2020 Côte de Nuits

This is arguably the best placed village parcel in the whole of Gevrey, sandwiched between Griotte and Charmes-Chambertin. However, it is made in minute volumes: just one barrel in 2020. It’s juicy and fine-boned, with such vibrant acidity, silky tannins and a sense of purity. There’s a hint of the cherry fruit you might expect from this corner of Gevrey, and a finish that is impressively long. So much more than a simple village wine.

Pierre owns the last parcel of Latricières before Chambertin begins, and while attention is usually focused on his Clos de Bèze, this is the wine for those in the know. It is suave, dark, and cool: somehow opulent and restrained at the same time. There’s an austerity to the mid-palate, but it gains weight in the mouth, with a delicate and incredibly cool texture. This is a truly remarkable wine in 2020.

This is fast becoming one of Burgundy’s most sought-after wines. The vineyard was planted in 1920, and you can feel the power of the old vines in the glass. It is intense and opulent, with plenty of spice on the nose. The palate is impeccably balanced, with vibrant acidity alongside an impressive mouthfeel. This is powerful, yet retains poise and elegance. It deserves plenty of time in the bottle.

Pierre has just 0.4 hectares in Charmes-Chambertin, which is divided into five separate parcels, two of which are on the border with Griotte-Chambertin, on more stony soils. It is tightly coiled, with some noble austerity in its youth, though there is the promise of a bright future, with the flicker of strawberry fruit and silky tannins on the palate.

This wine is nuanced, deep and wonderfully long. It’s a wonderful vineyard perched in the middle of the Combe de Lavaux - the cooler south-east facing hillside in Gevrey’s northern sector, right next to one of the finest of all premiers crus, Clos St Jacques.

Duroché owns a sizable 1.2 hectare parcel of this premier cru, and it is arguably the cuvée that best defines the estate. There’s a coolness here, with dancing tannins and incredible purity. Lavaut balances a freshness, due to its position at the base of the Combe, with an opulence of fruit from the vineyard’s south facing site, and this is a benchmark example.