Andrew Neilsen
It was very good on early Tuesday afternoon to meet a near neighbour with a Burgundian presence. I had been completely unaware that Forest Hill (London SE23) nurtured an impressive outpost of the Côte d'Or until I met Emma Nielsen of Le Grappin at the Saturday farmers' market in the Horniman Gardens about ten days before Christmas 14. Sadly I wasn't on great form that day, so I didn't taste their wines but we made up for this on Tuesday when Andrew dropped up to chat and taste.
In 2006 Australian-born Andrew had his Eureka moment. He was working advertising when he drank a 1996 Dujac, which he thinks was a Clos de la Roche. This convinced him that his time staring at a screen all day selling advertising was over and not what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. Since leaving Australia he had worked in Singapore, Hong Kong and Los Angeles.
So Andrew swopped advertising for working various wine harvests – in the Sonoma Coast, at Felton Road in New Zealand and at Coldstream Hills with James Halliday, who introduced him to Simon Bize and this pointed Andrew to Savigny-lès-Beaune.
Andrew is a garagiste négociant. He concentrates on a Premier Cru from Savigny called Aux Fournaux with wines – both red and white – coming from this plot.
Given that the area has beern hit by hail in the last three years, it is useful that Andrew also sells some bread and butter bulk wines from the Mâconnais and Beaujolais, which help to increase turnover. This is especially important as the area has been hit by hail for the last three years – 2014, 2013 an 2013.
The second part of this profile is here.
Andrew is very passionate about what he is doing in Burgundy
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