Côte de Beaune

Amongst a strong line up of premiers crus in David’s cellar, this is always our favourite. It comes from a parcel with a hard limestone bedrock, producing a wine that is marked by its surprising suppleness. This is the work of a winemaker at the peak of his abilities, coaxing an ephemeral beauty from his Pinot: floral, fresh, and mineral. A definite buy.

Les Hâtes sits in the middle of the village, surrounded by premiers crus on well-draining soil. It makes for a floral, ethereal style of Pinot with lovely proportions. This floral character is a natural expression of the site which David sees emerge every year. 10-15% whole-bunch is brilliantly controlled here. A contender for the best price:quality ratio on the list this year.

Charles Ballot is making some of the greatest Chardonnays in Burgundy these days, and his Bourgogne Blanc is an excellent place to get a taste of the style on offer at this address. 70% of the fruit is sourced from his home village of Meursault, with the balance coming from Puligny-Montrachet. It was easily one of the best Bourgogne Blancs we tasted this vintage.

Smooth, silky, bright and incisive. This wine is outstanding. The vines sit at the top of the parcel right next to Lafon’s. This location gives a dialled-up minerality, setting it apart from the richer examples produced further down the slope. As classical as they come in Meursault.

Charles Ballot’s Narvaux sits in a sweet-spot for Burgundy buyers. It has the character, definition, energy and complexity placing it far above a village wine, yet a price that falls well below that of a premier cru. This makes it a very smart purchase. Furthermore, Narvaux is acknowledged as one of Meursault’s finest lieux-dits. It has a racy, luscious vitality: both ample and energetic. Exactly how we like our Meursault.

The village Meursault from this address delivers a hell of a lot in the glass. It is drawn from parcels scattered around the village, and offers up a concentrated and precise structure, with buoyant energy.

The village Meursault from this address delivers a hell of a lot in the glass. It is drawn from parcels scattered around the village, and offers up a concentrated and precise structure, with buoyant energy.

This Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru offers up a different angle on the Ballot-Millot style: a firmer, chalkier line runs through it, with an orchard fruit crunch in the background.

This Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru offers up a different angle on the Ballot-Millot style: a firmer, chalkier line runs through it, with an orchard fruit crunch in the background.

Along with Genevrières, you can rely on Perrières to be a sensational wine from Charles Ballot. It shows sophisticated reduction, with limestone bite on the palate and a mineral flourish on the finish. Scintillating.

The vines in Genevrières are over 80 years old, and the wine has a gravitas and presence. It shows weight and persistence, gorgeous amplitude and fabulous length.

This magnificent wine is only made in tiny quantities. There is superb precision on the palate, which is vibrant and mouth watering with a chalky structure. 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.

La Maltroie is one of the larger premiers crus in Chassagne, and is often one of the most restrained, backward wines in Alex’s cellar. The vines sit right in the middle of the village, opposite the cellar. It has a savoury, smooth length, and a tight, refined power. It feels young, and will enjoy a long life ahead.

Morgeot borders Santenay at the south end of the village, and is not only the largest premier cru in Chassagne, but the largest cru in the Côte d’Or. Alex’s parcel has the benefit of old vines - 50 years old, and their concentration combined with Alex’s practice of long, slow fermentation has resulted in a smoky, textural, delicious expression.

This is always 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. It represents the lion’s share of his cellar, and is drawn from many sites across the village, half of which are tucked up in the pocket of vineyards that hug the premiers crus. This gives the wine its body and structure. The other half comes from the village’s border with Puligny-Montrachet, and from here comes the wine’s linear energy. Effortlessly pure and persistent.

This is always 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. It represents the lion’s share of his cellar, and is drawn from many sites across the village, half of which are tucked up in the pocket of vineyards that hug the premiers crus. This gives the wine its body and structure. The other half comes from the village’s border with Puligny-Montrachet, and from here comes the wine’s linear energy. Effortlessly pure and persistent.

This is one of our most in-demand Bourgogne Blancs, and with good reason. It’s a window onto the style of one of the Côte de Beaune’s hottest winemakers of the moment. It’s racy, and fresh, with a burst of citrus fanning out across the palate. It is the epitome of refreshing, balanced, and delicious Burgundy. 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.

Sur Gamay is a little known premier cru, but it’s rather well positioned, finding itself between Les Murgers des Dents de Chien, Champlots, and Chatenière. It’s beautifully expressive, with a vibrant, pure and balanced length.

