Red Burgundy is my sweet spot, and one of my favorite things is discovering new producers before they become household names. In today's market, that's easier said than done, but every now and then I come across a vigneron whose wines completely exceed my expectations. Antoine Lienhardt is one of those rare discoveries.
Antoine is one of Burgundy's brightest young talents. In 2011, he took over the 4.2 hectares of family vines his grandfather planted in the 1960s near the village of Comblanchien, in the Cote de Nuits. Rather than chasing expensive vineyard acquisitions, Antoine has dedicated himself to proving that this overlooked corner of Burgundy is capable of producing wines that rival those from far more famous addresses.
Word has gotten out. His wines have become some of the most sought-after values in Burgundy, earning rave reviews from collectors, sommeliers, and Burgundy lovers not just in France, but anywhere his tiny production is allocated.
His philosophy is simple: farm every vineyard as if it were a Grand Cru. Today, his old vines are tended to biodynamically , yields are kept painfully low, and every decision in both the vineyard and cellar is made with one goal in mind -- producing transparent, pure, and energetic Pinot Noirs that speak clearly of place and vigneron.
2023 Cote de Nuits Villages Les Plantes aux Bois
If there's one wine that perfectly captures Antoine's philosophy, this is it. Produced from old vines planted by his grandfather in the 1960s on rocky, well-drained limestone soils, Les Plantes aux Bois is the domaine's most coveted cuvee. Yields here are minuscule at roughly one ton per acre, and with total production of just 300 cases, this is a wine that disappears quickly every vintage.
Wonderfully perfumed and incredibly elegant, this is the most red-fruited and expressive of Antoine's wines, but don't mistake elegance for fragility. There's plenty of depth and structure here too, and I have no doubt this will evolve beautifully in a cool cellar for a decade or more.
2023 Fixin Villages
Situated between Marsannay and Gevrey-Chambertin, Fixin has long been one of the great value appellations of the Cote de Nuits, and this has got to be one of the finest examples I've tasted. Antoine has taken everything he does so well in Comblanchien and applied it here with remarkable success, revealing a level of elegance and refinement that many people never expect from Fixin. The limestone and clay soils provide the classic earthy backbone of the appellation, while the radiant 2023 vintage brings purity, freshness, and beautiful precision to the wine.
Fermented with whole clusters and handled with Antoine's trademark light touch, this is a beautifully transparent expression of Fixin. A bit riper, darker fruited, and meatier than Les Plantes aux Bois, it reveals layered notes of dark cherry, plum, black tea, and forest floor on a fluid and complex palate. This is a glorious bottle of Red Burg!
Big thanks to our friends at Haw River Wine Merchant for helping us secure an allocation of these two beauties, as these are not easy to come by. I have already claimed my bottles, the remaining 24 bottles of each are up for grabs.
If you're looking to discover one of Burgundy's most exciting young vignerons before his wines become even harder to find and way more expensive, now's the time.
Josh Spurling
Owner, Operator, Wine Monger
Table Wine Asheville
