Domaine Adhémar et Francis Boudin

Adhémar, now 91, is a known 'personnage', never short of a story. He was in the leading group of the pioneering growers who cleared scrub and planted some of the original Chablis vineyards. It was hard, and he only stopped keeping cows alongside ('if you didn't have a cow or two you died of hunger') in the mid 1950s. It is astonishing to think that the Premiers Crus were only defined in 1975. Francis Boudin continues to make wines that are, for Chablis, rich and yellow gold, fatly concentrated, unoaked and pure, with a mildly buttery edge rounding out that minerally, stony ethereal Chablis character. These are wines which can be consumed with enormous pleasure in their first year after the harvest, or kept (even the simple Chablis) for several years. The 2011s are still on the opulent house style, but as always there's a streak of stony mineral that is so Chablis, creamy yet pure, with an extra energy and minerality in the 'Homme Mort'. Adhémar was the first to bottle this macabrely-named Premier Cru separately, (it is usually sold as part of la Fourchaume) after a geologist confirmed his belief that it closely resembled the soil structure and exposition of the Grands Crus. The name is as a result of the discovery, when the vines were originally planted, of the body thought to be that of an English soldier from the hundred years’ war.

As usual, open and with a creamy suppleness, then the mineral kicks in. Mildly saline feel, fresh and expressive.

Obvious juicy fruit, with a mineral tension and fresh acidity, it remains easy and finishes with a cool buttery note. Ripe Fourchaumes.

A bit more feel of mineral dry extract than in the Fourchaumes (Homme Mort is a special part of La Fourchaume, a fold in the escarpment with a soil and exposition similar to the grands crus). Dense with mineral and with a greater tension too, unwinding slowly on the long finish. Needs a year or two.

As usual, open and with a creamy suppleness, then the mineral kicks in. Mildly saline feel, fresh and expressive.

Obvious juicy fruit, with a mineral tension and fresh acidity, it remains easy and finishes with a cool buttery note. Ripe Fourchaumes.

Domaine Moreau-Naudet

Stéphane Moreau, when asked if he is related to other Chablis Moreaus, explained that his father was from Britanny, and that it is from his mother's Naudet side of the family that he has inherited his sizeable domaine of very well-placed vines. He is obviously influenced by Vincent Dauvissat, who recommended him to us. Superhuman work has been done in the vineyards to bring yields under control, pressing technology has been brought up to date, and harvesting is by hand (sadly rare in Chablis, if not amongst the growers we work with). In the cellar he uses barrel-élevage, but not in such a way that oakiness could be detected in the wines (all his barrels are steamed rather than charred and he uses now new oak except for in the straight Chablis, and then only one barrel per 100hl in order to age it prior to using for the Premiers Crus). He also keeps the wines for a much longer period on the lees than most in order for them to gain more complexity and flesh.

Stephane Moreau proves himself again with this excellent 'basic' wine, pretty, bright, translucently tense and mineral - classic village Chablis in any other cellar.

This proved a hit at our Oxford tasting - fuller than the Petit Chablis, with good weight and richness for the mild price.

Old vines and more concentration and depth.

More closed than the Vaillons - as usual. Possible denser yet and even more mineral, more solid matter, but quite hard to taste just now. The 2007 is 'une bombe' at the moment, so it will take it's time, no doubt.

As so often the most expressively floral of Stéphane's premiers crus, delicately precise and detailed.

Power here. Smoky / gunflint mineral, real drive, and a mouthwatering saline finish. One of my favourites in London.

The one I have not tasted this year, but usually Stéphane's finest, really bordering grand cru level, but somehow racier rather than stately.

Rich body and good mineral weight. Fantastically long, and just a touch of butter on the finish. Long future assured.

Domaine Laurent Tribut

Laurent is Vincent Dauvissat's brother-in-law. When he started he made his wines in the Dauvissat cellar in Chablis, but for many years now he has been in his own cellar in Poinchy. The Dauvissat influence on the winemaking is very strong, and the philosophy similar. These are wines of crystalline minerality, incredibly subtle use of oak to bring complexity and development - like the Dauvissat wines, in fact, though they perhaps have a friendlier style about them when younger.

Domaine Solange Tribut

Mlle Solange Tribut is the daughter of Laurent Tribut, whose excellent Chablis we have sold successfully for years, and the neice of the highly regarded Vincent Dauvissat. A new star arriving?

Domaine Vincent Dauvissat

Vincent Dauvissat remains one of the (if not the) leading lights of Chablis, and his wines are always in high demand and limited volume. Single-minded determination in the vineyard, followed by very subtle use of old oak barrels in a long élevage, produce some of Chablis' most age-worthy and fascinating wines.

Domaine de la Denante

Domaine de la Denante is a new discovery and we will be introducing more wines next year. In the meantime, this is a wonderful and classic expression of Saint Veran with notes of white flowers, bright fruit and a hint of sweetness mid-palate that makes it so drinkable.

