With a modern-day history of winemaking reaching back to the Middle Ages, the only news coming out of Burgundy is often dependent on weather cycles and harvest conditions, so our interest was piqued when we heard that Riesling virtuoso Erni Loosen was releasing his first bottles of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the storied region. Known for his stunning Rieslings from the 220-year-old Dr. Loosen wine estate in Germany’s Mosel Valley, Loosen is a fervent collector of Pinot Noir from around the world who also produces the variety at Villa Wolf in Pfalz and at his Appassionata Estate in Oregon, which has also earned acclaim for its Chardonnay. Loosen has dreamed of working with these two varieties in their birthplace, Burgundy, since an internship in Chablis nearly 50 years ago, and we can assure you that the result has been worth the wait.
Loosen’s most recent acquisition is the east wing of Le Vieux Château de Puligny-Montrachet. The space is home to Perron de Mypont, a negociant company working with growers and producers to create a collection of wines that includes entry level bottles under the Maison Perron de Mypont label and a much more limited range of wines called Edition Perron de Mypont. The term entry level is a bit misleading considering the small quantities; only 18,000 bottles of Bourgogne Pinot Noir and 12,000 of Bourgogne Chardonnay were produced, which are a mere drop in the bucket compared to many other wines in the $35 price range. More exclusive bottlings in the Edition Perron de Mypont tier include 2022 Meursault, 2023 Gevrey-Chambertin, 2023 Volnay, 2022 Meursault Premier Cru Perrières, 2019 Vougeot Premier Cru, and 2022 Vosne-Romanée Premier Cru Les Suchots. At prices ranging from $100 to $485 and quantities that reflect only one or two barrels of each, these are among the rarest of new releases from Burgundy.
“The vision for the Perron de Mypont project is mine, but I needed someone on the ground in Burgundy to develop the sources for the wines we want to make,” Loosen tells Robb Report, which is why he partnered with Burgundy local Manöel Bouchet. The two met when Loosen’s company, Loosen Bros USA was the American importer for a Burgundy domain in which Bouchet was a partner. “Mano has been working in the Burgundy wine scene for a long time, so he has deep connections throughout the region,” he says. “He and I are perfectly aligned in our thinking about what makes a great Burgundy, so we work very well together in this partnership of friends.”
Perron de Mypoint takes a Burgundian négociant approach to sourcing the Maison-level wines. “We source a combination of harvested fruit, unfermented must, and fermented wines,” Loosen says. “With Mano’s extensive connections, we have access to superior-quality material, and from this palette of options, we select the very best to achieve the characteristics we want for each cuvée.” Working at a custom crush facility, the two oversee the winemaking, maturation in barrel (which the French call élevage), blending and bottling. On the other hand, the Edition wines are made in the cellars of the individual growers of whom they are collaborating. “This approach benefits from the practice of maturing the wines in the grower’s own cellars to harness their unique yeast environments and capture genuine terroir expression,” Loosen says.
Loosen works in tandem with the growers and producers to achieve the best possible qualities from each parcel. “We collaborate closely on picking dates, winemaking practices, and the barrel aging regimen,” he says After a three year renovation of the east wing of Le Vieux Château de Puligny-Montrachet, Perron de Mypont now has fully restored living quarters, guest rooms, and a grand hall for hosting dinners and events. Up next is the completed renovation of the original barrel cellar so that some of the Edition wines can be brought to the chateau for barrel aging. “With each vintage, we continue to refine each step in the process as we discuss goals and philosophy with the growers,” Loosen says. “In this way, we are continuously getting closer to the ideal of perfection that we have in our heads.” Having tasted our way through this exciting new project, we can tell you that the first releases from Perron de Mypont are as close to perfection as one can get.
