2020 Côte de Beaune

This is the defining wine of this famous grand cru, the one to which everyone looks as the quintessential Corton-Charlemagne. The west-facing aspect of the hill means the vines enjoy the long rays of the afternoon sun, making for rich textures and a sumptuous depth of fruit.

Amongst a strong line up of premiers crus in David’s cellar, this was the stand-out. It comes from a parcel which has some very hard limestone bedrock, though the wine is marked by its surprising suppleness. It seems to be the most fluent expression of the village in 2020, without the straighter edge of some of the other premier crus, but rather a tenderness all of its own.

The plot of Charmes in Puligny is a continuation of 1er Cru Charmes in Meursault, and shares many of its characteristics, like the light, fine, stony soils. The 2020 is limey and tensile at first, but there’s also some peachy fruit beneath, that will no doubt come to the fore as the wine evolves. This is straight-forward Puligny with a direct freshness.

Clavoillon is shared between just three owners: Alain, his brother, and Domaine Leflaive. Alain’s vines are now 50 years old, and produce a concentrated, elegant example of Puligny. This 2020 has blisteringly tight acidity, twinned with mouthwatering lemon and lime fruit on the palate, and a chalky finish.

Smooth, silky, bright and incisive. There is a lot to like here. The Ballot-Millot vines sit at the top of the parcel, giving this Charmes atypical minerality, setting it apart from the richer example produced further down the slope. A triumph in 2020.

This is the largest premier cru at Ballot-Millot, and can be relied upon to produce a sensational wine year in, year out. Much like the Genevrières, this is perfect Meursault. It is so pure, so pithy, and so utterly delicious, with a voluptuous body and scintillating energy.

La Maltroie is one of the larger premiers crus in Chassagne, and is often one of the most restrained, backward wines in the Moreau cellar. The vines sit right in the middle of the village, opposite the cellar. The 2020 has a creamy density, and a tight, refined power. It feels young, like it will enjoy a long life ahead.

This magnificent wine is only made in tiny quantities. It has an incredible lemon verbena note on the nose, with just a twist of dried honey. There is superb precision on the palate, vibrant and mouthwatering. 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.

This is the wine Alex is most proud of in his cellar, which is telling praise. This is because it offers the complexity and depth on par with some other producers’ premiers crus. Its production accounts for 40% of the domaine’s output, being drawn from many sites across the village, half of which are tucked up in the pocket of village vines that hug the premiers crus. The other half comes from the village’s border with Puligny-Montrachet. It is so open and pure, with a wonderful pink grapefruit light bitterness adding mineral freshness and persistence.

Like Bignon 421, this is a single vineyard in Nantoux named Le Clou, sitting at a precise 377 metres elevation. Here the soil is more like Volnay, with chalky, rocky soils over a limestone marl bedrock. This structure provides excellent water retention, so the vines were able to sit out the drought stress of the vintage. The wine has piquant aromatics, with freshly cracked black and szechuan pepper. Boris has upped the whole bunch to 70% here, which adds layers of silky tannins.

This comes from the young vines of the domaine, which are scattered across various parcels around the village of Nantoux. It has a zesty acidity giving it a fresh profile, which is twinned with the ripe berry fruit character. Whole bunch has been upped to 50% in 2020. It has a nice pepperiness, with a sapid length.

These are the oldest vines of the domaine, and were planted in 1902. They handled the drought extremely well. It’s an east-facing vineyard that catches the sun all day in its amphitheatre-like form. This precious site was Bruno’s father’s favourite, and is now his son’s, Arthur’s, favourite too. And to top that, Arthur says the 2020 is his favourite of all vintages they have made here. So, it’s safe to say the Clairs are happy with this cuvée in 2020. It is wonderfully aromatic, with blueberries, cinnamon spice, and floral lift on the nose, and some deep, sumptuous fruit on the palate. Outstanding.