This is gorgeously vibrant and fresh, but with excellent depth and persistence. The energy comes from the elevation of the vines around Nantoux, but that depth and complexity is down to a careful technique Boris uses in the cellar. He keeps the fine lees from the previous year to add to the current year’s wine. It’s a practice used by Coche Dury and gives autolytic complexity and noble reduction. It also keeps the acidity in the wine. It’s a labour of love, but worth it. This is a terrific Aligoté with bite and precision.

This Coteaux Bourguinons is made from 100% old vine Gamay grown in Nantoux. Boris said, amazingly, the Gamay was barely bothered by the mildew that destroyed the Pinot Noir next door. This is an exceptional Gamay, with fluidity and grace in its easy, juicy core, and fresh, balanced finish. Some of the vines are getting on for ninety-years-old, and the concentration and kick this gives to the wine is notable. This is a top pick in 2024.

Just like the Aligoté, this undergoes the Coche treatment, with fine lees from the previous year integrated into the new, adding savoury, autolytic depth. It is amazingly vibrant and energetic. It comes from a single parcel up near the domaine.

Le Clou is a single vineyard in Nantoux sitting at a precise 377 metres elevation. Its soil is similar to Volnay, with chalky, rocky topsoil over a limestone marl bedrock. Boris has reduced the whole-bunch from 100% down to 60% this year, and the result is a Clou which is more open in its youth, with a juicy, easy flow. It has a fine, elegant aroma of red berries and cinnamon spice, with silky tannins and impressive concentration on the poised finish.

The Bignon parcel has red clay soil, not dissimilar to that found in pockets of Pommard. It usually produces an easy-going, fruit-forward wine, but the 2024 has some serious structure in there. It might need a little more time than the Clou, but it will reward the patient.

This comes from a blend for the domaine’s young vines with a small dash of extremely old vines, from multiple parcels scattered around the village of Nantoux. It has a crunchy acidity giving it a fresh profile, which is twinned with the ripe blueberry/raspberry fruit character. It shows a spiced, grippy and fine length.

An energetic and vibrant Bourgogne Blanc: it comes from parcels across Santenay and St-Aubin, wonderful fleshy fruit on the mid-palate paves the way for an impressively long finish. It is deliciously zesty and refreshing.

This tiny parcel is a family treasure, handed down to Bruno from his father - Michel Colin-Deléger. It is truly complex, graceful, with power and finesse in equal measure. Truly grand cru.

This premier cru shares borders with two grands crus: Le Montrachet and Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet. It takes its name from the white, chalky soils found here, and it delivers everything in the glass you might expect from such a superb position and soil-type. It displays white blossom and stone fruit aromatics on the nose, with outstanding concentration following on the palate. It is the most complex of the premiers crus in Bruno’s cellar, but only made in tiny volumes since the parcel is so small and the vines bear such low yields.

This tiny 0.09 hectare plot near the border with St-Aubin provides a sumptuous, smoky, powerful wine. It made its mark in this strong line-up, with its enticing nose of exotic fruit. The palate sings with zesty pink grapefruit length. It shows amazing energy and drive through the finish, with the ripeness of fruit perfectly offset by compelling freshness.

This is the most linear and precise of Bruno’s premiers crus, with a zippy line running through the palate. It is tightly mineral and intricate, and in fact, feels quite a lot like a Puligny, yet there is a depth and texture to the fruit that draws you back to Chassagne. Saline and enduring in the finish. Outstanding.

This is a fantastic example of village Chassagne, with bright, vivid nectarine fruit character and a sumptuous, silky palate. It gets its intensity from the old vines (some are approaching 70 years) from nine parcels scattered across the village. A smattering of new oak gives it structure and support. Long and satisfyingly saline finish.

Les Demoiselles is a tiny premier cru, sandwiched between Chevalier-Montrachet, Le Montrachet, and Bâtard-Montrachet. It is classically Puligny on the nose - mineral, nervous, with fruit concentration. The palate is immediately opulent, concentrated and subtly exotic. The vibrant freshness means the wine culminates in a long, salty finish. This will go the distance in the cellar for those patient enough to keep it.

En Remilly sits at the meeting point of three villages: Chassagne-Montrachet, Puligny-Montrachet, and St-Aubin. The larger part of it falls within St-Aubin, with the tiny part on the Chassagne side enjoying a superb position - next to Chevalier-Montrachet and just above Le Montrachet. At 300m altitude, with very little topsoil, Bruno’s two parcels (one of which touches Chevalier-Montrachet) make a magnificent wine: concentrated, opulent, mineral and energetic, with a precision you only find in Chardonnay grown on limestone.

