Marchand and Burch masterclass and dinner 26 July 2026

[Waiters Friend]

G’day

I had the pleasure of experiencing not one, but two Marchand and Burch events at Lamonts Cottesloe. For those unfamiliar with this label, it's a collaboration between Pascal Marchand of Burgundy and Jeff Burch of Howard Park Wines. The afternoon masterclass showed a range of Australian and French wines up to 1er Cru level, while the evening dinner focused primarily on Grand Cru Burgundies.

22 wines in total over the two sessions. It’s a tough job, but ……

The wines were curated and the events expertly presented by David Stredwick from Burch Family Wines. David’s preparation and the level of information provided (both verbally and in handouts) is unsurpassed, and it’s a delight to attend his tastings. He was ably supported by JJ and the team at Lamonts, who coordinated the pours and the accompanying food with their usual expertise.

Each event commenced with a four-wine bracket of Chardonnays.

2025 Marchand & Burch Village Chardonnay (Great Southern, Australia). Pale yellow colour. The nose offers delicate and fresh stone fruits with some underlying grapefruit and cashew. There’s a moderate kiss of oak and clean freshening acid. Modest lees texture and medium length.

2024 Marchand & Burch Mount Barrow Chardonnay (Great Southern, Australia) 40% new oak. Yellow colour. The oak is evident on the nose with cedar and vanilla. The fruits are more in the stone fruit spectrum, with fig, white peach, nectarine and citrus blossom. Cedar and vanilla on the palate, with more fig, ripe peach, nectarine, and grapefruit /citrus. Fresh acid, some grip / mouthfeel and a medium to long finish. A bigger and riper wine than the Village Chardonnay. This is the third time I have seen this wine and it continues to impress.

2023 Marchand & Burch Savigny Les Beaune Les Vergelesses 1er Cru (Burgundy, France). Moderate yellow in colour. More savoury than the Australian chardonnays. Ripe peaches, nectarine and apricot skin, with some citrus / preserved lemon in support. There’s underlying oak, with cedar and grilled nuts. There’s a viscous mouthfeel, almost oily, Medium to long finish.

2023 Marchand & Burch Meursault (Burgundy, France). Medium yellow colour. A powerful nose with lots of stone fruits, cedary oak, and underlying grapefruit. There’s hazelnut and spices as well. The spicy oak continues through the palate, matching the rich stone fruits and the grapefruit citrus which is more apparent than on the nose. This is full and mouth filling, with a medium to long finish.


The remainder of the Masterclass focussed on Pinot Noir – two from Western Australia and the remainder from Burgundy.

2025 Marchand & Burch Village Pinot Noir (Great Southern, Australia). 20% new oak. Pale ruby colour. It’s fresh and juicy, with bright strawberry and cherry fruits. Tannins are barely noticeable, and it is light and fresh with moderate length.

2024 Marchand & Burch Mount Barrow Pinot Noir (Great Southern, Australia). Pale ruby. Darker cherry notes than the Village wine. There’s some mushroom and a slight earthiness, and the strawberry notes are more stewed. Moderate tannins and supporting acid. This is more complex than the Village wine, with good length and medium body.

2023 Marchand & Burch Marsannay (Burgundy, France). Slightly darker than the Australian pinots. A more complex nose, with mushroom, bright red cherries, spices and a little strawberry. Moderate tannins and fresh supporting acid, with a small ferrous note. Medium body and length.

2023 Marchand & Burch Cotes De Nuits (Burgundy, France). Ruby colour. A darker fruit profile than the Marsannay, and some earthiness, mushroom and savoury notes. Slightly grippy tannins and firmer acid than previous wines. Medium body and length.

2023 Marchand & Burch Gevrey-Chambertin (Burgundy, France). Ruby colour. A more savoury and slightly more complex wine. There’s dark and red cherries. Mushroom, cedar and vanilla. There’s fine tannins and acid is more prominent. Medium body and length.

2023 Marchand & Burch Savigny Les Beaune Les Lavieres 1er Cru (Burgundy, France). Ruby colour. A harmonious wine, with the cherry fruits, oak and savoury notes all meshing together (making it harder to identify components). The palate is fuller than previous wines, too. Noticeable acid, fine grippy tannins and a velvety mouthfeel. Medium to long finish,

2023 Marchand & Burch Beaune Clos Du Roi 1er Cru (Burgundy, France). Ruby colour. A more perfumed nose, with violets, red and dark cherries, and a touch of balsamic. Some mushroom and woodsmoke. Moderate tannins and just enough acid – the whole package in balance. More intense and complex than previous wines and a medium to long finish. The Clos u Roi has been a long-term favourite of mine.

