[A129] Frédéric Cossard Bourgogne Pinot Noir Bedeau Qvevris 2018 750ml

Bedeau and Bitotes, The Masterpieces

As you may already well know, "Bedeau" and "Bigotes" are not only Frederic Cossard's signature cuvée but also an absolute masterpiece of natural wine. Nowadays, it is common to see natural wines adorned with pop, comic-style illustrated labels, but it was actually Frederic Cossard who pioneered this trend—and he did so right in the heart of Burgundy. Its inaugural vintage was 2000.

Qvevris

A monumental shift followed with the 2018 vintage and the introduction of Qvevris. Seeking a pure expression of fruit and terroir, Cossard concluded that oak masked the wine's natural purity. He integrated Georgian Qvevris partially starting in 2018, added cement and steel vessels, and by 2020 completely eliminated wooden barrels from his cellar—an extraordinary move for a producer working with Burgundy's finest classic appellations, such as Vosne-Romanée, Chambolle-Musigny, and Puligny-Montrachet.

2018 Bedeau Qvevris

Bedeau 2018 was his first release using Qvevris, existing in both barrel-aged and Qvevri-aged versions. Though approachable early on, we kept it in our Beaune cellar to observe its aging potential, especially given the rich, structured nature of the 2018 vintage.

Recent tasting reveals it at about 90% potential. Whether this is the result of using no oak, the variety of fruits we detect is remarkably wide. It’s not quite 'complex' in the traditional sense, but rather diverse and abundant. Tannins have softened into a seamless, deep profile, and after seven years, its vitality remains remarkable. The subsequent 2019 Qvevri offers a completely different profile, and both are well worth tasting.

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