Burgundy & Barolo, Side by Side …
16 Wines, 4 Courses, Two Fabled Regions
Pinot Noir and Nebbiolo make the same claim: that a few hundred metres of hillside decides everything in the glass. Burgundy and Barolo have each spent centuries proving it, and almost nobody gets to test the two against each other in a single sitting. That is exactly what this evening is for.
After a test run in two cities last year, we realised the collaboration produced something rare. Put a Volnay next to a La Morra Barolo and the contrast teaches faster than any amount of explanation. This year we are bringing it to Perth only, in partnership with Clos Cachet Fine Wines.
The Burgundies are presented by Alex Rougeot, founder of Clos Cachet and a son of Meursault, where his family’s Domaine Rougeot has worked the slopes for generations. Clos Cachet is a boutique importer of the finest French wines with a particular affinity for Burgundy, carrying names like Rougeot, Coche-Dury, Roulot, Henri Boillot, Pierre-Vincent Girardin and Hudelot-Noellat.
The Piedmontese wines are presented by David Ridge, perhaps the pre-eminent authority on the region in this country, alongside Marcell Kustos, an award-winning sommelier, wine producer at LVDO and now a partner in DRW.
Sixteen wines. Eight Burgundies running from the Côte Chalonnaise through the Côte de Beaune and into the Côte de Nuits. Eight from Piedmont, six of them single-cru Barolos, alongside a Barbaresco from the heart of Martinenga. Grape variety and terroir, vinification and ageing potential, laid out in the glass rather than described.
Wednesday, August 26th
Hosted by David Ridge & Alex Rougeot
Dinner: 7.30pm | 16 wines and 4 courses | $295
Eleven Producers, Two Regions
“If there is currently one name to watch in Barolo, it is Orlando Rocca.”
Decanter
“Charles Van Canneyt has produced a beautiful range of 2023s, but that won’t surprise readers familiar with this estate’s consistent excellence… I’ve been buying them for my own cellar since my student days, so this is an address I warmly recommend.”
William Kelley, Wine Advocate, on Alain Hudelot-Noellat
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Clos Cachet is a boutique fine wine importer founded by Alex Rougeot of the famed Domaine Rougeot in Meursault. It specialises in the finest French wines with a particular affinity for Burgundy: Rougeot, Coche-Dury, Roulot, Henri Boillot, Pierre-Vincent Girardin, Hudelot-Noellat and many more. Alex presents these wines himself, a son of the region.
Domaine Rougeot sits in the historic village of Meursault in the Côte de Beaune, twelve hectares spread across Burgundy's best slopes. Marc Rougeot runs it with his son Pierre-Henri, making wine in Meursault, Monthélie, St Romain, Pommard and Volnay. This is the estate Alex grew up on, and where he still lends a hand in the decision making.
Seven estates make up the Burgundy half of the evening, and they are deliberately not the obvious ones.
Domaine de Cassiopée is the newest, founded in 2020 in the heart of Sampigny-lès-Maranges by Talloulah and Hugo Mathurin, who trained at JF Mugnier, Clos de Tart and JM Roulot. Pure, mineral-driven wines from humble vineyards with very old vines, and a range that drew worldwide attention from the first vintage.
Yvon Clerget is one of the oldest domaines in Volnay. Thibaud Clerget took over in 2015 and began the rebirth of six hectares sitting within the village's best climats.
Alain & Raphael Corcia took on the estate formerly known as Domaine de la Vieille Fontaine at the beginning of 2021. Alain has been a négociant in Savigny-lès-Beaune for over thirty-five years; Raphael, the youngest son, drove the takeover and now runs both vineyard and cellar, reimagining the cultivation of these vines through biodynamics.
Alain Hudelot-Noellat has been in the hands of Charles Van Canneyt for over a decade, working an enviable palette of appellations planted with notably old vines. Predominantly destemmed fruit, retained intact, fermented in cement for a classical two to three week maceration.
Marc Roy in Gevrey-Chambertin is Alexandrine Roy's domaine, known for wines that are classic yet forward, carrying the airy freshness of a relatively short élevage.
Edouard Confuron is the sixth generation of Confuron-Gindre, on Rue de La Tâche. Working alongside his father François, he has built a distinct style under his own négoce label, with the 2021 vintage the first formal outing for his personal range.
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DRW is David Ridge Wines. David Ridge is known as perhaps the pre-eminent authority on Piedmont in this country, and he is joined now by Marcell Kustos, an award-winning sommelier, wine producer at LVDO and a partner in DRW. Between them they present the Italian half of the evening.
Giovanni Sordo supplies five of the eight. Since the very early twentieth century, generations of the Sordo family have quietly collected parcels of the finest Nebbiolo-growing soil in the Langhe. They now hold plots in Roero, Barbaresco and particularly Barolo, where they own seventeen pieces of cru classified vineyard and release an unprecedented eight labelled cru wines from them. So far.
