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.

Les Hâtes sits in the middle of the village, surrounded by premiers crus on well-draining soil. It is so red-fruited and floral - bursting with grenadine and red currant aromas - that you’d be forgiven for thinking it probably has a high proportion of whole bunch fruit. But, in fact, David says only 3-5% whole bunches went into the tank. The floral character is a natural expression of the site, and makes it a delicious introduction to the village for first-timers.

This is a blend of two parcels. Just over half (55%) comes from a village parcel, but the other 45% comes from the 1er Cru Clos Rousseau vineyard, which is an extension of the vineyard of the same name in Santenay. It is so bright and energetic, with a crunchy texture and well-handled tannins, giving it bite, but no hard edges. This is vibrant, red-fruited, light-bodied, crisp Pinot Noir. 15% whole bunch fruit gives it a sweet and lifted air.

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.

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.

Charles Ballot is making some of the greatest Chardonnays in Burgundy these days, and his Bourgogne Blanc 2020 is an excellent place to get a taste of the style on offer at this address. 80% of the fruit is sourced from his home village of Meursault, with the balance coming from Puligny-Montrachet. It has a cut-glass freshness and the vintage's characteristic energy.

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.

This is a brilliant rendition in 2020. It has peachy stone fruit on the nose, and such a long length for a mere Bourgogne. The fruit comes from various parcels all within the Chassagne commune. As with all his wines, Alex looks for energy rather than too much ripeness in his Bourgogne. You will never regret having a few bottles of this in the cellar.

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.

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.

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.

In 2020 this can finally bear the name of its lieu-dit, Bignon. The site’s red clay, which Boris comments is not unlike that found in nearby Pommard, has made a grenadine rich, layered, and richly spiced wine. 60% whole bunch and ageing in one-year-old barrels have made an impression on the fruit, but will be fully integrated by the time the wine is bottled. The elevation of the site is precisely 421 metres, and the cooling influence of the elevation means the fruit is of a vibrantly red hue, with intense redcurrants and cranberries.

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.

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.

This is indisputably one of the greatest premiers crus of Chassagne, and 2020 will be one of the final vintages for some time. From 2022 the old, low yielding vines will be grubbed up for replanting. Fontaine-Gagnard has two parcels, both east-facing and steep, with well draining soil. The vineyard is right next to a small forest, and apparently you can often see animals venturing into the vines.This is a supreme example of the Fontaine-Gagnard style: savoury, salty, and long.

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.

The greatest of all white grands crus, in 2020 it has the power and structure you want at this level, with the beguiling freshness and energy of a great vintage. As ever, a true privilege to taste.

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.

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.

En Remilly is considered the finest vineyard in St-Aubin. Olivier Lamy’s wine is always one of its greatest, and his 2020 is truly magnificent, with soaring flavour and energy. It is so many things at once: smoky, chalky, mineral, vibrant.

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.

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, always picked early, and now vinified in a glass wine globe, captured the vibrant essence of the 2020 vintage. It has delicious notes of pear and blossom on the nose, with wonderful tension and crystalline purity on the palate.

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. It has a glinting green colour in the glass, and so much tension on the palate. This will need a little time to unwind, but when it does, will reveal the superb savoury freshness of St-Aubin’s top sites. There is so much in store here.

The Boillot family have two parcels here, which together amount to just over one hectare. It is scented with lemon verbena and citrus notes, and the palate has an electric salty drive. This is tightly coiled Puligny with cut-glass definition.

This comes from the Meursault side of the village, and the cru touches Meursault’s Charmes. It has concentrated nectarine and orange blossom notes on the nose, with superb structure and acidity on the palate. As usual, this promises a complex development.

With seven parcels scattered across three hectares, of which five are located in Enseignères (a highly-regarded vineyard that touches the grands crus), this Puligny is one of the most complete and quintessential we know. 2020 is a brilliant vintage here, giving both richness and freshness. It is packed with a juicy lime character, and a saline thread of acidity. Great tension.

