2014 Domaine Marius Delarche 1er Cru Ile de Vergelesses Reserve

1er Cru Red Burgundy From Highly Prized Vineyard

If you’re going to buy Burgundy, buy smart. And the secret to buying smart is vineyards that over-perform their reputation. So, when you’re wading through Grand Cru vineyards that churn out $200+ bottle Burgundies, and you suddenly come to a dirt road before stepping another 10 feet into a Premier Cru site that turns out $50 bottles — your taste buds perk up. Today’s 2014 Domaine Marius Delarche Reserve Rougecomes from the Île des Vergelesses Premier Cru — so close to the Grand Cru vineyards that surround the world-famous hill of Corton, that you could reach out and almost touch them. And while the Grand Cru bottlings from these neighboring sites hit triple digits, this 2014 Domaine Marius Delarche is just $45 per bottle. It’s an exhilarating, pristine and expressive red that delivers a ton of pleasure within a delicate frame — a Premier Cru Burgundy that drinks like a Grand Cru at a fraction of the cost. This is the kind of red that wine professionals keep on hand — a pure expression of Burgundy for those who have tasted all the Grands Crus but still aren’t on a Grand Cru budget.

I visited Burgundy for the first time two springs ago, and was blown away by how small and close-knit everything seemed. How some of the most famous vineyards in the world are no bigger than soccer fields, and how a narrow chemin or a waist-high wall can separate humble village vines from Grand Cru vineyards. I visited Etienne Delarche at Domaine Marius Delarche on that trip, and was awestruck at how close their property in hidden Pernand-Vergelesses is to the world-famous hill of Corton. As I walked the southeast-facing Les Vergelesses vineyard where this 2014 Domaine Marius Delarche Pernand-Vergelesses Rouge 1er Cru Ile des Vergelesses Reserve is grown, I felt like I could reach out and touch the Grand Cru vineyards of Corton Charlemagne and Le Charlemagne (if my arms were just a bit longer).

Our panel gave the Les Vergelesses 1er Cru 94 points, and when we tasted it in our office, that trip to Burgundy came rushing back to me. Late last summer, we offered one of Domaine Delarche’s gorgeous, overachieving Burgundies from Les Boutières vineyard, a village-level site that we believe has the magic to be promoted to  Premier Cru. This 2014 Delarche on offer is one literal step up. It is grown in the well-drained clay and limestone soils of the Premier Cru vineyard of Île des Vergelesses, which has the same prized southeasterly exposure as four other Premiers Crus, but sits 150 feet higher on the hill. It is at the same altitude as the prized Grands Crus — a stone’s throw away — of the hill of Corton.

When I began studying Burgundy, I started with the Vosne-Romanées and Montrachets of the world — the priciest and most storied appellations, whose wines tend to fetch a mortgage payment or more per bottle. But when I started learning about places like Pernand-Vergelesses and the unsung appellations where a great value is still possible, the whole region got a lot more intriguing.

Sincerely,

Vanessa Conlin
Master of Wine Candidate
Vice President of Wine, Wine Access

• Fruit Intensity
• Oak Intensity
• Body
• Acidity
• Tannin

• ABV 13.00%
• 30 mins
• Now – 2030
• % Pinot Noir
• Serving temperature – 60°
• Cork