Côte de Nuits

This is one of the parcels that Cyprien and his team farm organically all year round and harvest themselves, under the négociant label. It is an excellent village lieu-dit at the southern end of Vosne, which a number of growers choose to bottle separately. It shows lots of energy and power, with a bright length, with plenty in reserve.

This vineyard is at the north end of the village, on the border with Grand Cru, Mazoyères-Chambertin. The soils are high in limestone, and produce a wine that is rich in dark wild berries and clove spice, with a lean, precise, mineral and persistent freshness. A hit in 2023.

This comes from various parcels the domaine owns around the village, mostly located on the Morey side of the village. It shows a certain austerity, mingled with Chambolle’s signature texture: silky, dense, and refined.

Bonnes Mares is a magnificent vineyard, and makes a compelling and beautiful wine in 2023 in Cyprien Arlaud’s hands. It’s got power and drive, also control and depth. This should age wonderfully well.

This is a clear stand-out in the Arlaud cellar. It’s the most dramatic wine in the line up, outpacing the other Grand Cru with its grip, complexity and swagger. A truly great Clos de la Roche.

This comes from the very highest point of Mazoyères-Chambertin, which can also be labelled as Charmes-Chambertin. It has a sensational volume with a crystalline purity driving through the intricate, lacy finish.

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.

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.

This vineyard sits just below Clos St-Denis, in the heart of the village, and offers up a deep and textured expression of Morey-St-Denis. It is expressive, with creamy red fruit (and a hint of dark cherry) leading the wine. This is really great in 2023, it offers up a balanced, silky length of great distinction. With some time in bottle to take on a little more weight and precision, this could be the dark horse of the stable.

This always delivers huge complexity from the start. It is so deep, and with such a sustained finish you’ll be thinking about it long after tasting.

This always delivers huge complexity from the start. It is so deep, and with such a sustained finish you’ll be thinking about it long after tasting.

This can often have the broadest shoulders of the Rousseau Grands Crus, and is certainly one that requires some serious ageing.

This can often have the broadest shoulders of the Rousseau Grands Crus, and is certainly one that requires some serious ageing.

Rousseau’s Gevrey might be their least grand cuvée, but it remains nevertheless one of the most sought-after wines, and a window onto their supreme style which can be drunk a little earlier than their Premiers and Grands crus.

Voluminous and with profound length, this is an exquisite wine from the Rousseau cellar, with layers that build up in a subtle, but melodic crescendo.

Lavaux-St-Jacques is a lovely vineyard on the Combe de Lavaux which enjoys the cooling influence of the cold air drawn down the valley. The wine is chiselled and precise.

The Ruchottes always abounds with small red berry fruit, making it a lively and vibrant Grand Cru. It nevertheless has the gravitas of its Grand Cru status, and will evolve for many years in bottle.

Only five domaines own Clos St Jacques, and Rousseau’s wine is frequently the pinnacle. This shows the complexity, suave power, and finesse of a Grand Cru, with incredible freshness.

Strictly limited to 6 bottles per customer

2023 is the second vintage of Fixin Blanc at Amélie’s domaine. It comes from young vines, and has made a deliciously concentrated yet refreshing wine. Textural, with a very moreish salty-fresh finish.

Coming from a tiny 0.21-hectare parcel of vines planted in the 1930's in the areas called Quartier de Nuits and Treux, this Echezeaux has a deep brooding intensity of dark cherry, subtle incense notes, black tea which gradually awakens in the glass. With some time and air a more floral side opens up with peony and dried violet petals. Quite muscular yet also with no sense of excess this has a sparkling intensity and such length on the finish.

With Richebourg and Cros Parantoux as neighbours, you can expect great things from this vineyard. Amélie has five separate plots across half a hectare (although she gives some of the production back to her aunt, so there is never ever enough to meet demand). The site is so steep and inaccessible that no tractors can reach it, and all work is done by horse or hand. The 2023 has impressive depth, flow and purity to the fruit. She’s worked hard on this cuvée, which could tend towards reduction. Switching to concrete tanks for fermentation has helped, and the potential of quality here is already easy to see tasting from barrel. So persistent, with Vosne’s powerful, velvet-like tannins.

Strictly limited to 3 magnums per customer

From two plots, Aux Réas and La Rivière this is a velvety textured Vosne with a lift of peppery spice. Seamless black cherry and violet tinged fruit wrap around a vibrant core freshness and mineral etched intensity. A very fine village wine.

