Domaine Dujac winery
Courtesy Domaine Dujac

The Best Burgundy Wine, According to a Naples Advanced Sommelier

Bay Colony Golf Club's Mladen Stoev selects a rare gem that embodies the finesse and terroir of Burgundy’s storied vineyards.

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For Old World wine lovers, 2006 stands out as a singular moment for Burgundian wine. The year brought a complex growing season to the region—early warmth, midseason rains and a late-summer ripening—which gave way to wines layered with elegance, deep expressions of terroir, refined minerality and gentle acidity. The vintage is prized by those who seek finesse over boldness, wines that open slowly, revealing hidden depths over time.  

When we asked Mladen Stoev, a Naples advanced sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers, to select an exceptional bottle, he immediately named the 2006 Domaine Dujac Clos Saint-Denis Grand Cru. The pinot noir, grown in a mix of clay and limestone, is perhaps the best expression of this seductive vintage. For 12 years, Mladen has shaped the wine program at Bay Colony Golf Club, arranging dinners, tastings and exclusive European wine tours, guiding members through renowned growing regions. As cellar master for the Naples chapter of Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin, an international fraternal society dedicated to Burgundian wine, he might be a bit biased. But he’s not wrong. “What makes it so special is the land. It comes from the land of monks and dukes, which was planted centuries ago. They had nothing to do but drink wine and pray,” Mladen says. “Even today, the wine world is trying to duplicate the same vineyard classification.” 

Burgundy’s 2006 vintages are often overshadowed by the exceptional 2005 harvest, celebrated as one of the best in recent decades due to its nearly perfect growing season. Meanwhile, 2006 bottlings are just now revealing maturity and elegance, defined by classic Burgundian freshness balanced with ripe fruit. Domaine Dujac was particularly fortunate in the mid-aughts. While most area wineries benefited from an unusually long and cold, pest-defying winter and a mild, rainy spring that provided essential moisture for healthy fruit development, Domaine Dujac was spared from the epic midsummer hailstorm that pelted many vineyards in the area. A midsummer bout of extreme heat only encouraged richer fruit concentration for deeper flavors. Mladen describes this Burgundian grand cru, now at its apex, as exuding all the romantic lore of the region, embodying a maze of appellations, fractured vineyards and vintage variability. 

The estate is among the most respected in the Morey-Saint-Denis appellation, situated in the heart of Burgundy between Dijon and Beaune. Cultivated for centuries, the land was a working vineyard long before 1967, when Jacques Seysses founded Domaine Dujac. Since then, it has grown from 12 to more than 40 acres. Jeremy Seysses is part of the second generation leading the estate. He describes the grand cru poetically, noting its shift from a concentrated, racy wine to one much softer than their other grand crus. According to documented tasting notes, the wine showcases vibrant red fruit accented with hints of licorice and violets. Over time, the bottle reveals rich notes of leather. The 2006 bottle’s transformation has given way to one of the best wines in the Côte de Nuits, a sub-region already known for memorable reds. During fermentation, the estate used a high percentage of whole grape clusters, which added a tannic structure to the wine. After pressing, the rich red revealed the sweetness, profundity and concentration the Seysses family anticipated. Their focus on biodynamic, minimal-intervention techniques ensures the wines proudly embody their Burgundian terroir—and this vintage exemplifies the notion with its fresh, harmonious mid-palate sweetness, spice and fine tannins.  

For those who share Mladen’s enthusiasm, a word of caution: Only 200 bottles of the 2006 Clos Saint-Denis Grand Cru were produced. The vintage occasionally appears at auction, where it goes for about $800 a bottle. “A set of four bottles appeared at Christie’s auction in 2023 and quickly sold out,” Mladen says. The ultra-collectible wine stands as a testament to the artistry of Burgundian wines. From the vineyard’s limestone-rich soil to its patient aging, each bottle promises to reveal its secrets to those patient (and resourceful) enough to uncork them.