"What a lovely traditional producer Sordo is. These wines age gracefully for many years. They have purity, refinement & loud terroir expression." Chester Osborn, November 2018
Barale Fratelli have been at it for centuries. Among the first recorded producers of Barolo, from 1870, they appear in the village register of the early 1600s as owners of parts of some pretty familiar vineyard names: Coste di Rose, Cannubi, Castellero and Preda. Sergio Barale and his daughters Eleonora and Gloria are the current custodians, with holdings in Barolo commune, Monforte d'Alba and Barbaresco. The new releases, from 2022, are frankly jaw-dropping in their elegance and intensity.
Orlando Rocca is the name to watch. Orlando is the nephew of the late, great Domenico Clerico, the Monforte legend whose Barolos rewrote the script in this corner of the zone, and he makes his wines in Clerico's original cellar. His parcels sit where sand lies over blue marl, a subtle but important combination giving clarity, structure and that faintly dusty Bussia minerality. In late 2025 he was named Young Winemaker of the Year in the Italian guide I Migliori 100 Vini e Vignaioli d'Italia, official confirmation of what anyone who tasted the first releases already suspected. In a region haunted by giants and split between the ultra-traditional and the hyper-modern, Orlando is somehow both respectful and restless.
Marchesi di Gresy have been in Barbaresco for centuries, with the family's own vinification beginning in the 1970s. Nebbiolo is the main game, providing all the material for the Barbaresco bottlings. It is the two famous sub-plots at opposite ends of the Martinenga property, each adjoining one of the two acknowledged grands crus, that make this the heartland of Barbaresco.
"Martinenga is rated one step higher even than Rabaja and Asili, or the Santo Stefano of Albesani." Sheldon and Pauline Wasserman, Italy's Noble Red Wines
Meet the hosts… David Ridge, Alex Rougeot & Marcell Kustos
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Introducing David Ridge to WA
David Ridge has four decades experience as a partner or principal in distribution. His companies, Classic Wine Merchants, David Ridge Wines and Distinguished Vineyards, have represented some of the great names of wine.
Having made his first trip to Piedmont in 1988, he has now made 43 trips of 1 to 2 weeks each into the area and with some 100+ containers imported, it is, as he describes, the only place outside of Adelaide where he would live.
David visits on average 15 to 17 producers each visit, and averages tasting over 300 wines per trip.
When looking at new producers he always requests to look at the lesser vintages so to be better able to properly evaluate the producer. -
Introducing Alex Rougeot to WA
Alex Rougeot is the founder of Clos Cachet, the boutique importer behind the Burgundy half of this evening, and a son of Meursault.
He grew up at Domaine Rougeot, the twelve-hectare family estate in the Côte de Beaune run by Marc Rougeot with his son Pierre-Henri, working vineyards in Meursault, Monthélie, St Romain, Pommard and Volnay. He still lends a hand in the decision making there.
Clos Cachet specialises in the finest French wines with a particular affinity for Burgundy, carrying names like Rougeot, Coche-Dury, Roulot, Henri Boillot, Pierre-Vincent Girardin and Hudelot-Noellat.
Alex presents these wines himself, which is rarer than it sounds. This is a grower's family talking about neighbours' vineyards he has known since childhood, rather than an agent reading a tech sheet.
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Introducing Marcell Kustos to WA
Marcell Kustos is an award-winning sommelier and a wine producer in his own right under the LVDO label. He is now a partner in DRW, and joins David Ridge in presenting the Piedmontese wines on the night.
Two palates on the same flight of Barolo is a rare thing at a dinner table, and it is a good part of why this format works: where they agree, you learn about the vintage, and where they disagree, you learn about the cru.
The Wine List
First Course:
the Côte Chalonnaise and the Côte de Beaune
2023 Alain & Raphael Corcia Mercurey 1er Cru ‘Les Crets’
91 Points, William Kelley, Wine Advocate
Kelley finds a “wealth of fruit on the palate, enhanced by a gentle salinity to finish.” From 0.547 hectares planted in 1949 on marly calcic Oxfordian limestone, farmed organically with horse ploughing and no tractors, some whole bunches retained and long macerations.
2023 Domaine de Cassiopée Maranges ‘Les Plantes’
New Release
Talloulah and Hugo Mathurin founded Cassiopée in 2020 in the heart of Sampigny-lès-Maranges, having trained at JF Mugnier, Clos de Tart and JM Roulot. Their wines are pure and mineral driven, drawn from humble vineyards with very old vines, and the range has attracted worldwide attention since the first vintage.
2023 Yvon Clerget Volnay 1er Cru ‘Les Brouillards’
New Release
Thibaud Clerget took over one of Volnay’s oldest domaines in 2015 and began the rebirth of six hectares sitting within the village’s best climats. Les Brouillards is one of Volnay’s premiers crus.
2023 Domaine Rougeot Pommard ‘Clos des Roses’ Nature
New Release
Domaine Rougeot sits in the historic village of Meursault, working twelve hectares across Meursault, Monthélie, St Romain, Pommard and Volnay. Marc Rougeot runs the estate with his son Pierre-Henri. These are the soils Alex Rougeot grew up on and still helps steer.