Strictly limited to 6 bottles per customer

From two plots, Aux Réas and La Rivière this is a velvety textured Vosne with a lift of peppery spice. Seamless black cherry and violet tinged fruit wrap around a vibrant core freshness and mineral etched intensity. A very fine village wine.

Amelie’s 0.13 ha parcel was planted in 1973, and is not quite central — closer to the Clos Saint Jacques side than it is to the Combe de Lavaut side. She describes it as “fresh for the future”, as it revels in the wind from the Combe de Lavaut. She used 50% whole-bunch in 2023 and the result is elegant and airy red fruit with supple, fine-grained tannins. Accompanied by impressive power and drive through the slightly toasty finish.

Strictly limited to 6 bottles per customer

Amélie made one cuvée of village Gevrey in 2023. A blend of 2 vineyards, a large part coming from ‘Combe du Dessus’ - combining grapes from cooler and warmer sites to give balance, ripeness and freshness. The result is a wonderfully floral and lifted wine, with silky, smooth tannins and refined, pure red fruit.

Strictly limited to 6 bottles per customer

The holdings of Les Clos have been in the family since the late 19th century. Amelie’s plot is 1.3 hectares, lying mid-slope and south-east facing on limestone and marl soils. The oldest vines were planted in 1933. The wine is fragrant and dancing, complex with agile freshness and sweet energy.

Strictly limited to 6 bottles per customer

Fixin doesn’t have any Grand Crus, but in Amélie’s eyes, this is the greatest site in the village. It has very shallow soils, and the vines, now aged 30-80 years old, dig deep. The wine is fragrant and dancing, with agile freshness and sweet energy. Defined, characterful, and the work of a winemaker at the top of her game.

Strictly limited to 6 bottles per customer

Les Crais is a flagship wine at Amélie’s estate, having been bottled separately from the other village parcels since her father’s tenure. The one-hectare vineyard sits right in the heart of the appellation, just below the village itself. Its alluvial soils are well-draining, and the parcel is always one of the first picked. In 2023 Amélie has captured the bright fruit purity of the vintage in a wine whose fragrant scent is bursting with strawberries and spice.This is Fixin at its best.

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 2023 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. In 2023, the nose has concentrated black cherries and wild strawberry and on the palate there is fine-grained, fluid tannins and a mineral finish. It’s sumptuous, spiced, and poised.

This clos is a monopole of the domaine found right at the centre point of Gevrey, next to Ruchottes-Chambertin. It always produces grapes with millerandage (small berries) and so the wine has an intense concentration and exquisite finesse. It’s all red-fruited power and mineral length, typical of senior Gevrey terroirs. The 2023 boasts an alluring nose of sappy black cherries, red currants, and on the palate there are silky supple tannins that add to the structure of bright acidity and textural finish.

Bruno Clair is one of only five producers of this revered Premier Cru, that many regard as equal to the Gevrey Grands Crus. The Clairs refer to it as ‘the Prince of Gevrey’. It is steep by Burgundian standards, with clay-rich soil. A dramatic storm in June hit the Combe de Lavaux meaning yields were once again down here in 2023, bucking the general trend. But what they did make shows a suave power, and a cool, controlled, elegance.

Where the Bonnes Mares is muscular and persuasive, this is fragrant and fine, with a compelling thread of crystalline red fruit reaching to an astonishing finish. Clos de Bèze is a slightly steeper and warmer site than Chambertin next door, and the potential heights of complexity and concentration it can produce are remarkable.

This is a Bonnes Mares of distinction: it is the only part of the vineyard to fall within Morey-Saint-Denis (the rest is in Chambolle-Musigny). It is muscular, yet tender, with a deep and concentrated core. There is an unbelievable length on display here, with a finish that fans out across the palate.

Pierre owns the last parcel of Latricières before Chambertin begins, and while attention is usually focused on his Clos de Bèze, this is quickly becoming as in-demand. It is suave, dark, and cool: somehow opulent and restrained at the same time.

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. The wine is always tightly coiled, with some noble austerity in its youth.

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 such elegance here, with soft, silky, light-on-its-feet tannins and incredible purity and detail. 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 aspect.

From a plot planted in 1953, this has a dark berry fruit emphasis with pretty, almost exotic, spiced notes of pink pepper, sandalwood, blood orange and violets. The fruit clothes the palate with supple dark cherry fruit with a fine line of acidity adding focus and definition.

