2017 Albert Bichot Secret de Famille Pinot Noir Bourgogne Cote d'Or 750 ml

With two centuries of winemaking behind them, the Bichot family now makes 50+ different Grand and Premier Cru Burgundies. That means they’ve got plots of vines in the most storied and prestigious corners of Burgundy, and it’s why their “family secret”—the 2017 Albert Bichot Secret de Famille Pinot Noir—brings such stellar value. With grapes strictly sourced from around the renowned Burgundy villages of Chambolle-Musigny, Nuits-St.-Georges, Gevrey-Chambertin, and Marsannay, this wine packs serious Pinot prestige into an under-$25 bottle.

Bichot sticks to the same script as they would making village wines from these famous Côte de Nuits locations, limiting yields and aging the wine in 100% French oak, 20% of it new. The result is a Pinot that far exceeds expectations: It’s deep ruby red, with layered wild red berries ushering in accents of fresh violets, dried roses, and a beautiful herbal bouquet. The core is super juicy, with waves of red fruit segueing into a finish of gentle tannins.

Our recent offer of Bichot’s Secret de Famille Chardonnay was a quick sellout, with Wine Access members praising it as a bargain that’s “a cut above its typical appellation.” That’s the cloth that this Pinot is cut from, and we expect it to go quickly. 

The Bichot family has been in Burgundy since the 14th century, and making outstanding wines there since 1831, and their access to the region’s best vineyard sources allows them to offer wines like this at incredible prices. The current generation, led by Albéric Bichot, refuses to rest on its laurels, however. Albéric introduced organic viticulture in the family’s Côte d’Or vineyards and continues to push the envelope on quality—efforts that are tasteable even in the family’s value bottlings. 

The Bichot family’s “secret” Burgundy demonstrates precisely how the storied terroir of the Côte d'Or, harnessed to its greatest potential through Bichot’s winegrowing and winemaking techniques, makes for one of the greatest value-driven gems in Burgundy. 

“In 2017… nothing happened,” quipped Neal Martin of Vinous. What he meant was that, after two roller-coaster vintages, 2017 was relatively uneventful and low-stress in Burgundy, and it yielded reds that are “very good, often excellent, and from time to time, bloody awesome.” In stating that “quality is evenly spread and the winners are the consumers gifted more choice,” Martin expressed that 2017 paid off in excellence from the Grands Crus to the Bourgognes. 

In other words, there’s no better vintage for Burgundy collectors, Pinot aficionados, and lovers of stellar red values to lock in a couple of cases of this overachieving red.