Domaine Daniel Barraud

Daniel and Martine Barraud, now joined by their son Julien, have vineyards in Vergisson that are mostly high up under the famous rock (Vergisson lies between the two dramatic cliffs of the rocks of Solutré and Vergisson). The vineyards here are significantly higher than those of Fuissé, and consequently later-ripening, and the wines often have a more solid structure - but all Daniel's wines have their own character, from the Puligny-like directness of the La Roche to the fat richness of the 'en Buland', via the mineral force of the Crays. All the wines see some barrel ageing apart from the Chaintré, which is aged in foudre (2/3) and tank. In a recent tasting conducted by Bourgogne Aujourd'hui magazine of wines from the 2001 and 2006 vintages, and up against some Côte d'Or Premiers crus, Daniel's 'En Buland' achieved one first and one second place overall, reinforcing our long-held belief that these wines are amongst the top whites in Burgundy, and not just the Maconnais.

Very jolly and round, easy style, with a lovely fresh sustained mineral finish.

Rich, succulent, controlled fruit with a ceratin muscularity pulling out the finish. A bit of a bargain as usual.

Tighter, more muscular mineral than the Macon La Roche. Not showy for now, sleek and fine.

The most easily accessible of the Barraud's Pouilly Fuissé's, sold under son Julien's name, like the Macon Chaintré. Relaxed, sunny style with just a hint of mineral.

A new parcel of old vines, this one located in Fuissé.

Quite a limited production, the Saint Véran les Pommards has always been a rich wine, and this is no exception - opulent and mouthfilling, it just stays beautifully pure and long.

Very aromatic - quince! Pears - lovely rounded opulence. Lots of extract giving body and a long, succulent finish.

Tense, pure, mineral - a very straight line. There is lots of intensity and powerful length, although aromatically it is still quite closed. Needs there or four years to begin to show. High up on the rock of Vergisson itself, this is a very rock-driven wine.

Open, but still fine. Generous, but still chalky, tightly-framed. Very long with evolving richness on the finish. Love the mineral, stretched side to this.

En Buland can be very massive, and this is, but also amazingly bright. Rich yet taut and tight and twangy. A real scrape of chalk. Very complete. Another one which could do with three or four years.

Domaine Paul et Marie Jacqueson

The adventurous and sportif Paul Jacqueson makes wines of impeccable quality, when not climbing in the Himalayas, close indeed to their much more expensive cousins on the Côte d'Or. His daughter Marie now looks after much of the winemaking. 2011 was not kind to the Jacquesons, as they were hit by serious hail and the quantities in the whites are really very severely down. Part of the secret of this domaine is the quality of the élevage in barrel, and faced with the prospect of having nothing to put in the barrels (which is a real problem as they are difficult to maintain empty), they bought in some fruit and made the 'Jacqueson Cuvée Selection' which appears for one year only this year. And it's definitely worth a try, offering sumptuous fruit and classical (subtle) barrel élevage at a very reasonable price. The reds are silky and expressive and real bargains.

In 2011 the vineyards of Rully were almost completely stripped of their fruit by hail. Only tiny quantities of Rully 1er Cru were made by the Jacquesons, so to make up the difference they bought in some fruit and fashioned this remarkable cuvée. Since it is outside the appellation system, it is significantly cheaper and offers great value - supple, it has a lovely succulent fruit and flow. A slightly sunnier, sweeter fruit than is provided by the Rully terroirs, perhaps, but unmistakably a Jacqueson wine.

From vines planted in 1992 and 1993. A mixture of limestone and clay. This is just so delightfully sleek. Smoothly, stonily mineral with delightful strain of sweet fruit. As always it is Puligny-like. Excellent.

While the same winemaking style is evident as in the same grower's Pucelle, there is a bit more of a dry scrape of mineral stoniness here. Arguably the Jacqueson wine that most needs a year in bottle.

Domaine François Raquillet

François took over the running of this estate from his father, Jean, in 1984, and records show that the same family have made wine in Mercurey since the 1600s. With eleven hectares under vine, François has substantially reduced yields, introduced higher quality oak barrels and significantly increased the quality of wines made at this domaine. Like all recent vintages, the 2011s have plenty of weight, and also a character of translucency and clarity, the taste of sunlight though stained glass(!) Very easy to like.

As good as François' 2010, which is saying something. Ripe and opulent, good succulent length.

Domaine François Lumpp

François and Isabelle Lumpp own this impeccable 16 hectare estate in Givry, a region which is so often overlooked by Burgundy lovers and yet which is capable of producing wines of exceptional quality as well as value. François is a passionate viticulturalist and places great emphasis on making the wine in the vineyard. He aims to pick at 'just ripe' rather than into overripe, and wants to make bright wines which are developed rather than masked by their time in barrel. Making the best wines in Givry, by some stretch, if he were in any other part of Burgundy he would be heralded as a super-star. Francois' reds are among the most popular red Burgundies we sell, but his whites also deserve recognition.

Round and quite soft, really nicely made, with lovely supple fruit and subtle oak.

Domaine Drouhin Vaudon

The Beaune-based merchant Joseph Drouhin has restyled its Chablis Domaine 'Domaine Drouhin-Vaudon' to emphasise its ties with and holdings in (38 hectares) the Chablis Vineyard. The Moulin de Vaudon, an 18th Century watermill straddling the Serein River, close to the Grand Cru vineyards of Chablis, is the headquarters of the Drouhin Domaine in Chablis. The Clos was the pick of the bunch this year for its depth of mineral concentration.

Much less on the fruit than the Vaudésir, much more on stony 'silent' matter. Very full, very compact and linear. Rock water - intellectual stuff.

