Côte de Beaune 2021: New Releases

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.

This was a stand-out among a strong line up of premiers crus in David’s cellar. It comes from a parcel which has some very hard limestone bedrock, though the wine is marked by its surprising suppleness. Elegant and alluring with spiciness and minerality entwined with small flowers and lovely weight, this has beautiful depth and an enchanting, beguiling, mineral, pure, long finish. This is delicious now but has the depth and concentration to improve even further in years to come.

Due to the miniscule yields in 2021, Alain has blended all four of the estate’s Premiers Crus (Folatières, Clavoillon, Pucelles and Champ Gain) together to make one cuvee. Elegant and packed full of juicy stone fruit and citrus aromas. The palate has a fantastic line of acidity running through, which gives this great energy. Well-balanced, with impressive concentration and a deliciously long, fine, saline finish.

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. 80% of the fruit is sourced from his home village of Meursault, with the balance coming from Puligny-Montrachet.

The Ballot-Millot vines sit at the top of the parcel, giving this Charmes atypical minerality, setting it apart from the richer examples produced further down the slope.

This is the largest premier cru at Ballot-Millot, and can be relied upon to produce a sensational wine year in, year out. The unofficial Grand Cru of Meursault.

The vines here are over 80 years old, and it''s no surprise that this is a stunning example of one of our favourite Chardonnay vineyards.

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.

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. This wine is a blend of two lieux-dits within: Les Fairendes and La Cadeuse, found at either end of the large cru.

En Remilly is one of the finest vineyards in St-Aubin, and touches the Chassagne vineyard of the same name, just above Chevalier Montrachet. Sunny in character, from a vineyard with very little soil, it excels in mineral driven vintages.

This Bourgogne Blanc is a winner: it comes from parcels across Santenay and St-Aubin, and lovely pure fruit on the mid-palate precedes a long, saline finish. It is full of nectarine, citrus and is so refreshing. Great value.

This tiny parcel is a family treasure, handed down to Bruno from his father - Michel Colin-Deléger. Only one 105 litre wine globe will be produced in 2021. It is so elegant and soulful with power, focus and finesse. 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 has astonishing concentration, and is the most mineral and complex of the premiers crus in Bruno’s cellar. It’s a tiny parcel and low yields means it is made in very small volumes. Enthralling and supremely balanced.

Planted in 1979, this tiny plot near the border with St-Aubin has produced a fragrant, powerful wine in 2021. It is inviting and pretty on the nose with notes of exotic fruit. It has a fantastic, direct energy and ripeness of fruit balanced by wonderful freshness. The finish is impressively persistent, saline and fine.

This is the most linear and acid-driven of Bruno’s premiers crus, with a zingy core of nectarine-packed acidity running through the palate. It is tightly concentrated, with great depth of fruit and a delicious, refreshing, saline finish that goes on and on. Excellent.

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 superb and complex wine: intensely concentrated and energetic, with a precision you only find in Chardonnay grown on limestone.

This gourmand, full-bodied and elegant wine is one of the sweet spots of the Comte Armand stable. As ever, it is a blend of two vineyards in Auxey: Les Bréterins and Les Duresses. Bréterins is steep, well-drained, with very limestone soils contributing savoury elegance; Duresses is clay-based and builds power and body in the wine. It has the savoury structure for good ageing potential, though it is still fragrant, silky and inviting in its youth.

This Volnay is so vibrant and aromatically spiced through with wild strawberry and cherry fruit. It is a blend of two parcels, Les Famines and Les Grands Champs, in the centre of the commune. There is a softer texture to the fruit. This is a finessed and balanced Burgundy with just enough of that sweet, scented fruit extracted to make it both tender and mineral.

This has an immediate and inviting energy. Pretty green orchard fruit and pithy lemon aromas greet you on the nose.. Fresh lemon sherbet flavours are complemented by touches of hazelnut and vanilla. This is fresh with a long, textured, saline finish. Brilliant value.

Auxey-Duresses is a relatively unknown village of the Côte de Beaune, tucked up above Meursault, next to Monthelie, on the way to St Romain. This anonymity is 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, most characterful, and fun reds on our list, and thus a veritable hidden gem. So juicy, energetic and bright but with plenty of body. This is a pleasure to drink.

Les Frémiets sits on the border with Pommard, and the wine often shows the character of both villages. In 2021, this shows more of its Volnay designation. It is deliciously floral, gourmand, and delicately plush. Its high proportion of old vines make it concentrated and deep. It displays effortless drive and energy and will only be more spectacular with age.

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 2021 where volumes are considerably down, moving early would be a wise move. And you won’t regret it: this is a dazzling example of the Clos, and yet another instance for Paul Zinetti to rewrite the cliché that Pommard is muscular and rustic only: this is pure, elegant, thrillingly fresh, complex and intense, with detail and nuance. This is truly one of the greatest vineyards of the Côte de Beaune.

The Grand Cru vineyard of Bâtard-Montrachet lies between the picturesque villages of Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet, home to the world's greatest white wines. Everything about this wine screams Grand Cru, from the elegant, enthralling nose of orchard fruit to the concentrated,weighty, energy-driven palate. It’s an astonishingly striking wine.

We did not taste Le Montrachet as just 300 bottles will be produced.