Second Course:
four villages of the Côte de Nuits
2023 Alain Hudelot-Noellat Chambolle-Musigny
William Kelley, Wine Advocate
“The 2023 Chambolle-Musigny Village reveals aromas of cherries, berries, orange zest and petals. Medium to full-bodied, ample and satiny, with a sweet core of fruit and a clean, classic profile, it will offer a broad drinking window.” Predominantly destemmed fruit, retained intact, fermented in cement for a classical two to three week maceration.
2024 Edouard Confuron Vosne-Romanée ‘Hautes Maizières’
New Release
Edouard Confuron is the sixth generation of Confuron-Gindre on Rue de La Tâche, and has built a distinct style under his own négoce label since 2021. The vines for this cuvée sit just below Les Suchots and Grand Cru Échezeaux, right beside Clos de Vougeot, averaging sixty years of age.
2024 Edouard Confuron Nuits-Saint-Georges ‘Aux Allots’
New Release
The same hand and the same négoce label, made alongside Edouard’s work with his father François at the family domaine. The 2021 vintage was the first formal outing for his personal range.
2023 Marc Roy Gevrey-Chambertin ‘Clos Prieur’
Steen Ohman, Winehog
Ohman on Alexandrine Roy’s 2023s: “Visiting Domaine Marc Roy is always a treat… they all have an honest, genuine feel. They are quite classic, yet also somewhat modern, and quite forward, with the airy freshness characteristic of relatively short élevage. You should know these wines, they are very enjoyable.”
Third Course:
Barbaresco, then Barolo’s northern and western communes
2021 Marchesi di Gresy Barbaresco Martinenga
92 Points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous
“A fine introduction to the range, aromatic and gracious with lovely mid-palate presence. Crushed red-berry fruit, mint, spice, tobacco and rose petals; fine, silky tannins and a long, beautifully persistent finish.” Drink 2024 to 2031. Martinenga is the di Gresy monopole, flanked by Rabajà and Asili.
2021 Sordo Barolo Monvigliero, Verduno
93+ Points, Mike Bennie, The Winefront
“A little tight and disjointed in its youth. Curious, slightly stewed berry perfume with wet herb, dried flowers, cinnamon and aniseed. Juicy palate closing with drying, chalky tannin and a run of blood-orange acidity; tense and peaky now, needs time to knit together.” Drink 2027 to 2035.
2021 Sordo Barolo La Serra, La Morra
96 Points, Mike Bennie, The Winefront
“A new cru for Sordo in La Morra. Very perfumed: sweet red berries, black olive, dark chocolate, chai, and whiffs of wet slate and smoked paprika. Very fresh, almost pelaverga or gamay-like, with fine, silty, graphite-mineral tannins. Compact, succulent and very beautiful.” Drink 2025 to 2040.
2021 Sordo Barolo Ravera, Novello
96+ Points, Mike Bennie, The Winefront
“Dark cherry, black plum and brined green olive with an almost maritime, tightly wound minerality. Sleek and reserved, shaped by fine, tense tannin and drawn very long to a slate-and-river-pebble finish. Excellent energy, precision and minerality.” Drink 2025 to 2040.
Fourth Course:
east across Barolo into Serralunga
2022 Barale Barolo Castellero
New Release
The Barale family appear in the village register of the early 1600s as owners of parts of Coste di Rose, Cannubi, Castellero and Preda, and are among the first recorded producers of Barolo, from 1870. Sergio Barale farms it now with his daughters Eleonora and Gloria. The 2022 releases are jaw-dropping in their elegance and intensity.
2019 Sordo Barolo Monprivato, Castiglione Falletto
96+ Points, Mike Bennie, The Winefront
“Fresh and precise. A pretty, juicy wine webbed with ultra-fine tannin: dark cherry, turned earth, hazelnut, dried cranberry, cola, fennel, with a floral mouth perfume. Elevated by freshness and driving very long; architectural and built for a serious future.” Drink 2025 to 2050.
2021 Orlando Rocca Barolo ‘Sprun’ Bussia, Monforte d’Alba
92 Points, Audrey Frick, JebDunnuck.com
“Deep ruby and magenta. Ripe and enveloping: blackberry, sage, violet, toasted cedar, forest earth. Medium to full-bodied, with sappy ripe fruit wrapping plush tannins and a savoury-sweet finish.” Drink 2025 to 2035. Orlando is the nephew of the late Domenico Clerico and makes his wines in Clerico’s original cellar. In late 2025 he was named Young Winemaker of the Year in I Migliori 100 Vini e Vignaioli d’Italia.
2021 Sordo Barolo Gabutti, Serralunga d’Alba
94 Points, Mike Bennie, The Winefront
“Very earthy and ferrous with dusty tannin and a touch of rustic charm: dark cherry, dried cranberry, dried black olive, smoky black tea. Less about fruit than savouriness and mineral character; a building, thick tannin profile with a ferrous finish. One for lovers of a savoury style.” Drink 2025 to 2039.