The Luxury Network International Magazine Issue 15

LANGTON’S GRAND CRU BURGUNDY
DINNER AT SOHO
Langton’s had the
pleasure of hosting
Vincent Avenel, General
Manager of Domaine
Chanson Père et Fils for
an evening of new release
and back-vintage wines.
Tasting red and white
Burgundy at Doltone
House SOHO @ Jones Bay
Wharf in the heart of Sydney
Harbour… there are
worse ways to spend an
evening.
Everything that follows must be taken
considering the limited context
of Burgundy. Where ‘value’ is used,
think ‘Burgundian value.’ Where ‘affordable’
is written, read ‘affordable
for Burgundy.’ While Claret fanciers
might say the world’s greatest
wines hail from Bordeaux, Burgundy
lovers will disagree. However,
minuscule production volumes in
Burgundy fall far short of global demand.
What this does to the price
is obvious.
Domaine Chanson Père et Fils, established
in 1750, is one of the five
great Burgundy négociant houses.
Though modest in scale compared
to its competitors, Chanson still
produces Grand Cru wines that can
be accessed for prices in line with
top tier Australian Pinot and Chardonnay.
Vincent, whose background is in
sales and marketing, took over from
Guy du Courcel, who had raised the
bar for Chanson since his 2002 appointment
by owners, Bollinger.
Yes, the Champagne house!
We asked Vincent about the challenges
of management around harvest
time.
‘During two weeks, the decisions
you are going to make in terms of
when to pick, how many people you
need, what kind of vinification we
are going to do, will have a huge
impact on the next two or three
years. So there is a lot of pressure.’
The pressure has increased with
the temperature soaring across Europe.
With heatwaves looking like
the new normal, we asked Vincent
how Chanson are planning to deal
with climate change.
‘For this year [2019], it’s too early
to tell. But what I can tell you
is that for the last 20 years I have
been working in Burgundy I have
seen a huge change. A very good
indication is picking dates. 20 years
ago, we would start in the middle
of September. Now we begin picking
at the start of September and
in some cases the end of August.
So that is an indication that global
warming is not just a concept, it is
a reality. And, working with mother
nature, we can really feel it.’
And the Chanson view of the Australian
market for Burgundy?
‘For us, it’s obviously not a big volume.
But it is a very good market
for promoting and selling our premium
wines. Actually, many of our
customers are producers themselves
and they buy our wines as
we, in Burgundy, are considered the
benchmark. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay
have become very trendy
in the last ten years and Australia is
obviously following that trend. And
there are lots of good restaurants
here, the cuisine level is very high
and people very curious
about Burgundy.’
After talking to Vincent,
we were joined by 60
guests of Langton’s for
a masterclass dinner at
SOHO @ Jones Bay Wharf.
Vincent led the proceedings
with a tasting of his
latest Grand Cru and
Premier Cru Bourgogne
blanc and rouge. We
were also treated to some
back vintage wines that
showed the development of the
wine over just five years. If patience
is your particular virtue, then cellaring
these wines will reward over
decades.
Vincent also challenged some of
the hallowed names of Burgundy
with wines that don’t cost in the
thousands, if not the tens-of-thousands
(in fact, you’re lucky if you
get them at that!). It was a common
refrain of guests during the evening
on the night; ‘Grand Cru Burgundy
at this price? It’s great!’ After a few
glasses, Vincent got the crowd going
with a song, the details of which
will remain a delightful memory for
those in attendance.
Next time, perhaps?
For more than 30 years, Langton’s
has been at the forefront of Australia’s
fine wine scene through
its groundbreaking wine auction
events, involvement with Penfolds
Re-corking Clinics and its highly
influential Classification of Australian
Wine. Langtons customers also
have access to a complimentary
personal Wine Broker. More than
concierge service, a Langton’s broker
has access to off-market pricing
on rare and back-vintage wines.
Explore the wines of Domaine
Chanson in our portfolio or contact
your Langton’s Wine Broker for different
formats, back vintages and
forthcoming premium events.
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