Always reliable, and well-priced, with a number of standout cuvees, Domaines Bichot continues its good run of form with 2018 vintage. The Premier and Grand Crus from Clos Frantin, the flagship domaine, and increasingly the maison itself, continue to produce benchmark wines which offer real value and character, whist Domaine Pavillon’s Beaune Clos des Mouches’, is the white Burgundy of choice for the cognoscenti. As Neal Martin comments, Bichot can make “really quite delicious, complex wines that often surprise people in blind tastings when not swayed by the label.” Once again our selections, from AOC Bourgogne to Richebourg, all show the precision, typicity and expressive, generous fruit expected of their level and mean there is something from the portfolio to suit all tastes and budgets. Head winemaker Alain Serveau is pleased that in 2018 the wines achieved sufficient concentration and structure whilst maintaining freshness and supple fruit.
"From vines averaging 40 years old in two clay-rich parcels totalling a little under a hectare, and with 25% new oak this sets out the domaine’s stall rather well. This is a great introduction to Clos Frantin, to Cote de Nuits Burgundy in fact, as it is straight down the line, textbook juice. The slightly heavier soils give a generosity to the fruit that defies the NSG’s reputation for austerity but there is no lack of vibrancy." Tom, Wine Guru