Côte de Beaune 2022

Les Hâtes sits in the middle of the village, surrounded by premiers crus on well-draining soil. It makes for a floral, ethereal style of Pinot with lovely proportions. This floral character is a natural expression of the site which David sees emerge every year. It makes for a compelling introduction to Santenay for first-timers.

Maranges is the final limit of the Côte d’Or, and a source of crunchy, great value reds, if you follow the right grower. This is actually a blend of village and premier cru fruit (from 1er Cru Clos Rousseau), which David declassifies to give his village Marange more volume and quality. It’s a smart move, and a smart buy. It’s light-bodied, lithe, crunchy, juicy and vibrant.

Amongst a strong line up of premiers crus in David’s cellar, this is always our favourite. It comes from a parcel with a hard limestone bedrock, producing a wine that is marked by its surprising suppleness. In 2022 it is so fine, so Pinot. This is the work of a winemaker at the peak of his abilities, coaxing an ephemeral beauty from his Pinot.

This is the first year we’ve picked up some Chassagne Rouge from Alex, so impressed we were when tasting from barrel. The vintage’s natural charm and ease suit his style well. While the focus of attention will remain on his whites, his reds offer up an approachable and delicious expression from this talented winemaker.

This magnificent wine is only made in tiny quantities. There is superb precision on the palate, which is vibrant and mouth watering with a chalky structure. This complexity is no surprise, given that Les Caillerets is one of the finest sites in the village, with particularly stony soils, producing tense, vibrant, acid-driven wines.

La Maltroie is one of the larger premiers crus in Chassagne, and is often one of the most restrained, backward wines in Alex’s cellar. The vines sit right in the middle of the village, opposite the cellar. The 2022 has a savoury length, and a tight, refined power. It feels young, and will enjoy a long life ahead.

This comes from a blend for the domaine’s young vines with a small dash of extremely old vines, from multiple parcels scattered around the village of Nantoux. It has a crunchy acidity giving it a fresh profile, which is twinned with the ripe blueberry/raspberry fruit character. Whole-bunch has been upped to 60% in 2022 giving it a spiced, graceful length.

This is a new addition to the list in 2022: we just couldn’t resist. It’s made from old vine Gamay grown on the steep slopes of Nantoux (true to its name, unlike many other Coteaux Bourguignons which are grown on the flat plains on the other side of the route nationale). It was vinified with 50% whole-bunch fruit, gently handled in the cellar with low extraction. Some of the vines are getting on for ninety-years-old, and the concentration and kick this gives to the wine is notable. It’s gorgeous: juicy, fruit-forward, and joyful. Don’t miss this little rocket.

The Bignon parcel has red clay soil, not dissimilar to that found in pockets of Pommard. It usually produces an easy-going, fruit-forward wine, but I’m struck by the excellent structure found in this 2022. It still has the signature smooth fruit, but with fine, lightly grippy tannins from well-handled 60% whole-bunch fruit.

Boris Champy burst onto the scene in 2019, and is now a leading light of the Hautes-Côtes and of biodynamic viticulture in Burgundy. Le Clou is a single vineyard in Nantoux sitting at a precise 377 metres elevation. Its soil is similar to Volnay, with chalky, rocky topsoil over limestone marl bedrock. 100% whole-bunch has been used to great effect here: it has a fine, elegant aroma of red berries and cinnamon spice, with silky tannins and impressive concentration on the poised finish.

An energetic and vibrant Bourgogne Blanc: it comes from parcels across Santenay and St-Aubin, wonderful fleshy fruit on the mid-palate paves the way for an impressively long finish. It is deliciously zesty and refreshing.

This is a fantastic example of village Chassagne, with bright, vivid nectarine fruit character and a sumptuous, silky palate. It gets its intensity from the old vines (some are approaching 70 years) from nine parcels scattered across the village. A smattering of new oak gives it structure and support. Long and satisfyingly saline finish.

This gourmand, full-bodied and elegant wine is one of the sweet spots of the Comte Armand stable, with surprising ageing potential. It is a blend of two vineyards in Auxey: Les Bréterins and Les Duresses. Bréterins is steep and well-draining, with limestone soils contributing savoury elegance; Duresses is clay-based and builds power and body in the wine. It has the structure for good ageing potential, though it is still fragrant and inviting in its youth.

This is an important vineyard both in terms of its size (a substantial 5.23 ha) and its historical stock of old vines (some now over 100 years old) which are used as a source of top quality massale selection by nurseries. That’s because its plant material is simply supreme. High-density planting and old vines means low yields are the norm, but 2022 set a new record. At 36 hl/ha this is the most abundant vintage that current régisseur, Paul Zinetti, has made since taking over in 2014. To put this in context, the limit for Pommard premier cru is 56hl/ha, so even in a bigger vintage, the concentration here is exquisite. It is another great example of the Clos, and another chance for Paul to rewrite the old trope that Pommard is muscular and rustic only: instead this is powerful, svelte, profound, and intense. It is truly one of the greatest vineyards of the Côte de Beaune.