Jean-Marc Boillot

Alongside the wines from his own vineyards, Jean-Marc also runs a successful négociant business, vinifying wines from The Côte Chalonaise with huge success, as well as other vineyards in the Côte de Beaune. In Montagny in particular, the wine is the best we have found in the appellation, and remarkably consistent from year to year.

The usual appealing and very good value Jean-Marc Boillot style. A very serious wine for sub-£20. Delicious, a must try.

Bourgogne Blanc

Domaine Lignier-Michelot

Virgile Lignier's wines are new to our list this year, and very welcome too. The old vines village cuvées are seriously good, and terrific value too. Going up the scale each site seems to speak very clearly of its source and their is a lovely brightness and energy along with full, seamless fruit.

Domaine Leflaive

Lea & Sandeman

At last we have sourced a well priced white burgundy worthy of the Lea & Sandeman label to sit alongside our very popular Bordeaux. Quite a concentrated wine at this price level, and with only a hint of oak in the background, this is a fresh, bright white burgundy for all round drinking.

Domaine Anne Gros

Anne Gros is quietly meticulous and almost obsessive about cleanliness in her cellar, which perhaps is reflected in the delicacy and restrained tension in her wines, which never impose by bulk but always insinuate by aromatic clarity, sheer joie de vivre, lively balance and persistence. The 2009s are as brilliant as usual, and will have to be allocated, but as yet we have neither confirmed quantities or prices, so email if you would like to go on the list.

Taut and freshly mineral, a bright almost Chablisien style of wine.

Domaine Hubert Lamy

Olivier Lamy, a gifted winemaker, has built on the solid foundations his father Hubert prepared with twenty years and more of work in the vineyards. The reputation of the domaine is now made, but the Saint Aubins, both red and white, remain some of the bargains of Côte d'Or, and challenge the supposed superiority of the grander villages on a regular basis, both in terms of young and mature wines. His winemaking style and preference is to privilege the fresh and the mineral side of his wines, and he is now down to a mere 10% of new wood, and that is with the wines in 600 litre demi-muids rather that the classic Burgundy fût.

Very much a mini Saint Aubin style about this - fresh and floral and bright and mineral. Really well-done. Really attractive ripe pear fruit too.

Mineral, floaty, less on the fruit than the Bourgogne, very pretty indeed. Yellow stone fruit, white plums, and real elegance.

Even better than the Puligny, A strong presence, with depth of green and yellow fruit. Mineral and very fine. Only 15% new wood. 'Un beau classique' as Olivier describes it.

20% new wood, and this is the first of Olivier's 2011s which shows a hint of it on the first nose. Warmth and floral, fresh spring flowers. A sunny joyfulness springing from the mineral base. Bright and pure.

The Remilly seems to be thicker and fuller than the Chateniere, greater body at the expense, perhaps of some of the elegance. Just as good, in a slightly different fleshier style.

Ripe and round, still with total freshness - a dusting of stony tautness, real mineral, with depth of fruit behind.

Even more mineral than the Criots Batard. It may not have the rich weight, but it is even more crystalline and pure, stony.

Very intense this year. A really fantastic balance of ripe pears, juicy, fleshy, fat and mineral precison in bright tautness. Very impressive and very sensual. Really coats the palate and finishes very long.

Even better than the Puligny, A strong presence, with depth of green and yellow fruit. Mineral and very fine. Only 15% new wood. 'Un beau classique' as Olivier describes it.

Domaine Fernand & Laurent Pillot

Laurent's wife Marianne inherited half of her family's property, the Pommard domaine of Pothier-Rieusset, and he and his father bought the other half. They now have a total of 15 hectares, 12.5 of which he vinifies, selling the rest off. The wines from this domaine represent excellent value, and they age very well too, despite being attractive young. Laurent's 1992 Grandes Ruchottes came top of a tasting of wines of that vintage, ahead of some supposedly much 'grander' domaines, and his 2002 Pommard Rugiens surprised many to become the wine with the highest mark in a tasting for Bourgogne Aujourd'hui - Nicolas Rossignol, who was one of the tasters, remarked to me this year 'un vin qui m'a bien bluffé'. Laurent manages to pack in a lot alongside his running of the vineyard. He has a sophisticated microlight which he flies to all corners of France, he keeps and hunts' hawks, and conducts the Chassagne brass band as well as dabbling in Mayoral duties - as well as being a father. Unfortunately he has just had a nasty accident mucking about with parachutes and skis in the alps, and is immobilised with a broken pelvis.

Quite young vines, but this has already proved a winner. Nice full-fruited round style. Plenty of expression, and nice little point of sweetness of fruit left on the finish.

Very successful cuvée this year - easy and bright, and nice and compact. Good combination of a citrusy bright tautness and enough body to round it out.

As good as ever, and as good value as ever too. Fresh and flowing Puligny pebbly style. Polished stone feel, mineral and lithe.

Real weight here, a rounded smoothness so typical of the deep soil of Morgeot, but also seeming to have more personality of flavour than sometimes. Very 'gourmand'.

Shows a bit of oak, giving a honeyed edge. Mineral fruit and supple delicacy. Lovely again this year.

Initially a slightly cool mossy stone slatiness which is not as immediate as the Vergers, but it does come togther. Lots of richness on the finish, so it may just need a moment in bottle.

