IF you are a wine geek like me, you will undoubtedly have followed the Japanese Manga “Kami no Shizuku” or the Droplets of God. For the uninitiated, the story follows the competition of a duo to unravel 12 different apostles. The 10th apostle of the series, revealed in Volume 34, is the 2002 Robert Sirugue Grands-Echezeaux. I’ve long considered myself a Burgundy geek but I was truly baffled. Why is a wine from this unknown producer chosen as an apostle?

My quest to find out the answer ends today. Long kept a secret by the Japanese market, WEA are proud to be bringing these superb wines into Singapore. A key characteristic of their wines is the significant percentage of old vines in their holdings. Grapes are mostly destemmed – at least 80%. The over-achiever in their cellar is the 1er Cru Les Petits Monts which stands head to head with other illustrious producers in that vineyard. The crown jewel of their cellar, meanwhile, is the Grands-Echezeaux with 1-2 barrels of it made each year. An absolutely regal wine and absolutely RARE.

“The wines are pure, stylish, well made and offer a lovely drinkability.”
– Steen Öhman, Winehog.org

The siblings, Marie-France and Jean-Louis – the 4th generation of the family, are currently in charge of the Domaine after their father retired in early 2000s. Tasting at their cellars, the style is all about elegance and purity. If you want bold, robust Burgundies, this is not the address for you. Their main export market is Japan for more than 20 years, which shouldn’t come as a surprise! Bits of their wines go into the US market and it was only recently that they have a distributor in UK. Hence they fall off the radar of many wine critics. Wines are very limited for our inaugural offer but are very attractively priced, showing that you still can drink The Pearl of the Côte without breaking the bank.

 

I AM PROUD TO OFFER:

2012 Bourgogne Rouge
From a blend of 4 parcels in Northern Nuits, Vosne and Chambolle. This is amazingly good but shouldn’t come as a surprise as the parcels are all well situated. This is my new housepour red Burgundy.

2012 Chambolle-Musigny Les Mombies
From a single vineyard – Les Mombies. Not overly ripe as some wines can be in 2012. Clean and pure and very pretty. A quintessential Chambolle. Excellent value!

2012 Vosne-Romanee VV
Old vines from parcels in Flagey-Echezeaux. This is one quality level above the basic Vosne cuvee which we will have for 2013. More structure and focus to be found here. Bottled separately from the basic Vosne villages since 2001.

2012 Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru Les Petits Monts
“The Vosne-Romanee Les Petits-Monts 2012 from Sirugue represent another step up in quality for Domaine Sirugue. The bouquet is offering pure juicy red fruit … intense with lovely Vosne minerality and spices – notes of violets, peony rose and a hint of oak. On the palate layers of rich fruit – medium weight – focused by a lovely minerality. A very charming effort with a lovely expression of Vosne terroir – a delightful 1er cru.” Rated 91-92 by Steen Öhman.

2012 Grands-Echezeaux Grand Cru
(1-2 barrels made from >100 year old vines)
*SOLD OUT*
“The Grands Echezeaux 2012 from Sirugue represent another step up in quality for Domaine Sirugue. The bouquet is offering layers of juicy red fruit … intense with lovely Vosne minerality and spices. On the palate layers of rich and velvet fruit – a sumptuous and quite openly knit wine – very typical for the terroir. It has charm, poise and the concentration is there .. a quite gorgeous Grands Echezeaux in the making. Keep an eye on Domaine Robert Sirugue … they are improving each year … the 2012 are delightful.” Rated 93 by Steen Öhman.