This is a secret gem to know about. It’s made from a blend of young vine fruit and some incredible 95-year old Aligoté Doré grown in Meursault, whose tiny, golden berries are packed with vibrant flavours. The 2022 shows brilliant freshness, with verve and spice. It’s one of our buyer’s favourite whites from the region, and finds its way into her cellar every year.

Caillerets takes its name from the tiny stones that litter the vineyard’s soil, and it’s one of the village’s most highly-prized sites. This wine in 2022 is chalky, chiselled, and distinctly of its limestone terroir. There’s spiced pear fruit on the mid-palate, too. A triumph.

La Maltroie is located just up the road from the winery, near the heart of the village. The domaine owns two parcels, one of 0.56 hectares and the other 0.17 hectares. Céline says it is always approachable from early on, and is hence one of the first premiers crus to be bottled. It has a purity and freshness in 2022 that I haven’t seen before, and is clearly the fruit of not only an excellent growing season but a master in control of her art. It is more weighty than the village wine, with an extra level of depth.

This Volnay is floral and gently spiced, with layers of delicate aromatics. It comes from a blend of two parcels: the evocatively named Les Famines, whose paucity of soil makes the roots dig deep; and a small dash of the tiny lieu-dit, La Gigotte, which lifts this village wine up a notch. It’s entirely destemmed and the wine has a sapid, fruity, and accessible profile, with nicely grippy tannins.

This is one of many Volnay premiers crus that Marc-Olivier has at his fingertips. The site’s generous topsoil makes for a wine of appealing charm, marking it out as one of the earliest drinking of the Buffet Volnay premiers crus. The fruit is completely destemmed, and the wine has a sumptuous, succulent texture on the palate. It is sweetly scented, with intense purity of fruit. That aromatic fruit is enrobed in plush tannins, and the finish is graceful and long. Cellar for a few years, then don’t hold back.

This is arguably the greatest site in Volnay. Marc-Olivier is lucky to have two parcels here. The ‘young vines’ are a mere 50 years old, and the old vines very much older. Their concentration and natural complexity are honed through one third whole-bunch used in this cuvée. It is pretty racy in 2022 with an edgy freshness and a little more structure to the tannins than in Carelle sous la Chapelle.

This superb cuvée is made in tiny volumes, so there is very little to go around. Its one third whole-bunch adds a plush, pillowy texture that cushions the savoury backbone of this wine. This was absolutely brilliant in 2022.

Like the Volnay Taillepieds, this is one of the smaller cuvées in the Buffet stable. It comes from the upper part of the vineyard, planted with vines that are now well over their hundred year mark. All work here is done by horse, and the attention to detail continues in the cellar. It is swish and stylish, with plenty of toothsome power and muscular drive. Unlike some of the Volnay premiers crus from this domaine, this wine will need some time, so tuck it away for a few years.

It is well worth following Olivier’s reds, particularly in recent vintages. This vineyard had previously been owned by M. Duvault-Blochet, former owner of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. Today, high density planting and organic farming mean low yields, which does a great service to the fruit - red berries with a smoky graphite scent lingering over them. Mineral and defined.

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.

Clos de la Chatenière is a steep south-facing parcel enclosed by a wall, with 65-year-old vines. There are warmer red soils here, on the Puligny side of the village, and the wine is rich and exuberant. A high level of millerandages amongst the old vines produces an added concentration, and the wine displays a salty, complex character, with a serious and persuasive length.

Santenay is one of the southern-most villages of the Côte d’Or. This sunny spot on a steep limestone slope is always picked early, and is unusually part-vinified in a glass wine globe. It has a pretty and delicate nose of white blossom and citrus peel, followed by wonderful tension and crystalline purity on the palate.

En Remilly is considered the finest vineyard in St-Aubin. Olivier Lamy’s wine is always one of its greatest, and his 2021 is truly magnificent, with soaring flavour and energy. It is so many things at once: smoky, chalky, mineral, vibrant.

Easily one of Burgundy’s most talked-about and fascinating wines, yet also one of its rarest, produced only in tiny quantities. It comes from a parcel high up in the hill, protected by a fringe of forest above, where Olivier has planted the vines at a density of 30,000 vines per hectare. That’s three times the density of your average Burgundy vineyard. The concentration this gives to the wines is hard to capture in words.

The Bachelets have four parcels in this premier cru, the oldest of which were planted in 1927 and 1960. It carries the superb concentration of old-vine fruit, with juicy pineapple intensity. Harmonious, deep and precise.

Le Charmois is on a hill just next to Chassagne-Montrachet’s 1er Cru Les Chaumées. Its cool, poor limestone soil makes for a tightly powerful wine with straight, chalky freshness. There’s a spicy, fresh ginger twist to the fruit, perhaps thanks to the playful reduction going on here. It’s salty, taut and extremely good.

Les Aubues is an enclave within Puligny’s excellent Enseignères, just below Le Bâtard-Montrachet. Les Enseignères has long been on the radar of collectors as one of the sweetest spots for any village wine on the whole Côte. This 2022 shows unbelievable persistence for a village wine, and surely any blind taster would jump to a premier cru conclusion, thanks to the layered complexity, length and texture of the wine.

