2022 Celine Boudard-Cote Bourgogne Cuvee Julia

With great enthusiasm today (drum roll 🥁pleeeease)..... I introduce 2022 Celine Boudard-Cote Bourgogne, Cuvee Julia. You don’t know it yet, but YOU’RE GONNA THANK ME!  I’m not kidding, Back Up The Truck!   

We first met Celine Cote at a wine fair in Paris last November. Faun was dragging me around to taste every Champagne under the sun. It was the end of the fourth and final day, so vendors grew weary, as did we! Under the fluorescent lights of a cavernous warehouse, there is no romance, just another booth, another wine.  

Stumbling onto Celine Cote’s booth, we found her friendly but by no means enthusiastic as we struggled to converse in Google-French. But after my knees nearly buckled with surprise and delight at what I experienced in my first sip, I started to perk up! Everytime you put a new red burgundy to your lips, with that moment of anticipation, THIS is what you hope for. “I want to buy your wine” also did wonders for our communication! 

Monster 500-Foot 
Home Run!

The following week, I made a point to visit Celine Cote’s farm, winery and family home in the village of Molosmes (on the outskirts of Tonnerre). I had been visiting a couple of Champagne producers in the Côte des Bar and her domaine was nearby. Thank God for GPS telling me to turn down a tiny, dirt road, otherwise, I would have been eternally lost, searching the Universe for this wine that had so moved me.

Celine was more prepared for my visit this time and had her daughter there to translate for us. We had a lovely conversation and she very passionately told me her family's story. If you have time, please read her STORY below.

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The land of Celine Cote’s family around Molosmes was a wasteland for decades. When the Phylloxera crisis hit the region in the late 1800’s, as it had in so many other regions throughout France, church bells rang for the death of the vines and for the families equally devastated. It is not dissimilar to the church bells tolling during the bubonic plague. The panic and chaos that ensued in France is beyond the scope of Vins Rare storytelling.

Until Phylloxera, Celine Cote’s family had cultivated the vines for centuries and prior to that, it had been developed by monks dating back to the 13th century. So much history had been laid to waste until Celine’s parents reimagined this terroir, with all of its rich Kimmeridgian soil, producing outstanding wines again. It was a dream, but one made more realistic by their daughter Celine, trained in biotechnology and viticulture-oenology.  Few families were so prepared!

In 1999, Celine and her parents replanted the steep, 1.5 hectare southeast facing slope surrounding their home (from which Cuvee Julia is made). From the very beginning, Celine insisted on farming organic, but she told me they had been farming biodynamically the entire time. She applied for the certification in 2016 when she felt the vineyard was starting to mature; their Demeter certification came in 2021.

Celine Cote understands and lives by three guiding principles; 1) control the yields,  2) high health quality of the berries and 3) adequacy between the maturity of the grapes and the organoleptic qualities. Her attention to detail and the way she speaks about caring for every vine in the vineyard reminded me of how many vignerons describe their Grand Cru vineyards in Burgundy. Celine cares little that this is a $27 Bourgogne grown in an unheard of village. She strives for the best possible outcome and this is a show stopping Bourgogne.

Today the family has approximately 8 hectares of vines mostly planted to pinot noir, but with some chardonnay as well. This wine ranks up there as one of my Best Red Wine Deals Ever! There is not a better Pinot Noir on the market for anywhere close to this price.

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POSTSCRIPT:  When Celine Cote’s wine arrived on the container last week, it was one of the first bottles I opened as they were bringing in the pallets.  Immediately, I placed an order for another 80cs (I have 40 now) and gushed at how pleased I was with the wines. It’s even better than when my knees buckled back in November. That's saying something, as the wines usually take a couple of weeks after arrival before they settle down from their journey.  

When I started Vins Rare in 2001, my goal was to buy and sell wines I enjoyed drinking and putting in my own cellar. I was able to buy and sell all the great wines and a few may remember the discounts I used to offer for Rousseau, Mugnier and Roumier! Oh, how times have changed, but never my love for Burgundy, and ultimately Pinot Noir. It is by far the varietal I want to drink most often. In today's world I’m always searching for wines that drink well, offer tremendous quality AND value and I’m proud and honored to say I’ve brought you some incredible deals over the years.  

It's discoveries like these that make me love what I’m doing and push me to find more. One of the advantages I have is the ability to import wines directly from the domaine, which allows us to be competitive price-wise. No middleman markups. This is a Monster 500 Foot Home Run! Buy this with confidence as this one comes with my Money Back Guarantee - if you don’t absolutely agree, i’ll pay to ship it back and refund your entire purchase - including the bottle you drank! This is the kind of wine everyone needs around the house - it drinks incredibly well now and should continue to offer enjoyment and pleasure over the next several years - that is if you can keep your hands off.