La Pousse d'Or - Volnay 1er Cru Clos des 60 Ouvrées 2024

Domaine de la Pousse d’Or for decades has been the collector’s choice for expressive wines from Burgundy’s most hallowed terroirs, and is unquestionably one of the Burgundian elite. Not every estate can claim the king of France as a previous vineyard owner; fewer still can count six grand crus and three monopole vineyards under one roof.

Every winter for years we’ve visited the Landanger family’s stately château in Volnay to sample their new vintage. The moment you step into the estate’s underground caves you are transported to another century. The worn, warped brick floor clearly has weathered generations of winemakers treading from barrel to barrel; vaulted ceilings overhead feel more cathedral than wine cellar.

Originally called La Bousse d’Or (Bousse, in old French, means earth; thus, “golden earth”), the domaine in the late 1800s was part of a much larger estate that included two well-known vineyards: Romanée-Conti and Clos de Tart. The name ‘La Bousse d’Or’ hasn’t completely disappeared; it is carried by a walled vineyard in Volnay and is one of the estate’s monopoles—a vineyard with a single owner—that from the mid-fifteenth century onward, belonged to the king of France. (After the revolution, granted, things changed a bit.)

Entrepreneur Patrick Landanger purchased Pousse d’Or in 1997, at a point when the estate seemed to have most of its glory days behind it. Patrick poured endless energy (and a good amount of investment) into the estate, acquiring new vineyards as well as reinventing how the estate made its wines, from reorganizing the cellar to work completely via gravity to even inventing his own “ouilleurs,” or airlocks for barrels that allow a winemaker to also top up a barrel easily.

Sadly Patrick Landanger passed away in 2023 after a long illness. His son, Benoît Landanger, now runs the estate—and is as much a talented, passionate visionary as was his father. Pousse d’Or remains in very good hands. Indeed, this dynamic estate has never been content to rest on its historic laurels. The family has gone to great lengths to ensure that the winery lacks for nothing when it comes to crafting quality Burgundy. And having farmed organically from the start, the estate since 2014 has worked the fields biodynamically, another feather in its quality cap.

When vines begin to sprout early buds in the spring, the French say, “Ça pousse.” Pousse d’Or Burgundy captures this sort of urgent energy, this desire to spring forth and dazzle. Benoît Landanger crafts his wines as naturally as possible; juice and wine are moved via gravity, and are bottled unfined and unfiltered in sync with the lunar calendar.

"Attractive nose of red berries, minerals, roses and moss. A little nervy and tight despite the lightness and elegance of the vintage. Slightly compressed at the end, with a lasting finish. Elegant, firm and bright. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Drink from 2029." - 94 points, James Suckling

Producer: La Pousse d'Or

Country: France

Region: Burgundy

Varietal: Pinot Noir

Appellation: Côte de Beaune

Vintage: 2024

Size: 750ml