92 points Jasper Morris, MW (Inside Burgundy)
An even mid purple. A clean non reductive nose, but not yet showing its fruit much. A fresher structure at the back, more evident tannins but adequate fruit to match them, and a burst of cherry-raspberry fruit to finish. The second winter will refine the tannins Drink from 2028-2033. Tasted Oct 2024.

93 points Vinous Media
Drinking window: 2027 - 2040
The 2023 Savigny-lès-Beaune Aux Fournaux 1er Cru has a crisp and precise bouquet with fine mineralité. Like a few of Bize's reds this year it is quite understated, but gradually finds its voice. The palate is well balanced and detailed, shaped by its stems with touches of black pepper and Japanese nori on the finish. Delightful.

“I have to ask you a question,” I ask Hugo Bize. “Do you like wine?”

I was not being impetuous. Just that several years ago, when asking all Burgundy vignerons their favorite wine, Bize nonchalantly replied that he wasn’t really into it. But he was a teenager back then. The good news is that he not only caught the wine bug but is now actively involved in the running of his mother’s Savigny-based Domaine, along with winemaker Eric Pignal (see last year’s report for his CV). The appellation has been beset by challenging vintages in recent years, but 2023 blessed the Domaine with a full complement of cuvées.

“It was a warm growing season,” Pignal explains, “but there were some showers in August that were beneficial. We had two warm periods before and during harvest. We started picking on August 31 in Savigny Vergelesses, then the rest from September 4 until 16, beginning in Corton-Charlemagne. All the cuvées contain 100% whole bunch. We did not have to alter the percentage of whole cluster, though we had to use some vats twice. Twenty-two seemed to gain structure at the end of the élevage but with respect to the 2023s, the structure was there at the beginning and is now beginning to soften. We have just racked the Perrières Rouge and Savigny Village into tank.”

Bize is an exemplar of whole bunch, low intervention, classically-styled wines. Looking for wines oozing tons of fruit? Look elsewhere. These wines do not pretend to disguise their stem addition, a fundamental part of Bize’s style. The high points are the Premier Cru Savignys, especially the Marconnets and Talmettes that possess sufficient fruit to absorb those stems, so fresh and complex. These are relatively approachable wines that have a propensity to mature and repay time in bottle.