K&L Newsletter: The Latest News From Burgundy

The 2024 Burgundy vintage feels almost paradoxical. How could one of the most challenging growing seasons in over 50 years—defined by a relentless battle against mildew—produce one of the greatest White Burgundy vintages of the past quarter century? For years, 2014 has been considered the benchmark for modern white Burgundy, with 2017 close behind. The 2024 vintage is rapidly earning a place alongside both. These wines are stunning: vibrant, energetic, and beautifully precise, with exceptional acidity, drive, cut, and purity of fruit. There is a crystalline quality to the best 2024s that makes them irresistibly compelling. Producers describe 2024 as a "true Burgundian vintage"—meaning these are wines that Burgundy growers themselves genuinely love to drink. Read more On the Trail

— Alex Pross, K&L Burgundy Buyer

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THIS WEEK'S HIGHLIGHTS

• Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard’s 2024s: The Best Value in Chassagne-Montrachet


• Domaine Jean Chartron 2024: Village Puligny to 98-Point Chevalier-Montrachet


• Marc Colin 2024: The Complete Côte de Beaune


• 2024 Domaine Michel Niellon: A Legacy Continues to Define Chassagne-Montrachet


• 2024 Domaine Simon Colin: Burgundy's Rockstar Takes the Stage


• 2024 Domaine Henri Boillot: Spectacular Elegance Meets Extraordinary Precision


• Domaine William Fèvre 2024s: Classic Chablis Profile in Limited Quantities


• 2024 Domaine Jean-Paul & Benoît Droin Chablis: Explore the Heart of Chablis


• 2023 Louis Jadot Reds: An Overlooked Hero Scores Big

Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard is a family estate based in Chassagne-Montrachet, Côte de Beaune, Burgundy. Led by Céline Fontaine and Frédéric Robert since 2007, the domaine is widely regarded as one of the best value producers in the appellation, crafting mineral-driven, richly textured white Burgundy across village, Premier Cru, and Grand Cru levels. Read more On the Trail.

* Pre-Arrival: estimated to be available for pickup or delivery by 09/30/2026.

Few estates are as intertwined with the history of Puligny-Montrachet as Domaine Jean Chartron. Founded in 1859 under the name Dupard Aîné, the domaine adopted the Chartron name when Dupard's daughter married into the family, and has been one of the appellation's standard-bearers ever since. Today, Jean-Michel Chartron, who took over from his father in 1994, continues to push the estate forward. What makes Jean Chartron special is the range. From village Chassagne and Puligny all the way up through Premier Cru and some of Burgundy's most coveted Grand Cru sites; this is a domaine that gives you a complete picture of what the Côte de Beaune does better than anywhere on earth. Read more On the Trail.

* Pre-Arrival: estimated to be available for pickup or delivery by 09/30/2026.

If you want to understand how one family shaped modern white Burgundy, start with Domaine Marc Colin. The domaine gave rise to several of the region's most acclaimed names: Caroline Morey, Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey, and Joseph Colin among them. While those offshoots have earned their own devoted followings, the original domaine remains a benchmark in its own right. The vineyard holdings tell the story. Marc Colin is centered primarily in Saint-Aubin, one of Burgundy's most exciting value appellations, sitting just behind the ridge from Chassagne- Montrachet and sharing much of the same limestone geology. But the estate also holds enviable parcels in Chassagne, Puligny, and a plot in the legendary Grand Cru Le Montrachet itself. Read more On the Trail.

* Pre-Arrival: estimated to be available for pickup or delivery by 08/31/2026.

Domaine Michel Niellon remains one of the great reference-point producers of Chassagne-Montrachet, crafting some of the appellation’s most compelling and age-worthy White Burgundies. Michel Niellon began working alongside his father Marcel in 1957, and today the domaine continues as a true multi-generational family estate with the involvement of his son-in-law, Michel Coutoux, and grandson, Mathieu Bresson.

Together, these three generations produce Chassagne-Montrachets of exceptional purity, refinement and precision. The wines possess a beautifully high-toned, mineral-driven character with impressive tension and elegance, while still delivering the depth, fruit concentration and complexity that make Chassagne-Montrachet so beloved. These are sophisticated, beautifully balanced White Burgundies that can reward long-term cellaring but are also wonderfully enjoyable in their youth.

* Pre-Arrival: estimated to be available for pickup or delivery by 09/30/2026.

Rockstar alert! Domaine Simon Colin is one of Burgundy’s most exciting young estates and a producer that White Burgundy lovers should have firmly on their radar. Simon Colin is the son of Philippe Colin of Domaine Philippe Colin and the nephew of Bruno Colin, inheriting access to an extraordinary family legacy with impressive vineyard holdings spread across Saint-Aubin, Chassagne-Montrachet, Puligny-Montrachet and several prestigious Grand Cru sites.

