, a niche of white Burgundies with very interesting culinary possibilities.

This is candidate no 2!