Located in the northern part of the appellation, and the largest of Duroche’s lieu-dit bottlings this is a blend of plots, one planted in 1969 and the other in 1973, both on limestone and blue marl soils. There is the muscularity you might expect from a Gevrey but also a tenderness and supple energy to the dark cherry fruit on the palate. This has a lift of white pepper spice and incense with a subtle note of liquorice root on the finish. Very fine.

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.

Faiveley are the largest landowner in this fêted corner of Chambertin, with three parcels to their name. It is one of the consistently most complex wines in their range, and offers staggering ageing potential. In 2023, aromas of rose petal and sapid red berries combine leading to gorgeously, silky tannins, and a long, fine, spicy finish on the palate.

Les Cazetiers is situated right alongside Clos St Jacques on the Combe de Lavaux. Its easterly exposure combined with cool, elevated position make for outstanding freshness in the wines. The 2023 is brooding and intense with rich aromatics of dark cherries. The slightly chalky and mineral tannins contribute to its concentration and long, spicy finish. Very impressive.

This wine from the Côte Chalonnaise is one of ‘the’ bargains of Burgundy. It delivers every year, and offers brilliant value. The 2023 displays freshness and abundant red fruit that is inviting and textural. It has supple tannins and a pleasingly vivid finish.

This vineyard has been a family monopole since 1874. It is the domaine's flagship wine and one of just two Burgundian Grands Crus to bear the name of its owner (Romanée-Conti being the other). This is a lifted and silky wine in 2023, with savoury spices wrapped around sapid red fruits, and a brilliant energy driving it all the way through to the finish. Simply superb.

Mazis is the most northern of the Gevrey Grands Crus, and is renowned for making some of the most seductive wines amongst them. The Faiveley plot benefits from some very old vines, some of which were planted in 1930. This is elegant and alluring, with a spicy, rich, lavishness about it.

This special cuvée comes from the oldest vines in Faiveley’s Clos de Bèze holding, and was first produced in 2011. The name is an homage to the family’s connection with the artist, Rodin, and the cuvée is only ever produced in tiny quantities. Powerful, deep, and dramatic. This will reward the patient.

Latricières always feels a little cooler than Charmes-Chambertin, its neighbouring Grand Cru. A gentle but cool breeze draws down the valley, keeping freshness and minerality in the grapes. The 2022 exudes freshly-sliced red fruit, scents of raspberry and red plum. There is a fleshy weight in the mid-palate but also a delicious bite to the fruit on the finish. A very accomplished example of the vintage.

The 2023 is the second vintage made of this 1er Cru plot from purchased grapes. It opens with dark cherry fruit, crushed violets and peonies underpinned with a briney, saline core. The tannins are supple and tender with long dark fruited finish.

From 4 different plots, namely Aux Combettes and Les Combottes, Chatelots, Chabiots this incorporates both estate and purchased fruit. The average vine age of 50 years gives real intensity and density to the red berry fruit with complexity from a portion of whole bunch fermentation giving a sense of salinity too. This is a very poised Chambolle that finds a delicate balance between the immediate charm of fleshy cherry fruit and well-defined aromatics of spice and dried flowers.

This cuvée comes from a 0.21 hectare plot situated in front of Les Carrieres.This is a very pretty wine with notes of blood orange, rose petal, and cranberry fruit. The palate shows a lot of detailed spice and summer berry fruit with a satin like feel to the tannins. Almost effortless and fluid.

This plot is located on the south side of the village behind Les Feusselottes. It offers a charming bouquet of fresh cranberry and red cherry with a subtle spice of incense and liquorice root. The tannins are tender and silky with a seamless texture.

Made since 2018, this cuvée comes from a plot of an area of 0.30 hectares situated just below Le Rognet. This is quite a muscular wine this year with both red and dark cherry fruits mingling with subtle wood spice and liquorice root. While full of energy at the moment it is also immensely expressive giving a promise of a long life ahead.

The second vintage of this wine from purchased fruit, it is a wondeful 1er Cru located next to Aux Beaux Bruns (as the name suggests) in the centre of the village. A rather supple wine with dark raspberry and blood orange fruit showing chiselled and finely detailed tannins with freshness and energy. The finish is long showing notes of violets, a little incense and dried herbs. A sophisticated wine.

