Our second stop through Burgundy brought us south to the Côte de Beaune, and what a night it was.
We gathered at TPC Monterey Pasadera thanks to our wonderful host Barry Phillips for a wonderful Wine Scholars evening centered around elegance, finesse, and the lighter, more graceful side of Pinot Noir. The setting immediately made the night feel special. For the first time, we all sat around a beautiful round table, which changed the energy of the tasting in the best way. Instead of feeling like a presentation from one end of the room, it felt like a true shared experience — everyone facing each other, tasting together, reacting together, and learning together.
That spirit of shared discovery became the theme of the night.
Once again, we were lucky to have Alex Lallos of No Limit Wines guide us through Burgundy. Alex brought the Côte de Beaune to life with stories, context, and a deep understanding of why these villages can feel so distinct even though they sit so close together. He helped us look beyond “do I like this wine?” and start asking better questions: Is this wine silky or firm? Floral or earthy? Red-fruited or darker? Polished or rustic?
That is where Burgundy gets fun — and also where it gets wonderfully complicated.
The format was designed around learning first. We tasted a series of reference wines side by side, starting with a Côte de Nuits comparison wine and a California Pinot Noir before moving through the key Côte de Beaune villages: Volnay, Pommard, Beaune, and Savigny-lès-Beaune. It gave everyone a chance to calibrate their palates and start identifying the clues that make each place unique.
Volnay showed its graceful, floral side. Pommard brought more firmness, darker fruit, and earth. Beaune offered balance, polish, and savory texture. Savigny-lès-Beaune came through as fresh, rustic, and red-fruited. And with the Côte de Nuits and California Pinot as bookends, the group had a clear frame of reference for structure, ripeness, fruit, and texture.
The Wine Lineup
Reference Wines
- 2023 Domaine Bachelet Côte de Nuits
Our northern Burgundy reference point: darker fruit, more structure, and an earthier frame. - 2023 ROAR Pisoni Vineyard Pinot Noir
Our California comparison: riper fruit, fuller texture, and a more generous style. - 2017 Domaine Michel Lafarge Volnay
A beautiful example of Volnay’s silk, florals, red fruit, and elegance. - 2021 Antoine Jobard Pommard
A firmer, earthier expression, showing why Pommard is often the more muscular village of the group. - 2020 Louis Jadot Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Ursules
A polished Beaune reference, balancing red and darker cherry, spice, texture, and structure. - 2020 Camus-Bruchon Aux Grands Liards Savigny-lès-Beaune
Fresh, rustic, energetic, and bright — a great Savigny-lès-Beaune teaching wine.
Blind Wines
- 2018 Domaine Chanson
Poured blind for the group to identify the sub-region. - 2021 Domaine Jean-Marc Bouley
Another blind test, asking everyone to use fruit, tannin, texture, and finish to make their best village guess.
After the reference flight, we moved into the blind tasting. The goal was not just to guess correctly — although we absolutely love when that happens — but to apply what we had just learned. And the group delivered. Two people were able to successfully identify the correct sub-regions.
Bravo!
That was the most satisfying part of the night. The blind tasting felt earned. People were not just throwing out guesses. They were connecting the dots: looking at structure, fruit profile, tannin, aromatics, and overall personality. That is exactly what Wine Scholars is all about.
By the end of the evening, everyone had learned something. Burgundy still felt complex — because it is — but it also felt a little more approachable. A little more understandable. And definitely more exciting.
A huge thank you to Alex Lallos of No Limit Wines for teaching us, storytelling, and making the Côte de Beaune come alive. Thank you to Barry Phillips for the beautiful setting, and to everyone who came ready to taste, ask questions, and learn together.
This was Burgundy at its most graceful — and Wine Scholars at its best.