The (Chisa) Bize’s Knees
A sans soufre sojourn through four stunning 2018 bottlings from Savigny.
On my Mount Rushmore of wine producers, Domaine Simon Bize & Fils is prominently featured. I’ve long admired the domaine’s sensibilities, minimalism, and open-mindedness in its viticulture and winemaking choices. The resulting wines are captivatingly elegant and wonderfully age-worthy, honoring the terroir of their singular parcels, primarily in Savigny-lès-Beaune.
Sommelier Jordan Salcito had introduced me to Domaine Bize in early March 2020 during a Niche Niche dinner she had hosted (incidentally my last social outing before COVID lockdown). Her theme that evening had highlighted brilliant women winemakers in honor of International Women’s Day, including Chisa Bize.
Chisa was a Tokyo banker before marrying Patrick Bize, the heir to a family wine estate dating to the 1880s. When she had arrived to Burgundy, instead of having her work in the cellar, Patrick sent her to work in a struggling parcel of vines called Les Serpentières to give her something to do, omitting the detail that he had planned to rip it out the following year. Chisa delightfully surprised him, resurrecting the vineyard through the implementation of some pretty hardcore natural farming techniques — good enough that Patrick changed his mind about ripping the vines out after all.
Upon Patrick’s tragically sudden death five years later, Chisa and his sister Marielle began running the estate together. Chisa has since brought her organic and biodynamic approach as well as a Fukuoka-esque “do less” mindset to winegrowing, while still maintaining the domaine’s historic style and strict old-fashioned Burgundian methods (including 100% stem inclusion in every vintage).
As if these stories weren’t moving enough, once Jordan poured into our glasses the 2017 Savigny-lès-Beaune ‘Les Talmettes’, it instantly added another dimension of unmistakable charm. The wine’s aromatic bouquet and velvety tannins brought a graceful energy and seamless tension that were fresh and welcoming from a French region stereotypically perceived as stifling and exclusionary. Maybe Burgundy and its wines didn’t have to seem so intimidating after all.
THE CONCEPT
I had raved nonstop about Domaine Bize to RogueVines, with the hope we could try its wines together sometime soon. Once Union Square Wines had announced in August 2020 the arrival of Bize 2018s on Instagram, we immediately threw together a joint order, taking notice of these fun, Japanese-inspired labels standing apart from the monochromatic ones customary to Burgundy.
Chisa had an idea for a new set of small-production wines, ones crafted using homeopathic methods in the vineyard, lower amounts of copper, and little-to-no added sulfur (sans soufre). These bottlings had begun as something she made simply for her and her team to enjoy during harvest, now expanding to the American market. The names of these experimental sans soufre cuvées embrace her Japanese heritage, and succinctly capture the character of each one:
‘Akatcha’
Japanese loosely meaning ‘reddish brown’ or ‘red tea-colored’, Akatcha is the most “wild” in the lineup as a skin-contact (orange) wine made from Pinot Beurot, the local Burgundian name for Pinot Gris, sourced from Les Champlains in Savigny-lès-Beaune. Grapes are fermented and macerated on the skins for a week, left unsulfured.
‘Shirokuro’
Japanese translated as ‘black and white’, Shirokuro is a still blanc de noirs cuvée produced from direct-pressed Pinot Noir harvested from 40-year-old Les Bourgeots vines in Savigny-lès-Beaune and bottled without sulfur.
‘Aka’
Japanese for ‘red’, Aka is a more “traditional” Savigny rouge, comprising of Pinot Noir sourced from Les Bourgeots and Les Planchots, two parcels in Savigny-lès-Beaune, but fully unsulfured. Grapes are foot-trodden, with its juice seeing no new oak.
‘Shiro’
Japanese meaning ‘white’, Shiro is a Savigny blanc, with Chardonnay coming from Les Planchots and Les Goudelettes. Two barrels were produced in 2018, both in old wood, with minimal sulfur added at bottling.
