Hermitage Rouge, Domaine Jean-Louis Chave, Rhône 2022 vs Savigny-Lès-Beaune 'Les Bas Liards', Pierre Meurgey 2020

Savigny-Lès-Beaune 'Les Bas Liards', Pierre Meurgey 2020

Pierre Meurgey is one of Burgundy's quieter overachievers — a négociant and grower who has spent decades navigating the Côte de Beaune with an unusually sharp eye for value. Les Bas Liards is a lieu-dit in Savigny-lès-Beaune, sitting at the southern end of the village where the soils lean chalky and the vines catch good afternoon light. It's Pinot Noir doing what Savigny does best: neither the weight of Pommard nor the ethereal precision of Chambolle, but something winningly its own — earthy, bright, and honest. The 2020 vintage gave producers ripe, generous fruit with enough structure to age gracefully, and Meurgey has handled it with restraint. This is village-level Burgundy that punches with confidence: red cherry and iron, a little woodland floor, and tannins fine enough to drink now with a slight chill.