This is a secret gem to know about. It’s made from a blend of young vine fruit and some incredible old Aligoté Doré grown in Meursault (c.100 years), whose tiny, golden berries are packed with vibrant flavours. This is a particular highlight in the cellar, and clearly outpaces their Bourgogne Chardonnay.

This gourmand, full-bodied and elegant wine is one of the sweet spots of the Comte Armand stable, with surprising ageing potential. It often does well in lighter years, so in 2024 we could be in for something special. It is a blend of two vineyards in Auxey: Les Bréterins and Les Duresses. Bréterins is steep and well-draining, with limestone soils contributing savoury elegance; Duresses is clay-based and builds power and body in the wine. Its particularly fine tanning structure is what sets it apart from the village wine.

Auxey-Duresses is a largely overlooked village of the Côte de Beaune, tucked up above Meursault, next to Monthélie, on the way to St Romain. This anonymity persists in spite of its association with Lalou Bize-Leroy. Comte Armand's vines - in lieu-dit Largillas - sit just above her Les Clous vines. Largillas gives the most spectacular views of the pretty village, and have an enviable mid-slope position for a village parcel. It is always one of the best value and most characterful reds on our list. The 2024 has a wonderful tannin structure, giving the wine backbone and length, but not overpowering the lovely red fruit.

The primary reason this cuvée is not more celebrated and well-known is that it is simply produced in tiny quantities, particularly so in 2024. It is the most fine-boned and restrained wine in the cellar, its charm derived from its elegant restraint. Its high proportion of old vines make a concentrated and deep wine.

This Volnay shows delicious freshness, length and tension. Pillowy, gently spiced red fruit leads to a silky, aromatically complex palate, spiced through with wild strawberry fruit. It is a blend of two parcels, Les Famines and Les Grands Champs, in the centre of the commune.

This is an important vineyard both in terms of its size (a substantial 5.23 ha) and its historical stock of old vines (some now over 100 years old) which are used as a source of top quality massale selection by nurseries: its plant material is simply supreme. High-density planting and old vines means low yields are the norm, and sadly in 2024 only 10hl/ha were achieved here. This Clos feels on point: powerful, svelte, profound, and intense. It is truly one of the greatest vineyards of the Côte de Beaune.

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-east-facing slope, with poor limestone soils, yields a wine with superb power and tension. But this is only achieved when the parcel is picked at just the right moment. Céline says she watches it like a hawk, catching it before the fruit ripens into the tropical spectrum.

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 from early on, and is hence one of the first premiers crus to be bottled. It has a pleasing freshness and amplitude in 2024. It is more weighty than the village wine, with an extra level of depth.

This maintains its place as one of the most complete and brilliant value village wines from this famous village of the Côte de Beaune. It is quintessentially Chassagne with its deliciously sleek, nutty fruit, and chiselled texture on the palate. It’s a benchmark Chassagne from one of our favourite producers, and always a smart buy.

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 wine in 2024 is chalky, chiselled, and distinctly of its limestone terroir. There’s spiced pear fruit on the mid-palate, too. A triumph.

Le Montrachet is the greatest of all white grands crus, but volumes being what they are in 2024, Céline was only able to make one barrel. There is power and majesty here. Sensational.

Bâtard-Montrachet is never short of showy power, even in youth. It’s smoky, weighty, and concentrated, and overall an incredibly handsome wine.

This is one of many Volnay premiers crus that Marc-Olivier has at his fingertips. The site’s generous topsoil makes for a wine of appealing charm, marking it out as one of the earliest drinking of the Buffet Volnay premiers crus. As with all his 24s, the fruit is completely de-stemmed, and the wine has a sumptuous, succulent texture on the palate. It is sweetly- scented, with intense purity of fruit. Sensational.

This is arguably the greatest site in Volnay. Marc-Olivier is lucky to have two parcels here. The ‘young vines’ are a mere 50 years old, and the old vines very much older. This is the stuff of dreams: red fruit tenderness, a Volnay austerity and grip on the back palate, and a seductively long finish.

Marc-Olivier’s usual 20 barrels are reduced to just one and a half in 2024. But what remains has excellent purity. It is floral and gently spiced, with layers of delicate aromatics. It comes from a blend of two parcels: the evocatively named Les Famines, whose paucity of soil makes the roots dig deep; and a small dash of the tiny lieu-dit, La Gigotte, which lifts this village wine up a notch. Sapid, fruity, and accessible, with nicely grippy tannins.

This superb cuvée is always made in tiny volumes, so there is very little to go around. Restrained and graceful, with a savoury backbone.