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Simon Bize

Simon Bize was Patrick Bize's father. And grandfather. And great-grandfather. Thank heavens someone saw sense and decided to name the next generation Patrick, or things could get really confusing.

The Bize family originate from the Savoie, only moving to Burgundy in the early 19th Century. By 1868 records describe a Simon Bize purchasing vineyards in Savigny. The next two generations - Simon and Simon - ran the domaine during the 20th Century, with the most recent generation giving way to Patrick Bize, currently in charge of the family business, in 1988. The domaine is a leader in this overlooked and underrated Burgundy commune. Patrick's grandfather was domaine bottling part of the harvest before WWII, with the entire production going into bottle by 1972.

Simon Bize The Bize holdings are, with minor exceptions, entirely within the Savigny AC, a mix of Premier Cru sites, village wines and some vineyards suitable only for generic Bourgogne. There are four Premier Cru sites located on the south-facing slopes to the east of the village (often referred to as the Pernand-Vergelesses side); these are Aux Vergelesses, Les Talmettes, Aux Guettes and Aux Fournaux. On the opposite side of the valley (the Beaune side) Patrick owns vines in the Premier Cru Les Marconnets vineyard. Aux Vergelesses and Les Marconnets are generally regarded as the top vineyards of the north and south slopes, respectively. The village wines are largely sourced from the vineyards to the west of the village, rather than the lesser sites in the valley floor; one exception is Aux Grand Liards, an AC Savigny vineyard just south of the Premier Cru Les Lavières. Patrick has also rented some village Aloxe-Corton vines in the Les Suchots vineyard, and also makes a decent quantity of Latricières-Chambertin.

Viticulture is all important here. The vines are Guyot trained; they are generally old, and yields are low; Bize never exceeds 40 hl/ha, with figures that are frequently nearer 30. The fruit of young vines is destemmed. Fermentation is in open wood or enamel fermenters, the fruit is macerated for up to three weeks. One particularly appealing practice is the sensible use of oak here; the Premier Cru wines may see up to 50% lightly toasted new oak, but other wines see 10% maximum. Fining is with egg white, sometimes they may also be filtered. The result is a range of wines of quality; this is without doubt still Savigny's leading domaine. My only hope is that the next generation is called Simon once more - we need some consistency here! (23/2/05)

Contact details:
Address: 12 rue Chanoine Donin, 21420 Savigny-les-Beaune
Telephone: +33 (0) 3 80 21 50 57
Fax: +33 (0) 8 3 80 21 58 17

Simon Bize - Tasting Notes

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1999

Simon Bize Savigny-les-Beaune Premier Cru Aux Guettes 1999: Lovely colour, fairly dense, paling only at the most extreme rim. A chocolate-mushroom nose, with undercurrents of strawberry and raspberry fruit, with a thin sheen of oak. On the palate it impresses with quite a silky texture and lovely concentration. Firm, ripe tannins and acidity to match. This really shows the quality of the vintage. Lovely. 17+/20 (February 2005)

1998

Simon Bize Savigny-les-Beaune Blanc 1998: A hint of richness to the colour. Muted at first, but opening out to reveal firm aromas of nut oil, biscuit and toast. Full, grippy, balanced, with fresh acidity quickly following up the initial impression of rounded, appealing, slightly oily texture. Then the structure really starts to bite. This is good, masculine stuff, with ample character. Dry, wood tannin-influenced finish with plenty of savoury interest. Great food wine. 16.5+/20 (February 2005)

Simon Bize Savigny-les-Beaune Aux Grands Liards 1998: Still a youthful hue here. Bright black cherry fruit aromas, with notes of truffle and chocolate mushroom (!) on the nose - quite lovely. Medium bodied palate, still with primary fruit, and still a lick of tannin too. Not quite the silky texture one desires, but certainly attractive, with fresh acidity and a full, mushroomy finish. Should drink well over the next five years. Very good. 16+/20 (February 2005)

1997

Simon Bize Savigny-les-Beaune Blanc 1997: A good nose, showing salty cashew nut and lemon oil notes. Expressive and mature. Good presence on the palate, mouth-filling, oiled white fruits with a little honey. Grippy undertow and a savoury finish. Rich, pleasing rather than focussed or fine. But a very good village wine from a lesser regarded commune. 16.5/20 (February 2005)