Simon Bize, Pinot Noir, Savigny-les-Beaune "Aux Grands Liards" Côte de Beaune, Burgundy, France 2020

Aux Grands Liards is just below Les Lavieres, a premier cru site. The vines were planted in stages between 1938 and 1979 on limestone soil, marked by reddish clay gravel. The wine has more backbone and tends to be more of a masculine expression of Pinot Noir. It is a 1.60 hectare parcel.

Aux Grands Liards was one of Patrick Bize's favorite wines in the cellar. It was also the first parcel the family owned.

There are a handful of domaines in Burgundy that we think of as almost being synonymous with their village — Domaine Simon Bize is one of them. The domaine has a long history, having been founded in 1890, and farms 22 hectares of vines. Their holdings are a laundry list of Savigny-les-Beaune's best sites, from perfectly situated lieux-dits to the best premier cru parcels of the appellation. Their house style is one partial to whole cluster fermentation for the reds and little to no new oak on both whites and reds.