Before launching his own domaine, Simon honed his craft working alongside both Bruno Colin and the legendary Domaine Etienne Sauzet, experiences that helped shape his refined and thoughtful winemaking style. In the vineyards, Simon employs organic and biodynamic farming practices, while in the cellar he favors a restrained use of oak, relying primarily on used barrels to preserve freshness and site expression.

The resulting wines are vibrant, energetic and beautifully pure, emphasizing precision, minerality and brilliant fruit over heaviness or excess richness. These are strikingly modern yet classically balanced White Burgundies with tremendous tension, length and elegance. Fans of fresh, high-energy White Burgundy will be absolutely captivated by these offerings.

* Pre-Arrival: estimated to be available for pickup or delivery by 09/30/2026.

The white Burgundies of Domaine Henri Boillot are nothing short of spectacular, and much of that success can be credited to Henri Boillot himself. Deeply involved in every aspect of the winery, Henri spends countless hours in the vineyards meticulously tending the vines and monitoring each parcel with extraordinary precision. That attention to detail translates directly into the bottle, producing white Burgundies of remarkable purity, vibrancy and finesse.

Year after year, Henri Boillot’s are some of the Côte de Beaune’s most compelling wines, and the 2024 vintage is an especially impressive collection. The standout, as always, is the their flagship, the 2024 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru “Clos de la Mouchère” Monopole, which is absolutely soaring in this vintage with incredible energy, precision and depth.

These are wines that combine richness and intensity with elegance and minerality, allowing them to age beautifully over time while still offering tremendous pleasure in their youth. For fans of world-class white Burgundy, Domaine Henri Boillot remains an essential producer.

* Pre-Arrival: estimated to be available for pickup or delivery by 07/31/2026.

I’ve had the pleasure of tasting at Domaine William Fèvre multiple times over the years, and this latest collection ranks among my favorite recent vintages, particularly 2014 and 2017. The 2024s are absolutely brilliant, though sadly quantities are painfully limited. Frost and relentless mildew pressure dramatically reduced yields, making 2024 one of the smallest Chablis harvests in recent memory.

What makes these wines so exciting is how distinctly “Chablis” they are in character. The 2024s are bright, zesty and intensely mineral-driven, loaded with racy acidity, saline notes, and that unmistakable oyster-shell character that defines classic Chablis. Unlike some of the warmer recent vintages, where ripe fruit often overshadowed terroir, the 2024s return to a more traditional profile, emphasizing tension, purity and crystalline precision over sheer richness.

These wines beautifully capture the essence of classic Chablis, and fans of energetic, salty, laser-focused White Burgundy will absolutely fall in love with this vintage from Domaine William Fèvre.

* Pre-Arrival: estimated to be available for pickup or delivery by 09/30/2026.

I will always have a soft spot for Domaine Jean-Paul & Benoît Droin, as it was the very first estate I ever visited in Burgundy. Over the years, this historic domaine has undergone a remarkable evolution, particularly after Benoît Droin joined the family estate and began influencing the winemaking direction. Benoît favored a more precise, terroir-driven style, dialing back the heavier oak influence and richer, broader profile that characterized many of his father’s earlier wines.

The transformation has been extraordinary. Today, the wines are vibrant, focused and beautifully mineral-driven, emphasizing purity, tension and classic Chablis character. Critics and consumers alike have embraced this stylistic shift, and the domaine now stands among the benchmark producers of the region.

With exceptional holdings spanning village Chablis, numerous Premier Crus and several outstanding Grand Crus, Domaine Droin offers an impressive range of wines that showcase the incredible diversity of Chablis terroir. Whether you are searching for an everyday classic or a profound cellar-worthy Grand Cru, there is undoubtedly a Droin bottling perfectly suited to your palate.

* Pre-Arrival: estimated to be available for pickup or delivery by 05/31/2026.

“Winemaker Frédéric Barnier and his team have once again delivered a strong portfolio chez Jadot.” — William Kelley, Wine Advocate

Domaine Louis Jadot may be considered a large producer by Burgundy standards, but almost anywhere else in the wine world they would hardly qualify as sizable. Unfortunately, that scale has at times caused Jadot to be unfairly pigeonholed as merely a négociant rather than recognized for what it truly is: one of Burgundy’s great estate producers with extraordinary vineyard holdings throughout the Côte d’Or.

Jadot owns an impressive collection of prime vineyards, including several major Grand Cru holdings and a significant portion of the legendary Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos Saint-Jacques. These are serious terroirs, and under the guidance of Frédéric Barnier and his team, the wines consistently rival those from far more famous and “cult” Burgundy producers—often at a fraction of the price while earning equal or even greater critical acclaim.

The 2023 Louis Jadot red Burgundies are absolutely superb. These wines beautifully capture the charm of the vintage with expressive aromatics, pure fruit and wonderfully transparent expressions of their respective appellations. From overachieving Premier Crus to profound Grand Crus capable of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Burgundy’s most elite bottlings, this is an exceptionally strong lineup that delivers remarkable value across every level.

* Pre-Arrival: estimated to be available for pickup or delivery by 06/30/2026.

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