Just under Criots Bâtard. The Puligny side of Chassagne and it shows, as it always does. Mineral-dusted texture. Lots of matière, it needs two years to begin to show its class.

If possible even more mineral than the Grandes Ruchottes. Straight as a ruler. Not so much fat as ample, weighty. So firm and so straight. Terrific.

Similar nose in many ways to the Vide Bourse, but even finer. Green fruit, very fat and opulent, all in a mineral, crystalline classiness. Wonderfully long.

Very successful cuvée this year - easy and bright, and nice and compact. Good combination of a citrusy bright tautness and enough body to round it out.

Just under Criots Bâtard. The Puligny side of Chassagne and it shows, as it always does. Mineral-dusted texture. Lots of matière, it needs two years to begin to show its class.

Similar nose in many ways to the Vide Bourse, but even finer. Green fruit, very fat and opulent, all in a mineral, crystalline classiness. Wonderfully long.

Domaine Henri Germain

Henri's son, Jean-François Germain now heads up this small domaine. The Chassagne vineyards came through Henri's wife, a Pillot, and Jean-François has married a Jobard daughter, so one could say they are well established. In terms of winemaking the Germains are always happy to let nature take its course, and in the vineyards they follow as natural a system of viticulture as possible. These are concentrated, tightly wound wines from one of Burgundy's coldest cellars. Slow to develop they show wonderful crystalline purity. This year to our slight surprise they shown more forward and expressive in our tastings than those of their cousin Rémi Jobard - is this an effect of Jean-François taking control? Totally delicious from the village Meursault up anyway.

Good weight of pure delicately sweet fruit on the nose. Quite dry and a slightly dusty feel, which as usual needs a year to round out.

There is a bit of wood evedent here, but really it is the glassy, crystalline purity and lifted minerals that we always seem to find in this cellar.

Even more expressive than the Chevalières, with citrus, especially grapefruit. Delicate not attacking acidity, but a soft float across the palate. Almost too soft! Then the finish comes back with the fruit balance.

Fatter than the Meursault Charmes as usual, but more closed yet. Opulent but the fruit needs to come out. But the fleshy, almost chewy mouthful is there, really eatable, and it opens up well in ths gourmand style on the finish.

Just racked when I tasted, so struggling a little, like the basic Meursault, but the essence is there on the palate, and it's really Charmes on the finish, full of mineral flavours and lovely poise.

Real class: rich with a nutty, dry round full feel and flavour. Fresh Spanish almonds, with freshening citrus coming in support, complex and spicy even. Really lovely. 'Power without being exuberant' as Jean-François says.

Domaine Rémi Jobard

Rémi just says: 'me, I like the 2010s because they are more concentrated - fruit and substance', saying that they have the attack of the 2009s (with ripeness) with the crunchy freshness on the finish of the 2008s. Cordon pruning has been extended over the entire vineyard. There has been no use of fertiliser since 1994, and the vineyard is grassed-over to encourage the vine roots to go deep. The entire domaine is certified organic from 2008. Rémi has two vast new presses, to enable him to press very slowly over six hours, and is sure that this has resulted in a big jump in finesse. The élevage now lasts nearly fifteen months, so as to allow the wines to develop slowly and to avoid fining. As a result these are wines which take a moment to show, but which reward the patient with complexity and great depth of flavour. Rémi has had a number of large foudres constructed. He likes the way the wines develop in these large volumes, in which the 'oaking' effect is minimised.

Green fruit, white fruit, delicate mineral and a nice silky feel. Another top-notch example of this wine which comes from a vineyard touching the appellation Meursault, between the village the main road. From 2014.

Quite a full, soft honeyed nose, so palate surprises with freshness. Pretty, delicate, penetrating fruit, citrus and pear.

Richer - hint of peach and peach stone. Juicy with mouthwatering acidity. Supple, very fine. Apples? Something of pear flesh about it. Rémi says it is more backward.

Better and better each year, this cuvée. Rémi's first harvest after buying it was 2008 - now he thinks it is nearly at the level of the Chevalières. Much bigger smokier nose, palate too is bigger with a layered fruit, star anise, a bouquet of greenery, complex and immensely attractive.

Nose not dissimilar to the Narvaux, palate again is still tight, with a bit more mineral glide so it flows even better. Really quite densely-packed, and incredible length.

Like the others, this is tight and sappy. Even Rémi says it is not supple like the others. 'When they are ten years old the Poruzot gets the elegance on the finish that the Genevrières has from the start', he remarks. At our London tasting this was remarkable for being more open than the Genevrières, with astonishing density of flavour. Lovely tautness and length.

Broader and more immediately 'Meursault'-like than the Poruzots. A much fuller fruit and flavour. Spicy fruit, real complexity and open depth, but surprisingly it needs looking for more than the Poruzot at this stage.

This is the last year for the Charmes for quite a bit: the vineyard has been pulled up for replanting. After the open Genevrières, this is back to the tightness of the Poruzots. Fresh almonds, lots of body, nice elegance and balance, but flavours all a bit unresolved.

Like the others, this is tight and sappy. Even Rémi says it is not supple like the others. 'When they are ten years old the Poruzot gets the elegance on the finish that the Genevrières has from the start', he remarks. At our London tasting this was remarkable for being more open than the Genevrières, with astonishing density of flavour. Lovely tautness and length.

