Bourgogne, or Burgundy, has been making exceptional wines for a very long time—Romans introduced viticulture to the region before the Catholic church took over in 587 B.C. So it’s safe to say that winemakers have had plenty of time to perfect the process, which is why the wines of Bourgogne are so lauded (and expensive).
But Jean-Baptiste Jessiaume has been using classical music to elevate the game. After picking his grapes and making his wines, he cranks up the music to eleven and lets his wines ferment and age to the sounds of Mozart. Jessiaume strolls around his cellar with a tuning fork, believing that that music played at 432 hz helps remove stress from yeast cells and ushers the wine to elegance and silkiness.
Believe it or not, but there’s no arguing with the excellence of the wines. His Bouzeron, made from Chardonnay’s sleeper hit white grape Aligote, is unctuous and giving, with a chalky minerality to balance out the generous depth. The Santenay 1er Cru Les Gravières, made from PInot Noir sourced from a single parcel within Santenay, is crisp and cool, packed with clove, wintergreen and forest air. Dense and powerful, but elegant and distinguished. $51
Kate Dingwall is a sommelier and wine writer. Her work frequently appears in Wine Enthusiast, Eater, Forbes.com, and Food & Wine, and she pours wine at one of Canada’s top restaurants.
