It could be easy to overlook the ancient Côte de Beaune hamlet of Blagny. Many people do. Straddling the larger villages of Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet, this lesser known pocket is ensconced further up the hill, surrounded by woodland. The greater altitude (reaching up to 400m) gives Blagny a cooler microclimate than its more famous neighbours, imbuing its mineral-tinged wines with a marked freshness and acidity which will become increasingly valuable in years to come, as vignerons seek to mitigate the effects of climate change. 

 

A prime example of this can be found in the wines of Comtesse de Chérisey, which are made organically by Hélène and Laurent Martelet from various plots in Blagny, including ‘La Genelotte’, a monopole which they own outright. They were passed the land by Hélène’s mother, Anne (the Comtesse), whose family founded the original domaine in 1811. More recently, the couple have been joined by daughter Bérénice and her winemaker husband, Rémi Colin, who comes from good Burgundian stock (he is the nephew of Arnaud Ente – one of the contemporary masters of Meursault). 

 

Perhaps it is this injection of new blood, but the past couple of vintages have produced very special wines that ought to be snapped up before prices follow suit. All of the cuvées display a lacy structure with a racy, more nervous energy than they previously attained; along with an aesthetic overhaul for the bottles, Comtesse de Chérisey is rising into the upper echelons of Côte de Beaune wine.