2023 Marchand & Burch Volnay Fremiets 1er Cru (Burgundy, France). Darker ruby / crimson. Dark cherry, mushroom. and five-spice. Fresh acid, and firm drying tannins. The palate is rounded, with a velvety and mouth filling texture. Medium to long finish and well balanced.


After a short break to reset the restaurant, we then moved onto dinner and a mostly different (and more prestigious) selection of wines.

2014 Franck Bonville Les Belles Voyes Blanc De Blanc Grand Cru. (Champagne, France): 7 years on lees. Unlike most of Bonville’s wines, this sees time in oak. Developed bready, nutty and yeasty autolysis notes, with lemon, nectarine and nougat. Very Chardonnay, with the oak characters noticeable and serving the wine well. Lively acidity balances out the powerful fruit and oak flavours, and the wine is rich overall, with plenty of length. A great aperitif, and rich enough to comfortably match food. The Franck Bonville wines are also available through Burch Family Wines.

2023 Marchand & Burch Mount Barrow Chardonnay (Great Southern, Australia). Medium yellow colour. Fruits are ripe, and there’s a combination of citrus and stone fruits. This is matched with some spicy oak. The palate is rich, and slightly cordial/like in its texture and grip, with noticeable acid. Medium to long finish. At this point in time, I prefer the 2024 (by a small margin) and this may change as the wines age and develop.

2023 Marchand & Burch Savigny Les Beaune Les Vergelesses 1er Cru
2023 Marchand & Burch Meursault (Burgundy, France).
Both wines were included in the Masterclass, and are described above. It was good to have a second look at these and confirm my impressions.


Then we moved comprehensively into Grand Cru red Burgundy territory, from three famous and prestigious vineyards.

2022 Marchand and Burch Clos De La Roche Grand Cru (Burgundy, France). A light ruby colour. An ethereal nose, with vanilla bean, red cherries, spices and savoury notes all meshing seamlessly to create a harmonious whole. In contrast, the palate was more savoury, with some earthiness, gravel and ironstone. Fine dusty tannins and just enough balancing acid. Very long finish and drinking well young (although will develop over many years). You can tell I enjoyed this one.

2008 Marchand & Burch Chambertin Clos de Beze Grand Cru (Burgundy, France).100% new oak. Crimson colour. A delicious blend of red fruits and rich spices, with the oak well integrated into the wine. Tannins are similarly well integrated and provide modest grip. The fruits and spices persist well through the very long finish, and there is a delightful mouthfeel. Totally balanced, and my favourite of this bracket.

2007 Marchand & Burch Chambertin Clos de Beze Grand Cru (en Magnum) (Burgundy, France). Crimson colour and relatively dark. This shows fuller and riper red fruits with some vanilla bean and spices. Some savoury notes and mushroom as well. Lingering tannins and a velvety mouthfeel leading to a very long finish. Only slightly outshone by the 2008.


The finale was a five-vintage vertical of Mazis-Chambertin. All of these see 100% new oak (i.e. one barrel made) with the exception of the 2012 (two barrels made so 50% new oak).

2012 Marchand & Burch Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru (Burgundy, France). Crimson colour. Polished oak and a spicy, almost gamey nose, with dark cherry and vanilla. There’s fresh and relatively light strawberry and cherry fruit on the palate, with modest tannins and plenty of freshening acid. Overall, the wine is not overly intense, but lingers quite long.

2011 Marchand & Burch Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru (Burgundy, France). Crimson. More savoury than the 2012, with strawberry and cherry fruits, vanilla pod, mushroom, light cedary oak and a touch of pyrazine. Tannins are fine and drying, and the acidity is almost juicy. A reasonably long finish, but not quite as balanced as some of the other Mazis.

2010 Marchand & Burch Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru (Burgundy, France). A paler crimson colour. A powerful wine, with bright fruits, red and dark cherries, cedar and spice in abundance. A slight stalky character (which adds to the wine’s attractiveness). Fine tannins, good supporting acid and a medium to long finish. Everything in balance.

2009 Marchand & Burch Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru (Burgundy, France). Slightly darker crimson than the surrounding wines. A fantastic balance of red and dark cherries, mushroom, earthiness, and cedary oak. Some sappy / stalky notes as well. Fully integrated tannins and just enough supporting acid. A complete wine and totally in balance. My wine of the day.

2008 Marchand & Burch Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru (Burgundy, France). Crimson colour, quite pale in comparison. Less powerful than the 2009, with strawberry and cherry fruits, integrated cedary oak, and some earthiness. It appears medium bodied, with a medium to long finish. Perhaps just starting to fade, and not as expressive as the preceding wines.


What an incredible pair of events! Sincere thanks to David Stredwick from Burch Family Wines for sharing his comprehensive knowledge and insights, and to JJ and the Lamonts team for hosting the events.

Cheers
Allan