This monopole Grand Cru in the heart of Vosne-Romanée between two Domaine de la Romanée-Conti monopoles - La Tâche and La Romanée-Conti - is the flagship wine of the estate. Its increased quality in recent years is the primary reason Nicole Lamarche’s star is in the ascendancy. The nose on this wine is divine. While closed at this stage, there are flickers of wilted rose, crushed rocks, blood orange and wild strawberry. The tannins offer an almost architectural mesh across the fruit with weightless intensity that builds on the palate. An exquisite fine thread of acidity weaves through the finish.

This wine is exclusive to Lay & Wheeler in the UK. It is a steep site that sits right up against Aux Boudots on the Vosne side of the appellation. It has the finesse of Vosne and the power of Nuits - a pretty appealing combination. The texture is velvety and seamless with the characteristic delicacy yet intensity of Nicole's wines.

This is one of the most exciting Hautes-Côtes de Nuits out there. It comes from a parcel in Concoeur-et-Courboin, on the hills just above Vosne. This has a sappy energy with notes of wild strawberry and cranberry. Fluid and delicate on the palate it finishes with a lift of white pepper and rosehip.

This is one of three Grand Cru sites in Nicole’s cellar. It is often the most understated, yet it offers up a remarkable persistence. In 2023 there is a certain confidence and charm that leaps straight from the glass with fresh morello cherry, cranberry and delicate notes of five spice. This is extremely promising and detailed with real poise on the saline finish.

Les Suchots is one of Vosne’s most substantial Premiers Crus, famous for producing particularly long-lived wines. This shows brilliantly crystalline Pinot fruit - pure, red-fruited and ethereal. There is purity and power here that wraps around the palate with flavours of wilted rose petal, red cherry and cranberry fruit. Very complex, there is a subtle tinge of cinnamon spice. The intensity on the finish full of saline length promises much to come.

Nicole has three parcels within this Grand Cru, one in the northwest corner (where everyone wants to be) tucked up next to Musigny. The three add complexity and layers to the finished wine. This is so lively with some dried herbs, white pepper and coffee grounds that lead to distinctly red berry fruit on the palate. The tannin is fine-grained with an athletic feel that promises a long life ahead.

Ruchottes is a fairly small Grand Cru, just 3.3 hectares in total. The Mugneret-Gibourg parcel is in Ruchottes du Bas, and makes a beautiful wine, with chewy density and a luxurious, voluptuous finish. This is rightly regarded as a high-point in the Mugneret-Gibourg cellar.

This wonderful parcel sits just beneath the cluster of houses in the village centre. It makes such a sweetly-scented and elegant wine, with a brilliantly deep fruit core. Perfumed and spiced, with great tension.

This comes from just one parcel in Vosne-Romanée, planted in 1955, and for the past few years has sported the vineyard’s name, Les Lutenières, on its label. The wines are yielding such low volumes that the domaine is in the process of replanting, uprooting one quarter of the parcel at a time. The wine has a sweet density and deep, structured fruit, with profound persistence for a Bourgogne. It will easily age for a decade, which is not something you can say of every Bourgogne.

Since 2016, the domaine has added a little whole-bunch to this cuvée. It really works here, giving it superb aromatic lift. 65% of the fruit comes from Rouges du Bas, the rest from the Quartier de Nuits section of the Echézeaux Grand Cru. So elegant and balanced.

This might just be the best village Vosne out there. It comes from four parcels which host a variety of vine ages. The relatively high proportion of younger vines gives this cuvée an explosive, juicy structure. It is powerful, elegant and beautiful with silky tannins, and fresh red fruit, packing lots of energy.

Mugneret-Gibourg has just one parcel within this sizable Grand Cru, planted in 1954, just next to the château. It is one of the finest examples of the vineyard, with depth, structure, and complexity, red cherry fruit and a full-bodied length.

This well-positioned vineyard on the Vosne side of the appellation sits on the slope, enjoying plenty of sunshine and the cooling ventilation of a constant breeze, keeping the fruit in excellent health during the growing season. The vineyard is on the border with Vosne-Romanée and the wine shows so much of its neighbour’s finesse as well as concentration, with Nuits’ bite and grip. Utterly charming.

Attractive nose showing a little pineapple, citrus and white fruits. Juicy on the palate, supple with a delicate mineral quality and a crisp finish. Easy-going style and delicious.

The Hautes-Côtes de Nuits is proving a popular spot for growers in Vosne who are looking for wines that are a little more forward, accessible, and with vibrant freshness, as is the case in this excellent example.

Maxime’s lightness of touch combined with Nuits-St-George’s naturally muscular style make for a compelling village wine. It has a dark cherry fruit core, with the density to ensure a long drinking window.