Easter Cellar Raids - Burgundy

This vineyard borders Pommard, and has produced a wine with a fruity, vibrant pallet of cranberry and redcurrant flavours in 2019. In cooler years it can be a little austere, but in 2019, it is a winner, with such plush and charming fruit.

This is a balanced and refined Savigny, with a long, plummy, spicy finish. It has 20% whole bunch, helping draw out the tannins in a more gentle expression, which works well here. Perfumed with plum, red cherry and rose petal, with a delicious freshness. Fantastic.

Taken from plots in Comblanchien, this has fast become one of our favourite bargain reds. Fresh and silky, and surprisingly long for a wine of this price.

One of the lesser known Nuits premiers crus, this vineyard is shared with Domaine Robert Chevillon, just below Aux Thorey, on the Vosne side of the appellation. Its clay-rich soils have yielded a big-shouldered, powerful Nuits, with a complex and surprisingly silky palate with an ample, pleasing finish.

Like Les Clousots, this is a blend of two sites in Meursault rather than a single lieu-dit. It is a combination of Les Casses Têtes and Les Murgers de Monthélie. This cuvée has been bottled since 1996, and is a cornerstone of the Javillier range. It is always the straightest and more driven of the range. In 2021, this expresses a wonderful honeysuckle, floral and fresh stone fruit bouquet and there is a full and vibrant expression on the impressive finish. As ever, elegant and refined. Leave for a year or two before diving in.

Vignes Franches lies right in the middle of the Beaune Premiers Crus, bordering Clos des Mouches among several others. The third vintage for this cuvée, it has attractive cherry fruit aromas with an interesting herbal note. There is an elegance and depth to the crunchy, cherry fruit on the palate and a very fine and long saline finish.

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.

Aloxe-Corton, which hugs the hill of Corton, may not be the most famous village in the Côte d’Or, overshadowed both metaphorically and literally by the grands crus, but in the hands of winemakers like Etienne the results can be impressive - and good value. This is spicy and dark-fruited on the nose, with a juicy palate that abounds with summer fruits and a voluminous, structured finish.

Jean-Claude’s Côte de Brouilly comes from a 70 year old parcel grown on the famous pierre bleue soils of Mont Brouilly, that he shares with winemaker and another Lay & Wheeler favourite Guy Breton. Aged in old foudres from the Cote de Beaune and using 80% whole bunch, this cuvee displays savoury aromas of thyme and cracked pepper. The palate abounds with dark juicy fruit and ripe, structured tannins and a vibrant length. This has the structure to age extremely well.

Jean-Marc makes some of the best Chassagne Rouge around. With old vines (as old as 70 years old) planted on the clay soil pockets from 5 different parcels around the village, he has produced a great example again in 2021. This old vine cuvée is perfumed with rich, red-fruit and spice, and has a pleasing sour cherry freshness on the palate.

“Bousselots” means “little bumps”, but this premier cru’s clay-rich soils make for a rounded and approachable Nuits-Saint-Georges. Complex and generous, with plenty of cool fruit coming from that clay in the soil.

It is well worth following Olivier’s reds, particularly in recent vintages. 2020 is another superb example of Clos des Hâtes following the outstanding 2019. The vineyard had previously been owned by M. Duvault-Blochet, former owner of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. Today, high density planting and organic farming mean low yields, which does a great service to the fruit - red berries with a smoky graphite scent lingering over them. Mineral and defined.

The Nuits Vieilles Vignes has temporarily lost its Aux Barrières component, replaced this year by the very well-situated Les Longecourts, which is just below Les St-Georges. A heady nose of griotte cherry, with excellent concentration and a deft balance.The wine feels so beautifully smooth, with a lovely deep core of sweet fruit. Classic Burgundy through and through.

A celebrated premier cru up the slope in Nuits. This is elegant and lifted, with Nuits minerality and plenty of crunchy dark fruit. Long and savoury: Nuits intensity with Vosne elegance.

Chardonnay here refers to the village, rather than the variety. Clos de la Crochette is a charming walled vineyard that Dominique bought in 2003. After a little investigation he discovered it is one of the most historic sites in all of Burgundy, first planted by the monks of Cluny (c.900 AD). This has beautiful tension and energy, it comes as little surprise this spot has been a favourite for winegrowers through the centuries.

From the heart of the Vosne side of Nuits, this wine is always beautifully expressive in its youth, a clear marker of the vintage. Really elegant and round, with lovely juicy fruit and fine texture.

Floral with a great energy on the nose. The energy follows through to the palate, with a lively core of acidity running through this wine. There is great depth to the fruit and a crunchy grip to the tannins which should see this wine age with grace.

Guy buys these grapes from a friend in the La Garonne climat. There’s an attractive floral note on the nose and a wonderful fresh, finesse to the fruit. The finish is long and saline leaving you reaching for another sip.

A negociant wine, this has a lovely tannic structure, alongside the generosity of the vintage.

This parcel sits just under one of Nuits-St-Georges’ most celebrated premiers crus, Les Vaucrains. It has an agile, elegant, and pretty structure, more refined than the straight village cuvée.

For many, this is 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 around 80. Their concentration and natural complexity are honed through the use of some whole bunch in this cuvée. It is a precise and exquisite expression, whose delicate power should not be underestimated. Ethereal.

Monthélie is a small village just north of Meursault, producing deliciously crunchy red wines. The Lafon example is one of its leading lights. Indeed, the red wines at Lafon have come on a great deal in recent years, and this is one of the most affordable entry points to the domaine. Juicy, crunchy, and elegant Côte de Beaune Pinot at its finest.

Les Epenotes was the first site to be awarded premier cru status in Beaune. This parcel of between 65 and 80 years old, was planted by Claudie’s grandfather. Claudie comments that this parcel is the first to be harvested, which they always do themselves before their team arrives! The 2021 is packed full of spicy, red and even black fruit aromas. This wine has fantastic energy, the purity and depth of the fruit leaving a lasting impression on the palate. Very fine.