Savigny les Beaune "Vergelesses" 1961 - Simon Bize

Savigny-lès-Beaune Premier Cru “Aux Vergelesses” 1961 – Simon Bize

This Savigny-lès-Beaune Premier Cru “Aux Vergelesses” 1961 from Simon Bize is a rare bottle, sought today as much for its historical and emotional value as for its tasting interest. The bottle also bears the distinctive Tastevinage seal, a traditional Burgundian mark of recognition associated with wines selected through tasting.

After more than sixty years of ageing, this bottle is intended for lovers of mature Burgundy, collectors and those looking for a meaningful vintage. The stated level of 3 cm should be taken into account for a wine of this age: opening such a bottle requires care, patience and an acceptance of the natural uncertainty that comes with very old wines.

Terroir

Aux Vergelesses is one of the most highly regarded Premier Cru climats of Savigny-lès-Beaune. Located in an open, well-exposed sector close to Pernand-Vergelesses, it generally produces Pinot Noir with finesse, structure and a more serious expression than many village-level wines from the appellation.

Tasting notes

In a vintage of this age, the aromatic profile is naturally expected to be tertiary: dried red fruits, undergrowth, autumn leaves, fine leather, blond tobacco, gentle spices and subtle mushroom notes. If well preserved, the palate should favour delicacy, patina and refinement rather than power or concentration.

Expression of the vintage

The 1961 vintage holds a legendary place in the imagination of wine lovers. In Burgundy, well-preserved bottles from this period have become increasingly rare and should be approached as genuine witnesses of another era. This Savigny-lès-Beaune Premier Cru is therefore above all a collector’s bottle, ideal for a birth-year gift, an anniversary or a tasting dedicated to mature Burgundy.

Service and food pairing

Stand the bottle upright at least 24 hours before opening. Use a corkscrew designed for old corks and avoid extended decanting: a gentle service directly into the glass is often the best way to preserve the wine’s most fragile aromas. Serve slightly cool, around 15–16°C.

At the table, choose refined dishes that will not overpower the wine: roast poultry, guinea fowl, mushroom risotto, aged Comté, truffle-based cuisine or delicate preparations with earthy flavours. The aim is to accompany the fragile elegance of an old Pinot Noir without overwhelming it.