Aurélien Verdet
Aurélien Verdet still flies under the radar, but his are Burgundies not to be missed. They have the purity and personality of the best Pinot Noir and he adapts every vintage beautifully to the style of the season. His cellars are tucked away in the quiet village of Arcenant in the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits and he keeps a fairly low profile, preferring to spend his time in his organically farmed vineyards. His father, Alain, planted the vineyards in 1971 and farmed them organically from the start, making them possibly the oldest organic vineyards in Burgundy. He has a range of excellent premiers crus, including contracts with vineyards across the Côte de Nuits (mostly in Vosne-Romanée and Nuits-St-Georges). Aurélien’s wines offer refreshingly good value, showing a juicy approachability at villages level and more serious structure up the quality ladder.