Domaine simon bize current releases
Bourgogne Blanc Les Champlains
Vineyard planted in 1993 and 1996 on an eastern-facing slope.
The Bourgogne Blanc Les Champlains always displays the more richness, roundness, and fullness of the two Bourgogne Blancs. The soil is very rocky, and there are several quarries nearby. Fermentation is in barrel. There is usually no sulfur added at the press unless the vintage requires it. The wine ages for six months in barrel then three months in tank. The final blend usually contains around 5% Pinot Beurot (Pinot Gris) which is partly why Les Champlains tends to be rounder than Les Perrieres.
Bourgogne Blanc Les Perrieres
Vineyard planted in 1967 and 1968. Surface Area: 1.50 hectares
The vineyard is located on the hillside hanging over the village of Savigny. Les Perrieres is a very different expression from Les Champlains despite the elevage being exactly the same.
Savigny les Beaune Blanc
Made up of 3 different parcels. The elevage of all the whites in the cellar at Bize tends to follow a consistent style with only the length varying according to the parcel and/or vintage. That said, vinifications are never done systematically.
Savigny les Beaune 1er Cru Blanc Aux Vergelesses
This parcel was planted to white grapes until 1968 when it was replanted with Pinot Noir and never thrived. Patrick Bize ripped up the vines again in 1995 and reverted it back to Chardonnay. This vineyard plot is in the premier cru Pernand-Vergelesses Ile des Vergelesses. The soil is of sandy marl and limestone, on a very steep slope.
Corton Charlemagne
All massale selection planted in 1938. The plot is located on the southwest side of the Corton hill, on a very steep slope in the commune of Pernand Vergelesses.
The vinfication style for reds at the domaine tends to be as close to 100% whole cluster as the vintage allows. That said, in recent vintages they've been forced to completely de-stem fruit from certain vintages. But as far as a house style goes, expect whole cluster to be a component of the wine. Fermenations are always natural and punch downs are down by foot to avoid over-extraction. For aging, very little new oak is used and the wines are only racked once, towards the end of their barrel aging and closer to bottling.
Bourgogne Rouge Les Perrieres
Vineyard planted in 1971 and 1974 on an eastern-facing slope. Surface Area: 2.20 hectares
The vineyard is located on the hillside hanging over the village of Savigny.
Savigny les Beaune 1er Cru Rouge Aux Guettes
Aux Guettes is on the upper slope, facing due south. There is a lot of clay in the soil and the wines tend to be on the firm side. The plot was planted in 1965 and is only half a hectare in size.
Savigny les Beaune Rouge Aux Grands Liards
Aux Grands Liards is just below Les Lavieres, a premier cru site. The vines were planted in stages between 1938 and 1979 on limestone soil, marked by reddish clay gravel. The wine has more backbone and tends to be more of a masculine expression of Pinot Noir. It is a 1.60 hectare parcel.
Aux Grands Liards was one of Patrick Bize's favorite wines in the cellar. It was also the first parcel the family owned.
Savigny les Beaune Rouge les Bourgeots
The plot planted between 1965 and 1978 and is 3.50 hectares. It has a moderately deep soil, with white clay-limestone.
Savigny les Beaune 1er Cru Rouge Aux Vergelesses
Aux Vergelesses is right above Pernand's Ile de Vergelesses and it faces east by south. The base of the vineyard is sandy marl but as you go up the slope there is iron-rich oolite. The plot was planted by thirds (1939, 1949, 1954) and is 2.20 hectares of which 1/3 is planted to Chardonnay and 2/3 to Pinot Noir. It is worth noting that the most important wind for Burgundy is the North wind. The north wind is always passing over Aux Vergelesses.
Savigny les Beaune 1er Cru Rouge les Fournaux
Les Fournaux is the most eastern of the Savigny les Beaune premier crus. It has the finesse of Vergelsses but with more power coming from the clay soils. The Bize parcel is one hectare and was planted in 1962 and 1963. "Les Fournaux" refers to an oven used for melting ore and alludes to open-pit mining. Chisa Bize likes to describe wines from Les Fournaux as having the finesse of Aux Vergelsses but with more power coming from the clay soils.
Savigny les Beaune 1er Cru Rouge les Marconnets
This 0.80 parcel was planted in 1973 and sits on deep sandy soil. It is the only Savigny les Beaune premier cru that is south of the river, all the rest are north. There is always more sun on this parcel so it tends to get riper than the rest. It's deep sandy soil doesn't retain water as well so cool vintages tend to suits Marconnets the best with it's personality tending towards more flesh and weight.
Savigny les Beaune 1er Cru Rouge les Serpentieres
Les Serpentieres is located under the premier cru Les Guettes, at mid-slope. It is well exposed to the south but with a heavy and humid soil. The plot was planted in 1959 and is 0.35 hectare. This is the first parcel Chisa Bize starting farming biodynamically in 2008.
Savigny les Beaune 1er Cru Rouge les Talmettes
Les Talmettes is contiguous to Aux Vergelesses to the west, so it is south-facing. There are very few producers of Talmettes and was not produced as a single vineyard until 2007. Previously the wien was blended with Vergelesses but their was a new appellation rule that required it to bottle it as its own cru.
The Bize parcel of Talmettes is 0.80 hectare and planted in 1968 and 1978. The parcel is steep at the top, with a little sand mixed into a clay-limestone based soil.
Corton-Renardes
The domaine first produced a Corton Rouge in 2014 and did so through the 2016 vintage. Patrick Bize always wanted to vinify red Corton so when the opportunity presented itself they decided to do it in his memory.
Latricieres-Chambertin
The Bize 0.33 hectare plot of Latricieres-Chambertin was planted in 1961, 1971, and 1981. The soil is a poor and shallow marl and limestone based soil. Latricieres-Chambertin is the next-door neighbor of the grand cru Chambertin.