Domaine de La Folie really needs no introduction here as we’ve been a huge fan of their wines at PRIMA since, like, forever!  Rully, near the regional city of Chalon-sur-Saône and just three miles south of Chassagne-Montrachet, has long been the source of some of the most sophisticated Burgundies made and a true source of top value as well.  The area has long been dominated by large negociants who purchase the grapes from a score or more of small growers around the village and truck the wine or grapes to their establishments further north.

Historically, there have been only a very few pure domaines who grow and make all their own wine in Rully proper.  By far, the oldest and most esteemed is Domaine de La Folie.  They own 13 hectares of vines in Rully’s best climats, stretching over a vertiginous hillside at the highest point in the appellation and are known for making three fabulous whites, all monopoles and all available here. Just ask! 

But did you know La Folie also makes Pinot Noir?  Rully Rouge is rare and, in La Folie’s case, comes from an old vineyard known as Clos de Bellecroix, named for the ancient cross on the property that commemorates a long-ago battle held on the site.  Where Rully Blanc can make wine that closely approximates its neighbor to the north, Chassagne-Montrachet, Rully Rouge is a bit more like its Côte Chalonnaise southern neighbor, Mercurey, with its touch higher acidity and, often, earthy rusticity. 

The just-arrived 2023 Clos de Bellecroix, with its very smart black and white label, is a stylish, smoky, juicy red with lots of black plum and red cherry fruit with meaty, spicy, bramble aromatics that lead to medium-full bodied wine that finishes with a nice tick of acidity and a dose of chunky tannin. 

This is the kind of red Burgundy you love to drink with dishes like a rich beef Bourguignon, polenta or potatoes piled high with wild morels or with funky Burgundian cheeses.

Lovers of old-school Pinot will love this!  Drink now for its savory, juicy flavors, or keep another decade if you like your Burgundy a little mellower.  So lovely!