2015 White Burgundy: the vintage you shouldn’t skip

Another high terroir that has worked beautifully in 2015, Charles’ Narvaux has an expressive citrus nose that’s ripe but in no way overblown. It’s zesty and spicy, with real drive and a powerful structure. A village wine approaching premier cru quality.

Politically the last village of the Côte d’Or, Santenay’s wines were once held in higher regard, but in Olivier’s capable hands they’re finding their feet again, punching well above their price points. This is floral with orchard fruit, and a wonderful, saline, mouth-watering finish.

From the Meursault side of the village, touching Meursault Charmes, this has generosity of fruit but without losing that classic Puligny tension. Long and pure, it’s a premier cru that will be approachable slightly earlier than the others here.

An excellent wine year in, year out here, the Champ Canet vineyard takes its name from an historic owner, M.Canet, and is situated quite high up the slope. This is very Chardonnay in character, with orchard fruits and citrus alongside a slight mealy character, and excellent balance and drive.

Not to be confused with another Chassagne Premier Cru, Les Chaumes, Les Chaumées is situated high up the hill towards St-Aubin, and the paucity of soil here produces tense, linear wines. This fits the bill perfectly, with a chalky, stony texture, pure lemon fruit and persistence on the finish.

High up the hill in Beaune, the poor soils have made a taut, floral white. Beaune has performed admirably in 2015, and the whites fit the trend beautifully. This over-achieves.

While Nuits isn’t necessarily known for its whites, this is undoubtedly the best produced in the commune: a Chardonnay to rank alongside the region’s best. There’s a warmth and ripeness to the fruit here, with apricots and a toasty element.

A section of the Vergers vineyard situated well up the Chassagne slopes, this shows its premier cru breeding clearly. It’s generous with a creamy texture and more buttery flavours than some of the other wines here, but with bright acidity on the long finish.

A cuvée that is predominantly from the hillside vineyard of Les Clous, with a touch of Les Crotots from the bottom of the hill added for intensity. This is expressive and floral, with blossom, white pepper and fresh ginger notes all adding complexity, alongside very pure fruit and excellent focus. The finish is elegant and perfumed, with a lovely texture.