Don’t ignore their Passetoutgrain...[it is] exquisite this year

—Neal Martin, Vinous
 

This is excellent

—Allen Meadows, Burghound

We love Burgundian Pinot Noir (not exactly a groundbreaking stance, these days). And without question, Volnay-based Domaine Lafarge makes some of the best. Their top cuvées, like the Volnay 1er Cru Clos du Château des Ducs, are profound, need a lot of time to come around, and are incredibly rare (and expensive).

Perhaps the only thing we love more than Burgundy Pinot Noir is Burgundy Pinot Noir blended with Gamay, a style of wine known as Passetoutgrains. The best examples combine the elegance and structure of Pinot Noir with the playful, juicy character of Gamay — truly the best of both worlds.

Long ago, Gamay was grown extensively in Burgundy, because it was high-yielding and easily enjoyed — until it was exiled in the late 14th century by Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, who wanted to maintain Pinot Noir’s supremacy in the Côte d’Or. Gamay found a safe haven in the Beaujolais, at the southern end of Philip’s domain. Over the centuries, plantings have steadily but slowly crept north, and Lafarge’s Gamay is actually planted on the border between Volnay and Meursault.

It turns out, even dukes can be wrong. Lafarge’s passetoutgrains, from vines planted nearly 100 years ago and comprising an even split between Pinot and Gamay, is an incredibly delicious, terroir-transparent wine, a benchmark example of how stunning Burgundy’s rare blends can be.

We rarely have enough of this wine allocated to us to share widely, but thankfully, the 2022 vintage in Burgundy was both high quality and plentiful. We’re very pleased to feature a true Flatiron favorite that will make a wonderful addition to any meal, but especially a festive meal like Thanksgiving.

Domaine Michel Lafarge, Bourgogne Passetoutgrain L'Exception", 2022 $47.99 
Nearly 100-year-old vines (Pinot/Gamay evenly split) in clay-limestone soils. This is as good as passetoutgrain gets, and we feel fortunate that the Lafarge family maintains these ancient vines out of a sense of tradition.