Côte de Nuits 2022

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.

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.

This precious site was Bruno’s father’s favourite, and is now his son Arthur’s favourite too. It’s planted with the oldest vines of the domaine, which date back to 1902. Its east-facing amphitheatre-like form catches the sun’s rays, and the wine it produces is sappy, concentrated and complexly textured. There’s a clear density from the old vine fruit, and the energy of the vintage. Sumptuous, spiced, and poised.

Domaine Duroché can do no wrong these days. Everything Pierre Duroché touches turns to gold, from his village wine right up to his grands crus. This is a fantastic entry point to one of the most in-demand names in the region.

This super monopole vineyard in the Côte Chalonnaise village of Mercurey is one of the bargains of Burgundy. It’s lively and juicy, with the freshness of the vintage serving it well. There is textural, red berry-fruited, with supple tannins and a gourmand finish.

The 70-year-old vines planted on the poor, stony limestone soil of Les Charmes make for a structured mineral and very long wine in 2022.

Of all the wines under the Maxime Cheurlin Noëllat label, this will need the longest to come around. It comes from lieu-dit Le Petit Maupertui, one of the finest parcels in the substantial grand cru.

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.

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.

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.

This single vineyard Côtes de Nuits-Village is a true cut above its classification. Every year it comes out as a team favourite for the character, precision, and quality it delivers for the price. In 2022 its 40% whole-bunch fruit gives it peppery fragrance, with a gliding silkiness on the palate. It outplays many wines from grander communes every year, and 2022 is no exception.

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.

This parcel came to Alix through her mother’s family. Les Suchots is a decent sized premier cru (13ha), and shared amongst many of the finest growers of its village. Yet it’s often Alix’s Suchots that steal the show. Her 2022 has the vineyard’s broad-shoulders, with a complex layering of fruit and tannin building to a powerful finale.

If you are looking for good value in Vosne-Romanée, you’re on the right track here. It comes from three well-placed parcels, including Aux Réas which extends on from the premier cru, along with La Colombière, and Au Dessus de la Rivière. There’s a grippy balance at play here between some blackberry fruit and some herbal aromatics. It has a good, firm length with a high level of density for a village wine.

These vines are around 60 years old and come from four parcels, which Maxime gives a very representative snapshot of the village. The wine has a beautiful nose, scented with sweet red berries, followed by a palate displaying exciting freshness.

Although they account for a minute percentage of overall production the white wines of Nuits-St-Georges have a proud history. Interestingly, Pinot Blanc, as well as Chardonnay, is permitted under the AOC, and this cuvée from the Rions has a little dash in the blend. It’s zesty and fragrant, with peachy stone fruit and white blossom intertwined. It’s clearly much more than a curiosity: this is an important bit of Nuits’ living history, and a delicious white which matches the calibre of the estate’s fantastic range of reds.

Maxime casually shows his Nuits village after his Vosne premier cru when you taste the full line up in his cellar: that says really quite a lot. When you taste it you understand why. This is a sensational Nuits St Georges. Most of the fruit is from the domaine’s own vineyards, with a small balance from purchased grapes. In 2022 Maxime destemmed all the fruit, and the resulting wine is so elegant and fine, with aromatic purity and gorgeous, fluid energy. Classical Burgundy through and through.

High up on the hill overlooking the village, this is one of Vosne’s greatest premiers crus. In the hands of Maxime Rion, it is an absolute beauty. Dense but supple, with a velvet structure.

This comes from the premier cru part of the Monts Luisants parcel. The domaine chooses not to use that name on the label to avoid confusion with their unusual and lauded Aligoté from there. The vines sit just above Clos de la Roche, and have the power you might expect.

This is just the second vintage for this lovely Gevrey from Alexandre Abel and his team at Domaine Ponsot. It comes from a half hectare parcel in the Les Epoitures lieu-dit, not far from Petite Chapelle. It was replanted in 2014 by Laurent Ponsot before his departure, and is now producing a bright and elegant wine, with a gorgeous red cherry character, and fine lacy tannins.

This is the pinnacle of the Ponsot cellar: their most famous and emblematic cuvée, and the one most demanding of time in the cellar. It comes from two parcels: the first is from the Monts Luisants part of the vineyard, which is home to both the oldest (some are over 80 years old) and youngest vines in the blend. The tannins of Monts Luisants are structural and firm, and will gain in tenderness with age. The rest comes from the original Clos de la Roche parcel in the heart of the hillside, which adds expressive fruit to the blend. Less dense on the palate, but with a lithe and silky fruit core, it brings a perfect balance to the finished wine. In all, the cuvée draws from 3.4 hectares, and is vinified in 5 separate tanks. They continue through their élevage as distinct parts, only blended towards the end before bottling.

