Domaine Mark Haisma Pernand-Vergelesses Premier Cru En Caradeux 2022 HALF Bottle (37.5cl)

Description

A very fine Premier Cru from Pernand-Verglesses in the Cote de Beaune area of Burgundy. It’s a classic white wine that will impress any Burgundy lover, and will complement a good meal in style. Decant this if you are drinking it now, or otherwise it will cellar well in this bottle size till 2028 at least. The reference to ‘En Caradeux’ is the name of this particular Premier Cru vineyard, which is made as a white wine although reds can also be made. The vineyard lies on a southeast-facing slope just across from Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru, but the excellent quality produced in En Caradeux, and it’s comparatively lower price to the Grand Cru, means it offers great value for money too! As it faces southeast, it is slightly cooler in temperature than the west-facing vineyards in the area, and has a lovely freshness without being too rich or heavy, which is increasingly important given the warmer vintages of late. Made in very small quantities, it was bottled just for The Little Fine Wine Company in half bottles this year.

TASTING NOTE:

With delicious citrus, hazelnut and oatmeal notes on the nose, this has the classic and unmistakeable aromas of fine white Burgundy. It’s medium-bodied on the palate, and is not lean but not too unctuous in texture either, which is perfect given some of the richer, warmer vintages recently, that have sometimes given very rich, almost heavy white wines. It has fine, precise acidity which adds freshness to the wine and lasts well onto the long, dry, mouthwatering finish. A truly lovely Premier Cru with elegance and perfume, that will drink well as a treat over the course of the evening, or match food well.

FOOD PAIRING, STORING AND SERVICE:

While this drinks very well without food, it also makes a sensational match with a fish dish. We suggest trying a white fish and beurre blanc sauce, the rich, almost nutty flavour being offset by the freshness in the wine. You can also try a vegetarian dish such as courgettes, asparagus or potato gnocchi with beurre blanc, or a mushroom soup/mushroom-based main. Drink now (decant it for half an hour as it’s still relatively young) or keep till 2028 at least.

ABOUT:

Marc Haisma is an oddity in Burgundy, as he is actually from Australia and therefore, despite having made wine in Burgundy for many years, is a relative outsider. He was winemaker at Yarra Yering for ten years, and therefore gained plenty of experience making great Chardonnay and Pinot Noir before crossing the globe to continue in the hallowed grounds of the Cote d’Or! In addition, he is what the French call a ‘micro-negoce’  or micro-negociant in that he purchases grapes from other growers, and makes the wine himself in a small cellar just outside Beaune. While it’s often seen as a disadvantage not to have one’s own vineyards, the negociant approach allows him to choose the vineyards he wishes (buying the vineyards outright in Burgundy is now prohibitive to all but the very wealthiest), and concentrate on quality alone, without having to spent precious time and resource on the myriad of viticultural tasks. We were particularly impressed with his Pernand-Vergelesses Premier Cru En Caradeux and Pommard Premier Cru Clos des Arvelets in 2022 and therefore commissioned the wines in half bottles this year.