In my premature excitement, I opened my Shirokuro with RogueVines during a weekly wine club meetup, not realizing it would later become my Holy Grail. Only initially aware of Akatcha and Shirokuro, I subsequently discovered their yin-and-yang counterparts of Shiro and Aka, thus setting in motion my intrigue with the series sans soufre. Like Pokémon, I was determined to collect them all, culminating into an (eventual) all-encompassing tasting. At least, that’s what I had wished would manifest.
The search had persisted into 2021, when I successfully found Shiro at Flatiron Wines and Aka at Morrell Wine. It made for temporary relief up until I remembered my friends John and Neil had each already brought their Shirokuro to wine club too, way before I had breathed any of this into existence. How hard could it be to attain that one remaining bottle? Let me tell you — really freaking hard.
There were several close calls but no cigar. Shirokuro eluded me at Tribeca Wine Merchants and Leon & Son Wine. I asked industry friends to possibly locate any with Grand Cru Selections — regrettably, they reported all allocations had been sold out. Bottles showed up on the wine lists at Atoboy, Momofuku’s Ko Bar, Franks Wine Bar, and Chambers, quickly vanishing before I could make it there or nab a reservation, or to my dismay, before said establishment would close permanently. I desperately combed through Wine-Searcher, hoping to pinpoint something (anything!), only to be met with pre-arrivals arranged exclusively in half-cases via large wine outfits, proving further dubious with no concrete delivery timeframe. It wasn’t looking good at all, to the point where I was ready to abandon the whole enchilada.
Last week, I was working up the courage to draft a wanted post in the “Commerce Corner” wine classifieds of WineBerserkers when I made one last ditch Google search. Like pure kismet, a new result appeared: Popina had on its wine club list the very 2018 Shirokuro that had repeatedly slipped my grasp. I didn’t know anyone who was a member, so I decided to shoot my shot, contacting them directly.
My desperation must have been palpable, because owner-sommelier James O’Brien responded graciously, happy to offer the Shirokuro at a reasonable bottle list price as well as set up a group dinner reservation for the tasting. How incredibly stunned I was by this message — I admit I had to read it a few times for it to really sink in. There is a curious yet compelling enthusiasm behind wine geeks uniting, and I remain forever grateful for this unprompted hospitality and generosity.
THE MENU
Still thinking about all of the delicious things we ate and enjoyed. Many thanks to James and the Popina team for a fabulous dinner — it made for the perfect place and vibe for our evening.
1ST COURSE
WINNER sourdough, olive oil, + Maldon
marinated castelvetrano olives, fennel seeds, + peperoncini
arancini, Carolina gold rice, tomato, + ’nduja
cucumber, tahini, chive, shiso, + chili
2ND COURSE
casarecce, pesto, fava beans, pine nuts, + grana
rigatoni, tomato, guanciale, black pepper, + pecorino
3RD COURSE
hot chicken milanese, gem lettuce, + ranch
pork chop, Italian long hot, cauliflower, + frisée
4TH COURSE
cheesecake
THE WINEUP
/ July 24, 2024 @ Popina, Brooklyn /
Domaine Simon Bize 2018 Savigny-lès-Beaune ‘Shiro’
$62 @ Flatiron Wines (circa 2021)
Grand Cru Selections (New York) | 🇫🇷 still white
Chardonnay
pointed precision ・ Degas’ Dancers in Blue ・ pome & circumstance
Domaine Simon Bize 2018 Savigny-lès-Beaune ‘Shirokuro’ [Blanc de Noirs]
Wine Club List @ Popina
Grand Cru Selections (New York) | 🇫🇷 still white
Pinot Noir
ethereal & elegant ・ Toulouse-Lautrec’s At the Moulin Rouge ・ whispering crescendo
Domaine Simon Bize 2018 Bourgogne Blanc ‘Akatcha’
$40 @ Union Square Wines (c. 2020)