This is not a small vineyard. Indeed, at 5.23 hectares it is one of the largest monopole vineyards in Burgundy, and certainly one of the most celebrated in the region. The high proportion of old vines - some past their centenary year - means low yields are the norm. And demand is such that even in spite of its size, this wine regularly sells out early on. In a vintage like 2020 where volumes are below average, moving early would be a wise move. And you won’t regret it: this is a great example of the Clos, and yet another instance for Paul Zinetti to rewrite the old trope that Pommard is muscular and rustic only: this is powerful, but svelte, profound, and intense, with detail and nuance. This is truly one of the greatest vineyards of the Côte de Beaune.

Les Frémiets sits on the border with Pommard, and the wine often shows the character of both villages. Perhaps there is a little spicy grip of Pommard in the background, but in 2020, this feels squarely in its Volnay designation. It is deliciously floral, gourmand, and delicately plush. Its high proportion of old vines make it concentrated and deep. This could be one of the vintages that Fremiets vies with Clos des Epeneaux for top spot. Which will win out, only time will tell. But you wouldn’t be mad to place a bet on this.

The domaine's tiny holdings of Chardonnay are situated on the flat plain opposite Pommard and Volnay. Only made in very small quantities, there was just one large barrel in 2020. It is zesty and bright, with a long and savoury finish.

This is a secret gem of a wine to know about: outstanding value, and over-delivers in a big way in vintages like 2020. It's a blend of young vine fruit (now 10 years old) with some 90-year old Aligoté Dorée, whose tiny, golden berries are packed with vibrant flavours. This 2020 has the verve and energy to match the excellent 2017.

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 2020 is saline and compact, with serious and persistent length. Its charm centres on its tension and energy, and the fruit, though present, is discreet in its youth. This is an extremely grown-up Chassagne.

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, and in 2020 it has a superb concentration of nectarine fruit and hazelnuts. It is more weighty than the village wine, with an extra level of depth. This was a wonderful outing for Maltroie. It’s a great value sweet-spot in Chassagne, offering up the village’s chiselled nuttiness and 2020’s vibrant length. It’s a great buy, from a domaine at the top of its game.

Criots is a tiny grand cru, just one and a half hectares, making Fontaine-Gagnard one of the largest owners, with one third of a hectare. The south-facing slope, with poor limestone soils, yields a wine with superb power and tension. Yet in spite of the emphatic power, the wine is so balanced, and understated.

This village wine has an inviting floral and gently spicy nose. It’s a blend of two parcels: the evocatively named Les Famines, whose paucity of soil makes the roots dig deep; and a small dash of a tiny premier cru, La Gigotte, which is nestled just beneath the larger and more renowned Mitans cru, and lifts this village wine up a notch. Grapes from both parcels were entirely destemmed, and the wine has a chewy, sapid, fruity, and accessible profile, with nicely grippy tannins. It’s a Volnay full of up front joy.

This cuvée is made in tiny volumes - only two and a half barrels in 2020. Its one third whole bunch adds a plush, pillowy texture that couches the structured backbone of this wine. This is a truly great expression of the village.

Like the Volnay Taillepieds, this is one of the smaller cuvées in the Buffet stable. It comes from the upper part of the vineyard, and is a stylish wine with a powerful, deep, and muscular drive. Its one-hundred-year-old vines are responsible for its dense layers of complexity. Unlike some of the Volnay premiers crus from this domaine, this wine will need some time, so tuck it away for a few years.

Les Frionnes is one of Olivier’s most important and favourite vineyards, which he says does particularly well in dry years, thanks to its decomposed Kimmeridgian limestone soil. He has five parcels within it, with vines varying in age from 10 to 80 years old. The soils’ similarity to those found in Chablis and Sancerre is not just an academic point - you can really feel it in the wine. It has an oyster shell nose, and a Chablis-esque chiselled frame on the palate.

It is well worth following Olivier’s reds, particularly in recent vintages. 2020 is another superb example of Clos des Hâtes following the outstanding 2019. The 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.