Jean-Marc makes some of the best Chassagne Rouge around. With many old vines planted on the clay soil pockets around the village, he has produced a great example in 2022. This old vine cuvée has a fabulous spiced plum aroma on the nose, with textural red fruit detail on the palate. You’ll find lacy, fine-grained tannins of the highest order here.

This is a brilliant example of what Pinot Noir can do in Chassagne when you combine old vines and serious winemaking. The poor soils of Clos St Jean have long been one of the hotspots for Pinot in the village, and Jean-Marc counts himself lucky to have inherited this parcel of 100+ year old vines. He likes to make a gourmand style you can approach from youth, but don’t let that make you think this is lacking in concentration or sophistication. This 2022 is sitting emphatically in the elegant red fruit spectrum, and the wine shows a level of freshness, detail and precision that lifts it up to great heights.

Les Vergers sits at the village’s northern border with St-Aubin, on the slope just above Les Chenevottes. The wine is floral, detailed, and open and charming in its youth. The palate is concentrated and textured: there’s real weight to the fruit. It finishes with impressive power.

This vineyard bordering Pommard did once produce wines with some robust, muscular tannins. But now that they have reached 70+ years, the tannins have begun to soften, becoming distinctly finer in recent years. It shows a touch of blueberry fruit, with plush, structural tannins.

This is one of Meursault’s finest vineyards, shared amongst some of its greatest growers. It’s a clear step up in the Bouzereau line-up: textural, precise and enduring. Complexity abounds.

Blagny sits high up, 400m above the heart of the Meursault commune. This altitude brings a focused freshness to the wines. It has notes of ripe citrus and yellow apricot, with a richly mineral seashell note - not unlike Chablis - on the nose. The soil is white limestone up here, and this makes for a scintillating palate. It feels straighter than the Grands Charrons, in many ways, more like a Puligny in profile than a Meursault. Saline, mineral, and powerful.

Only in years of relative abundance and quality do the domaine make this cuvée which is a selection of fruit from only the oldest vines (70-75 years old). They sit just below Santenots-du-Milieu, and the wine shows an even greater level of intensity and length than the already impressive village Meursault.

This comes from the family’s best parcels in the village - in Les Grands Champs, Les Pluchots, La Gigotte, and Ez Echards, all of which border the premiers crus just above. It has a dialled up complexity and depth of fruit, with slightly more emphatic tannins, making it a great candidate for ageing.

In 2022 the vines celebrated their 101st birthday (not that anyone’s counting), and lay claim to being oldest vines of the domaine. And although their home village of Volnay is what many people think of when they hear Lafarge, their noble Beaune holdings are equally highly regarded, with Grèves the finest. This is a complete thrill in 2022.

This parcel, right in the centre of the village, has been owned by the Lafarge family since 2005. It has an ideal mid-slope position, and produces a floral wine with great tension and an intense fruit core: quintessential Volnay. So pure and long, with a velvety structure.

This vineyard has been owned by the Lafarge family since the domaine was founded, and is arguably their most famous wine. It is often serious and intense in its youth, but can also show wonderful sweetness of fruit and pretty minerality in youth, it’s hard to imagine it shutting down. Nevertheless, experience dictates that this wine will benefit from some time in the cellar, and given time, its true potential will be realised.

This is the Pillots’ largest premier cru, and it lies just up the road from their cellar. It is the emblematic cuvée of the domaine, and a brilliant buy every vintage. The 2022 has tension and saline length, with a nervous energy that lingers long after tasting.

This south facing parcel is tucked up the valley slope, so on the Beaune (i.e. north) side of the village, facing directly towards Volnay. It’s a cool site, thanks to the fresh breeze that is drawn down through the vines, but the white soil and south-facing exposure means it can heat up pretty quickly when the sun shines. Joannes has used 50% whole bunch fruit in 2022 in contrast to previous vintages that have tended to 100%. It strikes a brilliant balance between ethereal juiciness and mineral bite.

When Joannes Violot-Guillemard turns his hand to Pommard, it’s with the same finesse and silky tension that he brings to the precise and perfumed character of his Pommards. Les Brouillards borders Pommard, and shows a little of the muscle and brawn of its neighbour, with a distinctly floral tone to the fruit.

The vines here have an average age of 70+ years and, along with Rugiens, enjoy one of the finest positions in the village. The soil on this side of the village, nearer to Beaune, is extremely complex, with a high mineral and limestone content towards the top of the slope. This makes for a more ethereal, delicate, and elegant expression of Pommard than perhaps we are used to. It will need a little time, but this is a diamond in the making.

100% whole-bunch lifts this village Pommard up a notch or two. It’s such a fragrant and appetising style, and the best we’ve seen from Joannes since he took over in 2019. It is a great entry point for one of Pommard’s most promising new voices.

This is a wonderful site in Beaune, high up on the hill to the south of the town. Joannes cleverly uses the whole-bunch here, and the wine is aromatically spiced with strawberries and ginger. The silky tannins contribute to a sensational length. This is really worth seeking out.