Broader and more immediately 'Meursault'-like than the Poruzots. A much fuller fruit and flavour. Spicy fruit, real complexity and open depth, but surprisingly it needs looking for more than the Poruzot at this stage.

Domaine Jean-Marc Boillot

Jean-Marc Boillot left the family domaine to be winemaker to Olivier Leflaive for five years. Then from his maternal grandfather Étienne Sauzet he inherited much of the vineyard of the old Domaine Sauzet, in some of the best vineyards of Puligny, and with this holding and others from his paternal side, he set up his own business. He makes wines that show well young, with complex exotic fruit aromas with the core of minerality, but they age well too. His daughter Lydie and son are now taking a more active role in the domaine.

Lovely example, fresh and pure and very Puligny in its style of fruit. Not as serious as Henri Boillot's, but very pretty for all that, and it is still filling out as it warms up in the mouth.

Creamy, rich body. A full, oak-touched mid-palate. Lovely weight and succulence.

Very mineral nose, and palate follows with a mineral-dusted feel. The intensity follows, very direct and straight. A purist's premier cru?

Another level of refinement, delicacy of fruit, lift of minerals, very silky-fine texture.

Less delicate than the Referts, but more intense. A driven, angular, long wine which will take a little more time: it feels slow to reveal.

This has something of everything, not in size but in subtlety. A slightly savoury side to the fruit, so much complexity. Love this one (but really love them all).

Incredibly delicate. Not without a power, for it has a supple silky feel too, but all about fine intensity, even though it has juice and succulence. Very complete.

Domaine Henri Boillot

'Similar to 2010', says Henri, 'both have a salty character. But I prefer 2011 - the 2010's are very fine, but there is more energy here'. This year's tasting took place in the new winery on the plain in Meursault, Henri having moved out of Volnay entirely in order to have all his wine in one place. Not so 'folklorique', but a better tool to reach even higher quality levels.

Bright; edgy top note on a concert grand. A taut, crunchy style. Vivacity and energy to the fore. Salty mineral, tight and long. Compact and tense.

Very taut and strict, lively and bright. Feels like it needs two or three years at this stage.

Full, classic hazelnuts nose. Palate ripe, vibrant, succulent and yet finely mineral too. Mouthwatering. Lovely balance.

A bit of class here. Hazelnuts are there but only as a ghost of a presence. This is all about fleshy green fruit. Purity and minerality take one toward Puligny. 'Floral and spicy' says Henri.

Almost meaty-savoury on very first nose. Then purity and rock, minerals. Very firm and straight. A real sense of limestone in the mid-palate. Less lush than the Pucelles. But its got the directed straightness. Lovely.

Much richer and broader, yet still a bright wine.This should be lovely. Depth as well as salty, glassy transparent minerality. Citrus, even oranges, underneath.

Super-pure and a very taut wine for a Combettes. Chiselled rock. Fine and tight. For Henri this is the most delicate of the Puligny premier Crus.

Very difficult to catch: not open on the nose at all. Fat and weighty, yet again pure with elegance. Fresh almond, mouthwatering. As so often it is a tough one to taste as it is so closed. But the 'matière' is all there.

Almost meaty-savoury on very first nose. Then purity and rock, minerals. Very firm and straight. A real sense of limestone in the mid-palate. Less lush than the Pucelles. But its got the directed straightness. Lovely.

Almost meaty-savoury on very first nose. Then purity and rock, minerals. Very firm and straight. A real sense of limestone in the mid-palate. Less lush than the Pucelles. But its got the directed straightness. Lovely.

Henri Boillot

Henri Boillot complements his domaine wines with a small range of négociant wines of superb quality in very limited quantities. A few of the wines are offered here - an opportunity to buy some of Burgundy's rarest appellations from a top source.

Immediately tighter, more expressive (than the Montrachet) greener nose. Fiercer, wilder. Rough rock, a mountainous wine, densely-packed and full of untamed power. Long finish.

Very taut nose. Juicy succulence. 'They are all salty, the 2011s, I love that', remarks Henri. And indeed the effect is to make one salivate, so they do not dry. Really exceptional length, pure and straight.

Similar flavour profile to the Criots, but here there is much more volume. A richer, fatter wine like the Pucelles, but more mineral and finer. Lots of chew, and a balance which holds the finish long and straight. Big but still linear.

Lovely appetising first nose with the complex warmth of fresh-baked bread. Fruity, mineral, delicate and pure and mouthwatering palate. Perfect balance. Saltiness coming behind, really exciting. Almost expressive on the finish. 'Tilleul (lime-flower tea) and beeswax', says Henri.

Immediately tighter, more expressive (than the Montrachet) greener nose. Fiercer, wilder. Rough rock, a mountainous wine, densely-packed and full of untamed power. Long finish.

Domaine J. Confuron Cotetidot

Yves Confuron sticks to the family tradition of whole-bunch fermentation, picking very late. These fabulous wines are with huge body and yet tannins fine enough to mislead one into believing they will not last - but the Premiers and Grand Crus are ten to fifteen year wines in a top vintage. One of the very top domaines of the Côte de Nuits, and the wines are in great demand, with the Grands Crus nearly always selling out from our first offers. The Grands Crus are also available but in limited volumes, please ask if buying other wines.

