Brothers Franck and Fred Buisson, the eighth generation in their family to tend the vine in Saint-Romain, have lifted quality to new heights.
The rigorous north-to-south procession of the Côte d’Or’s primary escarpment can lead one to
overlook its occasional meanderings, but within those offshoots lie some of Burgundy’s greatest surprises. Recent years have seen an explosion of interest in Saint-Aubin, for instance, whose slightly cooler microclimate and proximity to Puligny and Chassagne’s hallowed crus make it a sweet spot for value and quality.
Less well known, perhaps, but equally promising is the hamlet of Saint-Romain, a gorgeous valley which opens up just west of Auxey-Duresses, itself a westerly offshoot of the Côte at the junction of Volnay and Meursault. In this sheltered appellation where whites and reds attain equal stature, the Buisson clan has been tending the vine since 1758; the family itself has called this hamlet home since the 12th century.
When Saint-Romain secured appellation status in 1947, sixth-generation Henri Buisson was the first in the village to bottle his own production: five hectares of prime plantings throughout the valley. With son Gilles by his side, he began farming without synthetic chemicals in the early 1970s—a radical choice in an era where chemical shortcuts reigned supreme. Gilles’ two sons Franck and Frédérick, cut from the same boundary-pushing cloth as their father and grandfather, began adopting biodynamic practices upon assuming control of the domaine in 2008, achieving certification with the 2018 vintage.
Franck and Fred’s star has been on a meteoric rise as of late, with Vinous Media’s esteemed Neal Martin naming the domaine as one of six candidates when asked in 2020, “Who is Burgundy’s next superstar? Who is the next Roumier, Rousseau, or Coche?” The brothers’ meticulous vineyard management and thoughtful low-intervention approach in the cellar yield wines which bristle with energy—kinetic, dynamic Burgundies of profound mineral punch—and we have been proud to witness this historic domaine’s dramatic development over the almost two decades of our partnership.
While an expanding circle of high-profile friends has given Buisson access to small lots of elite appellations in recent vintages (growers heavy with blue chips are happy to trade for some Saint-Romain fruit to diversify their offerings), they have also become increasingly mindful of their need for balance at the more price-friendly end of their lineup. To that end, they have begun producing a sterling duo of regional-level wines, and we are thrilled to debut the 2022 Bourgogne Blanc and 2022 Bourgogne Rouge from Franck and Fred this season.
Complex yet friendly, the 2022 Bourgogne Blanc comes from several sources: young vines in Saint-Romain from plantings on the valley’s northern side; high-altitude Bourgogne-designated Chardonnay from just outside the appellation; and purchased fruit from their friends at the esteemed Domaine Guillot-Broux in the Maconnais, who have practiced organic viticulture since 1954 and became certified in recent years. Aged for one year without racking in used 228-liter barrels, it combines a lacy white-flower aromatic overlay with dense, ripe, salty fruit; the bright acidity of the high-altitude Bourgogne nicely offsets the luscious generosity of the Maconnais-sourced fruit, and the young Saint-Romain provides a stony anchor. [Note: Because purchased fruit is included in the blend, the wine is labeled “Maison Henri & Gilles Buisson.”]
Solely sourced from Pinot Noir planted just above Saint-Romain’s Sous Roche (one of the lynchpin crus of Buisson’s lineup), the 2022 Bourgogne Rouge offers a similar expertly rendered balance of seriousness and breeziness as the Blanc. Saint-Romain’s tendency to produce kinetic red wines of palpable minerality is on full display here, with bright cherry fruit given lift by tremendously vibrant acidity, and while the wine is lithe and without flab it possesses admirable sap and bastes the palate with dense, mouthwatering fruit. Like the Bourgogne Blanc, it spent one full year in entirely used 228-liter barrels with minimal sulfur additions.
More on Domaine Henri & Gilles Buisson here.
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