Grand Cru Selections (New York) | 🇫🇷 still orange
Pinot Beurot (Pinot Gris)
rooibos forest ・ grandpa’s candy shop haul ・ crunchy cinnamon
Domaine Simon Bize 2018 Savigny-lès-Beaune ‘Aka’
$64 @ Morrell Wine & Spirits (c. 2021)
Grand Cru Selections (New York) | 🇫🇷 still red
Pinot Noir
textured earth・ green velvet ・ reticent
BONUS BOTTLES
R. Pouillon et Fils NV Champagne ‘Solera’ Premier Cru Extra Brut [1997-2017]
$122 @ Leon & Son Wine
Schatzi Wines (New York) | 🇫🇷 sparkling white
Pinot Noir / Chardonnay
savory apple skins・ lean & oxidative ・ vinous victory
Domaine Vincent Dureuil-Janthial 2020 Rully 1er Cru ‘Margotés’
🎩🫡 Jay
$110 @ Jersey Wine & Spirits
Skurnik Wines (New York) | 🇫🇷 still white
Chardonnay
bread bakery・ creamy acid ・ ruly Rully
Domaine Simon Bize 2021 Savigny-lès-Beaune ‘Aka’
🎩🫡 John, Neil, & Dina
$80 @ Parcelle Wine
Grand Cru Selections (New York) | 🇫🇷 still red
Pinot Noir
blood orange rind・ rustic spice ・ bold bloom
Domaine Simon Bize 2018 Savigny-lès-Beaune ‘Les Marconnets’
🎩🫡 Ryan
Le Dû Wine
Grand Cru Selections (New York) | 🇫🇷 still red
Pinot Noir
rosy cheeks ・ cherry heering ・ traditional roots
Azienda Agricola Philine Isabelle 2020 Barolo ‘Preda’
🎩🫡 Jay
$180 @ Jersey Wine & Spirits
Polaner Selections (New York) | 🇮🇹 still red
Nebbiolo
cherry cola ・ intellectual sophistication ・ Barolo beauty
Dirty & Rowdy 2015 Mourvèdre ‘Old Vines’ Rosewood Vineyards
🎩🫡 John
Zachys
Dirty & Rowdy Family Winery (California) | 🇺🇸 still red
Mourvèdre
spirit sans soufre ・ merrily meditative ・ maestro of Mataro
Château Rieussec 2010 Sauternes
🎩🫡 Yuna & Beomjae
$55 @ Somm Cellars
MISA Imports (Dallas) | 🇫🇷 dessert white
Sémillon / Sauvignon Blanc / Muscadelle
marzipan mania ・ botrytis harmonized ・ cheesecake chum
THE CODA
Pinch me, please! This Bize Sans Soufre tasting has finally come to pass. What a thrill it was to finally be able to bring Bize enthusiasts together for a special wineup. One of my highlights was our “live” Spotify queue to which we took turns adding through the course of the dinner (great idea, Neil!) — among our eclectic selections were Prince, Lou Rawls, Tears for Fears, Bebel Gilberto, Rent, OneRepublic, and Stealers Wheel. My only regret was not archiving our impromptu picks into an actual playlist for posterity.
What I’ve come to learn about the domaine’s wines is the family remains devoted custodians of the Savigny terroir, carefully eking out its distinctive qualities with as little intervention as possible. This couldn’t be more true now having had the sans soufre bottlings side-by-side, which cements this very ethos. Even in experimentation with the series sans soufre, Chisa was still able to capture the usual temperament of the Bize name while adding her own soulfulness to the mix.
As I was tasting through these four remarkable wines, I kept picturing a ballet performance, a vibrant display of exquisite steps against a striking musical score, with each cuvée its own movement — allegro, adagio, largo, vivace. The Bize wines I’ve had to date have all been slow burns, rewarding patience a day or two after opening and blossoming into its full potential — hauntingly beautiful wines making a lasting impression, especially having made my “Wines of the Year” list many times. Returning to the wines later in the evening equated to seeing the same ballet again, but gaining something new from it each subsequent instance. It's refreshing to recognize the sans soufre ones are just as notable if not more distinctive as the flagship labels.
Shoutouts to RogueVines (John, Ryan, Neil, and Dina) as well as Jay, Yuna, and Beomjae for joining me at Popina for this long-awaited tasting! Your continued support and encouragement are the ultimate bee’s knees, making possible all these amusements — for that, I thank you all.