This is one of the handful of Côte de Beaune parcels the domaine inherited from their Rossignol roots in Volnay. Their vines sit at the very top of the cru, in the vineyard’s sweet spot between Aux Cras and Les Grèves. The red stony soil and sunny exposition here make a silky, sweet-scented style of wine. It’s a wine that is vibrant and inviting in its youth, with plenty of depth to the fruit, slightly crunchy tannins, freshness, and a detailed, smooth length.

This is the only parcel the domaine bottles separately from the other Gevrey village parcels. That is thanks to its incredible position, and the consistency of quality it delivers every year. It is sandwiched between grands crus Charmes-Chambertin and Griotte-Chambertin. It’s almost unbelievable it’s only a village lieu-dit. The Rossignol-Trapet vines lie right alongside the Joseph Roty Charmes Vieilles Vignes parcel, but the soil is more like Griotte-Chambertin just to the north. The nose displays attractive floral/red fruit aromas, and there’s an abundance of depth within the well-formed tannins, offering supporting structure to the wine.

This is one of the most complete Gevrey village wines you will find: nine parcels scattered around the village which are vinified in three parts. One part comes from the light stony soil at the bottom of the valley, giving a cool elegance; the second is a cluster of parcels in the middle of the village on clay soil, giving body and structure; the third is a group of parcels below the grands crus, giving a complexity and finesse. The vines are all aged between 45 and 85 years, and the concentration and complexity this wine delivers for the price is hard to beat. It is an elegant wine in 2022, intricately structured with layers of concentration leading to a fine, poised finish.

This vineyard has the unusual honour of spanning grand cru (Clos de la Roche), premier cru, and village. Stéphane’s parcel lies right in the middle of the lieu-dit, and thus the premier cru sector. It’s made in tiny volumes, and is as brilliant as it is scarce.

Stéphane’s parcel of 65-year-old vines lie right in the heart of the old Clos, the original part of the appellation. It shows delicate salinity and fragrant fruit depth. Understated but hugely impressive.

This premier cru is one of Chambolle’s finest, right on the border with Morey, just beneath Bonnes Mares. A quarter of the vines are extremely old, having been planted in 1902, with the rest between 1950 and 1980. It shows great depth and intensity, a fine tapestry of tannins weaving through the Chambolle fruit.

This comes from a parcel between Gevrey-Chambertin and Vosne-Romanée, and contains 40% Gamay and 60% Pinot Noir. It is full of sweet spice and berry fruits with a lovely long finish. The cuvée is a recent addition of Sébastien’s to bolster the estate he inherited from his father, Sylvain.

This always feels slightly richer than the Chaumes, with some decadent berry depth and complex, weighted length. The cuvée is a recent addition of Sébastien’s to bolster the estate he inherited from his father, Sylvain.

This was a new addition to the Cathiard cellar in 2021. This comes from 3 different parcels. The 2022 shows plenty of rich fruit concentration laced with smoky, toasty notes.

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

This is a blend of several parcels in the hills above Vosne-Romanée with vines aged between 10 and 70 years. It is floral, bright, saline and charming. The cuvée is a recent addition of Sébastien’s to bolster the estate he inherited from his father, Sylvain.

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.

The heart of the domaine lies in Gevrey, and their village wine is one any keen follower of the estate should be familiar with. It comes from seven parcels around the village, including La Justice, Forneaux, and Clos Prieur Bas. It has a tendency to display beautiful cherry fruit characters, and in 2022 it is a paradigm pinot. A well-judged amount of whole-bunch adds just a hint of lift.

This is a very special village lieu-dit. It is sandwiched between two grands crus: Charmes-Chambertin and Griotte-Chambertin. Most people who own vines here bottle it separately, as its character is of such high quality, it approaches premier cru levels of complexity. This has Gevrey’s classical sour cherry density, and a sweet amplitude of fruit on the palate. It delivers everything you’d look for in quality Gevrey.

This remote east-facing vineyard sits at an elevation of 400m. Mark says that on a crisp summer morning you can see all the way to Mont Blanc from here. Its position means, although bathed in morning sun, it does not have much hot afternoon sun, and fruit ripens slowly here. It is often picked last, and in 2022, Mark upped the quantity of whole-bunch to around 40%, succeeding in producing a Gevrey with silky fine tannins and a velvety length.

This is the historic flagship monopole of the domaine, and lies just outside the cellar door. Its distinctive amphitheatre shape is planted with some very old vines, meaning production is low, even in more plentiful years. The wine is aromatically complex, gourmand and delicate at the same time, with a spiced, rose-petal character drawing you in. Ethereal.

This monopole vineyard spans over seven hectares of limestone hillside, accounting for almost half the domaine’s production. In 2022 it steals the show, with its plush fruit, and beautifully rounded tannins. Excellent length that plays with fruit and spice gives it a persuasive power.