Jean-Luc & Eric Burguet - Gevrey-Chambertin Lavaux St Jacques 2020

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At just a shade over 9.53 hectares and with well over 30 owners, it is not really surprising that Lavaux St.Jacques, the biggest of the Gevrey 1er cru vineyards, has the widest number of possible labels – in that respect it is the Clos de Vougeot of Gevrey.

Almost full south-facing, Lavaux St.Jacques (recognised as a distinct AOC since 1936) is situated at the beginning of the valley entrance of the Combe de Lavaux from which it takes its name – high cliffs of Jurassic limestone that eventually form the bedrock of the vineyards.

Over geological time the Combe has been the exit for rain-driven erosion into the alluvial ‘flood-plain’ of Gevrey-Chambertin. It’s a relatively cool area due to the breeze that comes down the Combe, this is the same for all the vineyards of this hillside – save one that is protected by its large wall – the Clos St.Jacques. Although the direct south exposure offers some balance, it is a balance of extremes – cool night breezes and hot daytime sun. In the late 1800s Lavaux was classed as a ‘deuxième cuvée’, though at that time so was much of Mazy, Chapelle, Charmes and Ruchottes.

[Lavaux St.Jacques] The borders of Lavaux are, at the base of the hillside, the road that heads into the Hautes Côtes from which the vineyard stretches almost to the top of the hill (about 325m above sea), following the length of the wall of the Clos St.Jacques – which interestingly looks much smaller in this map from Napoleonic (1826) times. It is a steady, but far from steep climb, and the incline ensures that it is a well-drained plot. Above, it is bordered by the premier cru Estournelles (or Etournelles) St.Jacques which forms a short buffer to the trees that cap the hill, and on its other side, by the 6 hectare premier cru Clos des Varoilles monopole.

Not surprisingly, the lower part of the slope has the deeper soil so can need more care with yields, higher up the soil depth is only about 25cm in some places. Walk the perimeter of the vineyard and it is a real ‘hotch-potch’ of plots – some in depressions, some planted across the slope, others with the slope, some with grass, some without, some obviously tractor ploughed, some with dead, brown grass – obviously from the use of herbicides. One plot even has a little wind-break from a mound of earth with a tree. It generally looks much less rocky than its neighbour the Clos des Varoilles and has a darker looking soil. Towards the very top of the vineyard is one small section where the vines are planted east-west across the hill – from any direction it looks more like it’s prepared for vegetables than vines!

Jean-Luc & Eric Burguet Description

Alain was born in 1950 to Yvon Burguet, a tâcheron for Domaine Tortochot who also worked his own vines in Gevrey. He was a tough father, and Alain and his brother, Gilles, were expected to work in the vines at a young age on their days off from school. Alain remembers being ten years old and carrying a bucket of grapes at harvest that must have weighed as much as he did. By age 14, the boys were deemed finished with school and they began to work full-time in the vines of Gevrey under their father’s strict direction. After military service, Alain returned to Gevrey and decided to start his own domaine, working exclusively with rented vines until 1974 when the opportunity arose to buy his first 2.10 ha of vines in the village. He bottled his own production from the start, and began to earn a reputation for himself, which was boosted around 1982 when Becky picked up Alain’s wines. She brought Jean Troigros to taste, who was utterly impressed with the Gevrey Vieilles Vignes and promptly added them to his restaurant’s list. Alain continued to expand his domaine, acquiring 1er Cru Les Champeaux in 1985, inheriting some of his father’s 3.5 hectares in 1991, while still working rented vineyards. As Clive Coates explains, “Alain Burguet is an example of how it is still possible to build up a domaine from scratch, without ample resources and without having to make a ‘sensible’ marriage, even with today’s high prices of land.” Having established his estate entirely on his own, Alain began looking forward to the future of the domaine, after his retirement. To the relief of Burguet fans, after a smooth transition his two sons are carrying on the family tradition. Jean-Luc first started working at the domaine in 1997 and Eric followed in 1999, working with their father in the vines and the cellar, doing everything from preparing orders to discussing the date for harvest with Alain. Jean-Luc did a ‘BAC Pro’ focusing on viticulture, then a BPREA (a professional degree for managing agricultural operations). During his studies he worked at several neighboring wineries in Gevrey-Chambertin including Domaine Bachelet, and also worked in Bandol. With the goal of broadening his knowledge abroad, he then worked in California with Jim Clendenen at Au Bon Climat in Santa Barbara. Eric completed a ‘BAC’ and a BTS that included both winemaking and commercialization of wine and spirits. Like his brother, he interned in production, at Domaine Henri Gouges in Nuits-Saint-Georges, and also had stages in the wine trade. The 2011 vintage was the first with Jean-Luc and Eric at the helm as Alain officially retired.