Domaine des Lambrays

Thierry Brouin continues to do a magnificent job at this monopole Grand Cru vineyard which is very well-placed next to Clos de Tart at the top of the village of Morey-Saint-Denis. The wines are opulent and rich yet still well-defined and freshly fragrant.

Rich and sunny. Very ripe, very pure, still fresh and nervy.

Paler colour than ther Folatières, softer attack, more body and glorious intensity and length. Mineral slide like smooth flat stones.

Joseph Drouhin

Despite the size of their vineyard holding, not all of Drouhin's wines come from their own domaine, but most of the other wines do come from long-term contracts, such as exists with the Marquis de Laguiche wines. In all but name these wines are 'Domaine' wines, and the vineyards are cared for and the wines vinified with exactly the same care.

Very much the influence of Puligny rather than Meursault. Very slidey and mineral. Great purity and depth and length. Classy.

Lovely rich, soft nose. Rich and round in the mouth, a classy, super-pure Morgeot with real depth and 'luxe'. Peachy and pears.

Nose is not so much beeswax as a faint hint of beeswax polish on old furniture warmed by the sun in a window - a sort of inner glow. Dry and precise, mineral and lifted despite the considerable weight. Long and long and long too. Terrific example of a great wine.

Nose is not so much beeswax as a faint hint of beeswax polish on old furniture warmed by the sun in a window - a sort of inner glow. Dry and precise, mineral and lifted despite the considerable weight. Long and long and long too. Terrific example of a great wine.

Nose is not so much beeswax as a faint hint of beeswax polish on old furniture warmed by the sun in a window - a sort of inner glow. Dry and precise, mineral and lifted despite the considerable weight. Long and long and long too. Terrific example of a great wine.

Domaine Joseph Drouhin

Small refinements continue to be made made here. The presses have been changed - a reversion to basket pressing for the reds, and for whites the presses are open - along with a number of other growers they are following the trend to think that slight oxidation of the juice before fermentation is not a problem and may add complexity as well as avoiding later problems of premature oxidation in bottle. For the reds there has been the introduction of 15-20% of whole-bunch fermentation in the Côte de Nuits wines. The house style remains one that emphasises 'the natural elegance of great Burgundies' as their new brochure states.

Slow to start, then ripe pears. Not quite as distinctive as usual(?), but builds well on the palate, developing more and more depth. There is a roar of definition on the finish.

Very full nose with notes of butter, fresh bread, toast, but also a faint waxy richness. Palate is sweet-tasting, perfect ripeness, a big mass of wine which spreads across the palate, always remaining fresh. Impressive, eatable.

Slow to start, then ripe pears. Not quite as distinctive as usual(?), but builds well on the palate, developing more and more depth. There is a roar of definition on the finish.

Domaine Leflaive

Domaine Paul et Marie Jacqueson

The adventurous and sportif Paul Jacqueson makes wines of impeccable quality, when not climbing in the Himalayas, close indeed to their much more expensive cousins on the Côte d'Or. His daughter Marie now looks after much of the winemaking. 2011 was not kind to the Jacquesons, as they were hit by serious hail and the quantities in the whites are really very severely down. Part of the secret of this domaine is the quality of the élevage in barrel, and faced with the prospect of having nothing to put in the barrels (which is a real problem as they are difficult to maintain empty), they bought in some fruit and made the 'Jacqueson Cuvée Selection' which appears for one year only this year. And it's definitely worth a try, offering sumptuous fruit and classical (subtle) barrel élevage at a very reasonable price. The reds are silky and expressive and real bargains.

Tasted three days after bottling, this still had a lovely nose, the brightly expressive fruit of the vintage just subtly supported by a classy élevage in old barrels.

Domaine François Raquillet

François took over the running of this estate from his father, Jean, in 1984, and records show that the same family have made wine in Mercurey since the 1600s. With eleven hectares under vine, François has substantially reduced yields, introduced higher quality oak barrels and significantly increased the quality of wines made at this domaine. Like all recent vintages, the 2011s have plenty of weight, and also a character of translucency and clarity, the taste of sunlight though stained glass(!) Very easy to like.

Cassis, and a touch of rounder strawberry, this has a nice clarity to it's feel as so often in this cellar.

Lovely: ripe and bright with a jewel-like clarity of aroma, a sort of transparency. Can be enjoyed from now.

Darker fruit - a real dark depth. Still much the same gourmandise as the Vieilles Vignes, just a touch more serious, slightly peppery spicy fruit.

The Velays and Naugues are François' two top red cuvées, and the vineyard sites are a class apart. Much more mineral and with a juty, muscly texture as well as the rich fruit. Very long.

A step richer even than the Velays, more volume, and spicy too. Gourmand, rich. The structure to age too. From 2015

Domaine François Lumpp

François and Isabelle Lumpp own this impeccable 16 hectare estate in Givry, a region which is so often overlooked by Burgundy lovers and yet which is capable of producing wines of exceptional quality as well as value. François is a passionate viticulturalist and places great emphasis on making the wine in the vineyard. He aims to pick at 'just ripe' rather than into overripe, and wants to make bright wines which are developed rather than masked by their time in barrel. Making the best wines in Givry, by some stretch, if he were in any other part of Burgundy he would be heralded as a super-star. Francois' reds are among the most popular red Burgundies we sell, but his whites also deserve recognition.

