2019 Côte de Nuits

This single vineyard Côtes de Nuits village wine is a firm Lay & Wheeler favourite. It has a superbly lifted cherry fruit nose, with some excellent minty freshness on the peppery palate. Exactly what you’d look for in this appellation, with the intensity and dimensions to out-perform some grander communal wines with a few years in bottle.

This is a mix of three plots across the grand cru. It has a increible intensity on the nose, laden with crushed raspberries and bright cranberry notes. There is something satisfyingly astringent on the palate - the tannins adding structure and definition, and promising excellent potential with some age.

Les Suchots is a decent sized premier cru, and shared amongst many of the finest growers here; but Alix’s 2019 might just take the prize for Suchots of the vintage. It has the vineyard’s typical structure, broad tannins, and dark fruit depth. But what sets this apart are the tannins: they add an elegance with their smoothness, giving the wine that great texture of apparent sweetness the best Pinots have. Powerful, and supremely well balanced.

Grands-Echezeaux is actually much smaller than Echezeaux, and its wines are much rarer. It can often, in the right hands, hold the edge in terms of quality. It’s hard to choose between Alix’s Echezeaux and Grands-Echezeaux this year, they are both exceptional, though this, drawn from just 0.2 hectares, is certainly the rare one, with very limited production. This is so powerful and focused, with substantial tannin texture, it should hold for a few decades.

Clos de Vougeot is a huge vineyard, so it matters where you’re placed. Jean-Marc Millot’s plot is in Grand Maupertui, which borders Grands-Echézeaux, often considered the finest part of the vineyard. This has ample fruit density and lift, with powerful but satin-like tannins.

This comes from two sites in Vosne, one bordering Suchots (Hautes Maizières) and the other Clos Vougeot (Les Violettes). It has an abundant, supple red fruit character, with the aroma of wild strawberries introducing this poised and elegant Vosne. There is delicious volume on the palate that culminates in a long and sophisticated finish.