Cellar Circle exclusives

This comes from a single parcel in Gevrey, Champ Franc. It is spicy, energetic and sophisticated, with the silkiest of tannins. The cuvée is a recent addition of Sébastien’s to bolster the estate he inherited from his father, Sylvain.

The domaine only bought this parcel in 2011, and it still feels like a newcomer on their list, even though it’s been a decade of releases already. The clay soils of the vineyard make a wonderfully rich wine that never shows any heaviness. It is crystalline with great presence.

This comes from a parcel between Gevrey-Chambertin and Vosne-Romanée, and contains 30% Gamay and 70% Pinot Noir. It is full of sweet spice and intricate red berry fruits with a lovely long, elegant finish. The cuvée is a recent addition of Sébastien’s to bolster the estate he inherited from his father, Sylvain.

Clos de la Barre is the domaine’s monopole 2.1 hectare vineyard which lies just behind the cellar. The wine always has a bright acidity, married with ripe stone fruit. A hint of Danish pastry makes it typically Meursault.

La Maltroie is one of the larger Premiers Crus in Chassagne, and Alex’s vines sit right in the middle of the village, opposite the cellar. The 2023 has a mineral, peachy length, and a tight, refined power. There’s great volume and depth and this will enjoy a long life ahead.

A larger 1er Cru in the range, Pillot owns a 1.23-hectare plot here. The bouquet is well-defined with notes of crushed rocks, fern, white grapefruit and jasmine. The palate is linear with a vibrant bead of acidity and a long and refreshing finish. Very classy.

A painfully small three barrels of this were made. It is the domaine’s flagship wine, and can be relied upon to show the finest characteristics of the vintage. It is sumptuously perfumed and effortlessly refined, with graceful and persistent power. The domaine owns three parcels in this wonderful Gevrey-Chambertin grand cru, including one where the vines are well over 75 years old. It sits at the high point of the Tawse cellar, a culmination of the seriously good winemaking going on here, and a reason why the domaine is singled out year-after-year for critical acclaim.

This is from the original domaine inherited by Sébastien from Sylvain, and always over-delivers. You get the style and swagger of the Cathiard signature, with the open, accessible fruit of Bourgogne Rouge. It’s got abundant red berry notes on the nose, with a toasty kick from the new oak, and a long, satisfying length.

Lafon’s Charmes is one of the defining wines of the appellation. When buying this, you get quintessential Meursault, quintessential Lafon. The parcel is in the upper part of the premier cru, and makes for a racier wine than those you find further down the slope. It has incredible energy on the palate, and superb concentration, thanks to the old vines (some are approaching 100 years of age).

The 2025 vintage was excellent with warm dry conditions throughout the growing season. The Chardonnay it produced is rich and concentrated and up there with the best Estate Chardonnay we have seen in the past ten years. Beautifully fragrant and toasty on the nose the palate is rich and peachy with the hallmark refreshing acidity we expect in the Estate Chardonnay. Layered and complex this wine is quite delicious now but will no doubt benefit from bottle age as have its predecessors.

Les Frionnes is one of Olivier’s most important and favourite vineyards. He has an impressive clutch of five parcels within Frionnes, with vines ranging in age from 10 to 80 years old. The soil here is decomposed Kimmeridgian limestone, similar to that found in Chablis and Sancerre. This is not just an academic point - you can really feel it in the wine, which brims with oyster shells on the nose, and a Chablis-esque chiselled frame on the palate. The 2024 vintage is brimming with tension, delicate flintiness, with layers of floral and mineral complexity. There is a real sense of purity to the wine this year.