On clay-limestone with lots of iron oxide. Black fruit and dense damson, then a mineral firmness with tugging tannins giving bulk on the palate, a blackcurrant streak too. Very dense and tight.

On pure limestone, a much harder soil. Seems more open, a sunnier softness. Supple and round. Fine tannins build, fully supported by the harmonious fruit. Good length.

Huge wine. Very damson fruit. It has only just finished malo, but it is already hugely impressive.

Hautes Côtes

Domaine de la Douaix

Mark and Gilles Moustie are Belgians, wine and Burgundy fans. The family rented a gite for many years in the Hautes Côtes village of Arcenant, straight up the hill to the west of Nuits Saint Georges, and gently graduated from buying wines at domaines up and down the Côte to wanting to make the wine themselves. Eventually they bought some vines and a house with cellars, and set to. These three wines are all from vines they own, but they do make a little wine from bought-in fruit to supplement what is still a tiny domaine. Mark is Belgium-based, a management consultant, so it is his son Gilles who is hands-on on a daily basis. Another lovely vintage in 2011, the wines seems to be on a slightly higher 'red fruit' tonality, but the layers of depth are still there.

Higher toned than the baritone 2010, but still sweet dark brambly fruit expression. Fruity and precise.

Fantastic aromatic expression, supple sweet black fruit combined with a sort of backbone of straightness.

Côte de Beaune

Domaine Joël Rémy

A family domaine that extends back five generations to 1853, but which Joël has modernised considerably over the past twenty years, installing new fermentation and ageing equipment. His vinifications have changed, and while for my taste some of the upper wines were showing a touch too much oak, it is fair to say that they had just been bottled. The quality of fruit is not in doubt - as lovers of his Bourgogne Rouge from year to year will testify, and a lot of work in the vineyard contributes to this, including leaf-thinning towards the end of the growing season. In the winery he has installed a vibrating sorting table, and the only filtering is by a lens filter at very low pressure to avoid de-naturing the wines. All offer quite striking value.

Joël's usual easy, supple, friendly style, half of which is given an élevage for nine months in old barrels, while the rest stays in tank to retain freshness.

This is given 20% new wood, and it's smooth milk-chocolate influence is showing a bit, but then the wine was just bottled when I tasted and the fruit will come back.

Silky-supple fruit, very linear, and full enough. Black fruit with definition from this parcel at the bottom of the slope, which includes a small piece classified as premier cru.

Classy nose of deep datk fruit - the soil here is yet more mineral - limestone with iron oxide in the red clay. Edgier texture, but gives the fruit authority - and this touch of chocolate from the oak which I hope weill be subsumed by the fruit with a little moment in bottle.

Deep colour (like all Joël's wines). Rich fruit, very full palate - really well done. Oak already where it should be, in background. Generous wine.

70 year old vines between Beaune and Pommard, and Joël says it is the Pommard side influence which gives the finesse. All on white soils, full of limestone. Lovely depth of fruit and a sexy texture of weighty silk. Oak shows - this was bottled a week before I tasted, but there is real elegance.

A dryer style of oak. Lovely taut depth of fruit, but again this fruit needs to express itself better to overcome the oak.

Domaine Hubert Lamy

Olivier Lamy, a gifted winemaker, has built on the solid foundations his father Hubert prepared with twenty years and more of work in the vineyards. The reputation of the domaine is now made, but the Saint Aubins, both red and white, remain some of the bargains of Côte d'Or, and challenge the supposed superiority of the grander villages on a regular basis, both in terms of young and mature wines. His winemaking style and preference is to privilege the fresh and the mineral side of his wines, and he is now down to a mere 10% of new wood, and that is with the wines in 600 litre demi-muids rather that the classic Burgundy fût.

Rich sweet fruit, rounded easy style, with a touch of liquorice - very good.

Domaine Fernand & Laurent Pillot

Laurent's wife Marianne inherited half of her family's property, the Pommard domaine of Pothier-Rieusset, and he and his father bought the other half. They now have a total of 15 hectares, 12.5 of which he vinifies, selling the rest off. The wines from this domaine represent excellent value, and they age very well too, despite being attractive young. Laurent's 1992 Grandes Ruchottes came top of a tasting of wines of that vintage, ahead of some supposedly much 'grander' domaines, and his 2002 Pommard Rugiens surprised many to become the wine with the highest mark in a tasting for Bourgogne Aujourd'hui - Nicolas Rossignol, who was one of the tasters, remarked to me this year 'un vin qui m'a bien bluffé'. Laurent manages to pack in a lot alongside his running of the vineyard. He has a sophisticated microlight which he flies to all corners of France, he keeps and hunts' hawks, and conducts the Chassagne brass band as well as dabbling in Mayoral duties - as well as being a father. Unfortunately he has just had a nasty accident mucking about with parachutes and skis in the alps, and is immobilised with a broken pelvis.

Nice easy fine-tannined crunchy style. Really lovely and no need to wait for this one - tuck in!

Bottled in September, this is already showing well. Soft easy style, with a bit of class. Can be drunk right now.

Very immediate, very supple and round on attack, then the tannins fill out the finish. Very good and a value buy as usual.

Not perhaps quite as zippy and bright as some vintages, but also a little more tannin and body - a satisfying fullness and depth.