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 some great examples in 2020. This old vine cuvée is dark-fruited and spicy, with sour cherry freshness on the palate.

Clos St Marc is a single plot within the larger Vergers vineyard where Jean-Marc’s 100+ year old vines make this a powerful, impressive Chassagne. There is a distinct step up in the density of fruit here. The old vines are very low yielding and the resulting wine is concentrated, precise, and graceful.

This vineyard bordering Pommard did once produce wines with some robust, muscular tannins. But now that they have reached 70 years old, the father and son team note how much the tannins have begun to soften, and become distinctly finer in recent years. It still has a vibrant grippiness in 2020, but the floral aromatics, and the fine-grained nature of the tannins give it elegance.

As usual, this was the first parcel to be picked. It had already reached 13.5% by 18th August, and so they seized the moment. Louis mentioned it has much in common with Ghislaine’s Beaux Bruns, and if left to hang on the vine, the fruit can take on a black fruit meatiness. Their quick action in 2020 has kept it firmly in the vibrant red fruit camp. It has a nice spicy lift, reminiscent of ginger and cinnamon. The acidity sings here; it’s a wonderful wine.

This vineyard straddles the village boundary between Puligny and Chassagne and is well regarded as a top flight village parcel, with the likes of Coche-Dury also producing a single vineyard cuvée from this site. Its position just beneath Bâtard-Montrachet goes a long way in explaining its superior quality. It is detailed, lacey and precise. The 70-year-old vines in this parcel deliver wonderfully sophisticated and complex fruit; its ageing potential for its village status is pretty astonishing. Don’t hesitate to hold for ten years if you can resist.

This outstanding premier cru in St-Aubin sits on top of the hill that peaks between Chassagne and St-Aubin, just behind Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru. The wine is a blend of five parcels within En Remilly, with different soils and elevation. It expresses the vineyard’s natural tendency to floral, peachy fruit, with mineral tension underneath. The 2020 is a fluent expression of the site, with tender fruit tempered by some fine-boned acidity.

The cuvée is named after Damien and Caroline’s grandmother, Lucie, whose nickname was ‘Luce’. Its personalised moniker hints at how fond the family are of this wine, which is a blend of three parcels in the village. Damien says he puts this above the exceptional 2017, which shows his confidence here. It is well placed: this has excellent drive and savoury balance, and is a brilliant portrait of St-Aubin.

This is one of Meursault’s finest vineyards, shared amongst some of its greatest growers. Reaching this wine in the tasting marked a gear change - this has so much texture, precision and length. Outstanding.

Blagny sits high up, above the heart of the Meursault commune. This altitude brings a focused freshness to the wines. It has notes of honeydew melon, with a richly mineral seashell note - not unlike Chablis - on the nose. The soil is very 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.

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.

This is a blend of their lower-lying parcels of village Volnay plus some 1er Cru Brouillards. Lafarge’s Volnay is always so elegant and charming, with a perfumed nose, and an expressive silky frame. The fruit spectrum is distinctly red here, and the wine feels poised and sweetly ripe, whilst remaining taut and fresh.

Although their home village of Volnay is what many people think of when they hear Lafarge, their noble Beaunes are equally highly regarded. Fine-boned and with fabulous tension, this will make fine old bones.

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.

Produced in every vintage since the foundation of the domaine, this 50/50 blend of Pinot Noir and Gamay, produced from co-planted vines, is one of Burgundy’s bargains. The vines are now aged between 99 and 102 years. Fortunately they ripen at the same time, and were picked together on 5th and 6th September. The wine has a wonderful sour cherry character, with a light body, and fine tannins.

This parcel sits in the mid-slope of the hill of Corton, and is one of its finest vineyards, noted for its elegance and finesse. This has intense floral and spicy notes as the new oak wraps around the wonderful fruit. Wonderfully complex and balanced.