Burgundy for Insiders: Discover Le Figaro’s New Private Sale

Le Figaro’s latest private wine sale leads subscribers into the Côte de Beaune, to an estate that presents Burgundy’s long history through what it calls “haute-couture” viticulture.

Château Philippe le Hardi, based in Santenay, manages nearly 100 hectares of vines, including 98 hectares it owns. The vineyards extend across around 20 appellations on the Côte de Nuits, Côte de Beaune and Côte Chalonnaise. The estate is now owned by Crédit Agricole and has begun converting to organic farming.

The château takes its name from Philippe the Bold, the medieval figure associated with the foundations of a powerful Burgundian state. He is also remembered in the region’s wine history for ordering the removal of gamay from Burgundy in 1395 in favor of pinot noir. Wine historians often regard that order as an early example of codification that helped raise vineyard quality in Europe.

For the sale, Le Figaro Vin selected two emblematic cuvées: a Saint-Aubin white and an Aloxe-Corton red, pronounced “Alosse.” Jean-Philippe Archambaud, the estate’s director, says the wines display the defining qualities of major Burgundy chardonnay and pinot noir, combining power, finesse and precision.

Saint-Aubin lies near Chassagne and Puligny, close to Montrachet, on steep slopes shaped by Middle Jurassic limestone, white marl and limestone scree. The article presents it as a discreet but distinctive expression of the Côte de Beaune’s white-wine country.

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These two wines tick all the boxes for a great Burgundy chardonnay and a great Burgundy pinot noir. They are even archetypes of them. All the markers are there, between power, finesse and precision.