Test Collecting category
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There has also been an influx of outsiders either sourcing fruit, renting vineyards or, indeed, planting. Some of Burgundy’s top names – including Domaine Leflaive and Sébastien Cathiard – have recognised the potential of the Hautes-Côtes. The former has planted several hectares in the village of Nantoux, which had lain fallow for many decades; the original stone walls and workers’ huts are still visible. Cathiard began farming several hectares above Nuits- St Georges in 2019, applying the silken caress of Vosne-Romanée to the excellent Les Dames Huguettes, a site from which Maxime Rion has sourced fruit for several years.
Other famous names have cottoned on, too. Jean-Nicolas Méo was an early adopter in the 1990s, planting Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc on a rocky, south-facing slope just a few hundred yards above the Grand Cru of Echezeaux. The iconoclastic Clos St Philibert is now something of a cult wine, challenging the perception of its appellation through its individuality and complexity.
Caroline Lestimé’s Sous Eguisons provides further evidence that a wine from the humble Hautes-Côtes can offer fantastic value, in the hands of a top winemaker. From a parcel just above St Aubin in the very south of the Hautes- Côtes de Beaune, it offers a flavour of her excellent Chassagne-Montrachet wines at a fraction of the price.
