Côte de Nuits 2022

This is an exceptionally pretty Chambolle-Musigny, offering up wild strawberry and blueberry notes. If you like the sweet aromatic fruit of 100% whole-bunch winemaking, this is the wine you’re looking for. Fine, silky tannins are extremely well-expressed on the poised finish.

This comes from various parcels the domaine owns around the village, mostly located on the Morey side of the village. It shows a certain austerity, mingled with Chambolle’s signature texture: silky, dense, and refined.

Cyprien makes two Bourgognes, and this is the one that comes from the domaine’s single parcel which lies just beyond the village boundary of Gevrey Chambertin, but a stone’s throw from the village’s grands crus. It is a fairly serious Bourgogne, with an expressive, chewy core to it, offering up the density of Gevrey, with the open fruit to drink well from early on.

In Aux Allots we find the domaine’s oldest vines, though how old precisely is unknown. The family bought the vineyard which sits on the Vosne-Romaéee side of the village in 1969. It had been planted long before then, although the exact date has been lost to history. This wine has an enthralling depth of berry fruit, with a minty lift on the nose, and just a hint of licorice adding a further dimension. Textural and complex, this is an outstanding Nuits-St-Georges.

This is a flagship wine of the domaine, and at two hectares represents around a third of production. It’s an incredibly steep site just above Les Vaucrains which had been abandoned since the phylloxera crisis until Bertrand terraced and planted it in 2001. There is slightly darker, fuller fruit than that found in the 2019, but with the brightness of acidity it feels balanced and very complete, unforced and charming.

The domaine has an impressive 10 hectares in their home village of Marsannay. They bottle five separate cuvées, including the wonderful Grasses Têtes, which sits at the southern end of the commune, on the slope that rises up behind the village. Its quirky name (meaning “fat heads”) refers to the large rocks that show through the surface of the clay soil. It is typically the most structured and powerful of the Clair Marsannays, with the greatest tannic charge, recalling Gevrey-Chambertin. The 2022 has a fragrant and salty dynamism. This is quintessential Marsannay, and quintessential Clair, and a top contender for promotion to premier cru status.

The domaine has an impressive 10 hectares in their home village of Marsannay. They bottle five separate cuvées, including the wonderful Grasses Têtes, which sits at the southern end of the commune, on the slope that rises up behind the village. Its quirky name (meaning “fat heads”) refers to the large rocks that show through the surface of the clay soil. It is typically the most structured and powerful of the Clair Marsannays, with the greatest tannic charge, recalling Gevrey-Chambertin. The 2022 has a fragrant and salty dynamism. This is quintessential Marsannay, and quintessential Clair, and a top contender for promotion to premier cru status.

This remarkable village lieu-dit sits directly above Clos de Tart, Clos des Lambrays, and Bonnes Mares, and the Clair parcel is an extension of their lauded Bonnes Mares plot. It’s hard to believe this isn’t a premier cru, really. Up here there is virtually no top soil at all, and the vines plunge straight into the limestone bedrock. The wine has abundant blackberry and wild strawberry aromas, tightly-wound tannins, and a fragrant energy.

Pierre owns the last parcel of Latricières before Chambertin begins, and while attention is usually focused on his Clos de Bèze, this is quickly becoming as in demand. It is suave, dark, and cool: somehow opulent and restrained at the same time.

This special cuvée comes from the oldest vines in Faiveley’s Clos de Bèze holding, and was first produced in 2011. The name is an homage to the family’s connection with the artist, Rodin, and the cuvée is only ever produced in tiny quantities. Powerful, deep, and dramatic. This will reward the patient.

This hails from the cool climes in the hills above the Ladoix-Serrigny in the Côte de Beaune. It is peachy and smooth, with nice roundness and a silky texture.

This ‘other’ white grape from Burgundy is enjoying a well-deserved moment: the wines are fresh, vibrant, wonderful for early drinking and offer unparalleled value. The balance of the wines also seems to be coping particularly well with climate change. Are they the future of white Burgundy? The Felettig example is everything we’re looking for: salty, fresh, and moreish.

There’s notable concentration and grip in this dark-scented, structured Fixin. 30% whole-bunch and 60% new oak make for a baroque style, recalling the energy and density of many 2020s. Its 300m elevation and 20% incline give it freshness and grippy precision.

This is a fairly recent addition to Maxime’s portfolio. As with all his wines it shows depth of fruit and suave tannins, with a long finish, tempered by the freshness of the vintage.

The Hautes-Côtes de Nuits is proving a popular spot for growers in Vosne who are looking for wines that are a little more forward, accessible, and with vibrant freshness, as is the case in this excellent example.

Les Petits Monts is a superbly positioned premier cru, lying just above Richebourg and alongside Cros Parantoux. Maxime is in full command of his craft when it comes to Vosne premiers crus, so owners of this will be in for a treat in years to come.

This comes from a single parcel just across the road from Chambolle-Musigny in Gilly-lès-Cîteaux, called Les Bons Bâtons. It is so red-fruited, with fragrant length, and lacy tannins. It feels more like a Chambolle than a Bourgogne, and comes with considerable ageing potential.

You won’t find much better than this at village level. This is a wine of terrific complexity and nuance, with much of the texture and nuance you can find in her premiers crus, just with a slightly more forward and open fruit, and lighter tannins. It comes from nine plots across the village, and shows wonderful definition.

Unlike some Côteaux Bourguignons which are a blend of Gamay and Pinot Noir, this is 100% Gamay, from a parcel of very old vines the Grivots inherited via the Jayers, one of whom was married to Etienne’s father. Etienne says that Henri Jayer made him promise to never, ever rip out these vines. He has kept his word, and it is now one of the wines that Etienne is most animated about in their whole cellar.

Aux Lavières is tucked just beneath premier cru Aux Murgers, on the Vosne side of the appellation, and as a result it’s a major step up on your regular village cuvée. It shows clarity, energy and density, floral salty notes, and beautiful structure.

This is always one of the prettiest in the Grivot cellar, and 2022 is no exception. There is a sweet balance between the graceful tannins and red berry fruit, with fresh drive and elegant body.

This is brilliant in 2022: aromatic, silky, and refined. Its ample body and smooth tannins are off-set by its red-fruit freshness. The clay soils of this part of Nuits are really coming into their own with these dry summers.

Alix’s Echézeaux is a blend of three plots across the grand cru. It has a formidable intensity, with kirsch, menthol, dark spice, and black tea all vying for attention. It shows magnificent structure in its tannins.

Clos de Vougeot is a huge vineyard, so it matters where you’re placed. Alix Millot’s plot is in Grand Maupertui, which borders Grands-Echézeaux, often considered the finest part of the vineyard. It’s a big wine, with black licorice, raspberry, and salty minerality.