Full again, a real mouthful of chunky Morgeot fruit.

Lovely wine of immediate charm - lucid and bright of flavour, supple and juicy.

Clay and lots of limestone, but is the soft yellow limestone, and this makes for the wine's classy yet easy charming appeal vintage after vintage. It is above Épenots and Argillieres, very much on the slope, a thin soil over stones and rock. It ripens easily and has to be harvseted quite early to preserve acidity. As usual it has the class of a wine from a rocky slope, but also this supple gourmand side.

After the Charmots this has a much blacker fruit style, an almost carbon blackness. Structural and solid, but still with good fruit all the way through, this needs a touch longer to come out properly.

Domaine Henri Germain

Henri's son, Jean-François Germain now heads up this small domaine. The Chassagne vineyards came through Henri's wife, a Pillot, and Jean-François has married a Jobard daughter, so one could say they are well established. In terms of winemaking the Germains are always happy to let nature take its course, and in the vineyards they follow as natural a system of viticulture as possible. These are concentrated, tightly wound wines from one of Burgundy's coldest cellars. Slow to develop they show wonderful crystalline purity. This year to our slight surprise they shown more forward and expressive in our tastings than those of their cousin Rémi Jobard - is this an effect of Jean-François taking control? Totally delicious from the village Meursault up anyway.

Fresh 'aerial strawberry' fruit, scented and lifted and very attractive. Full enough without being a heavy wine.

Not a particulalry expressive nose, but the palate, which is full and silky, is pretty definite: dark fruit with real black depth and weight. Very attractive.

Domaine Rémi Jobard

Rémi just says: 'me, I like the 2010s because they are more concentrated - fruit and substance', saying that they have the attack of the 2009s (with ripeness) with the crunchy freshness on the finish of the 2008s. Cordon pruning has been extended over the entire vineyard. There has been no use of fertiliser since 1994, and the vineyard is grassed-over to encourage the vine roots to go deep. The entire domaine is certified organic from 2008. Rémi has two vast new presses, to enable him to press very slowly over six hours, and is sure that this has resulted in a big jump in finesse. The élevage now lasts nearly fifteen months, so as to allow the wines to develop slowly and to avoid fining. As a result these are wines which take a moment to show, but which reward the patient with complexity and great depth of flavour. Rémi has had a number of large foudres constructed. He likes the way the wines develop in these large volumes, in which the 'oaking' effect is minimised.

Domaine Chandon de Briailles

2016 is the Domaine Chandon de Briailles' sixth vintage in fully biodynamic production, and this year is fully certified organic by Demeter and Ecocert. I tasted too their experimental wine made without sulphur, enjoyable, but not really a risk we can take in terms of long-term holding. But these 2011s are low in sulphur, and not massive, and all should drink within ten years. This is one of the great family domaines of the Côte d'Or, housed in the remarkable manor house at Savigny, with excellent holdings in Savigny itself and in neighbouring Pernand and on the hill of Corton. As François said this year, the are not 'bêtes de concours' or competition wines, but ones you drink. 5% new wood on the premiers crus, and 10% on the Grands crus, it's hardly excessive.

Quite pale as usual, but there is a lovely fruit, quite strawberried but still straight and linear. The tannins of the vintage, fine and precise, give support, and it is all very delicate and pure.

Very pretty sweet fruit and purity, actually quite rich and with good intensity. A mineral, cool directedness.

Dark fruit, intensity and a kind of feral weight, which is nonetheless pure. Looking good for seven or eight years' time.

Starts less impressively than the more expressive Bressandes, but picks up. A core of sweetness, delicate concentration without huge body. Lovely tannins on the finish.

Domaine Nicolas Rossignol

In the middle of 2011 Nicolas had to move cellars, and he now shares a building with Ben Leroux who also makes the Comte Armand wines) in Beaune, where he has lots of room for all his little vats. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise. '2009 and 2010 are heavy vintages - in 2011 it is all about freshness and energy. One of the best vintages I've made. First one here - and better than 2010 as a result.' says Nicolas. Nicolas makes a huge range of wines, and his vinifications are continuing to evolve. In 2011 he again did quite a lot of whole-bunch fermentations. The best values in the cellar are probably the Savigny Fourneaux, the Pommard Vignots, and all the Volnay premiers crus, especially Clos des Angles, Chevrets, Santenots and Roncerets, but really this is a cellar full of terrific quality at sensible prices.

Clarity of flavour, sweetly fruity and with a delicate cherry edge of mild intensity - very poised and precise.

Very Beaune in its undemanding roundness. But this is good there's crunch and definition too. Really good depth of black fruit and richness.

Lots here. It's on rock, and has that tension, but rich and full too. Classy.

Even rounder rounder and fuller than the Reversées, it needs to find a bit more shape - it is almost too palate-coatingly soft.

Sweet and easy while being full enough. From above and under the premiers crus. The supple attack comes from the clay at the foot of the slopes, while the bright freshness and definition come from the upper part. Lovely village Volnay.

Spicy. Slow to reveal, but then gordgeous dense richness of fruit. Chalky and straight. Very long. Great value as it has been in other recent vintages.

Thre's a richness here I don't expect, and Nicolas explains that the old vines have been separated and vinified in whole bunches. On the finer, silky side of Volnay, but the little bit of whole bunches gives it chew, density and length. Supple and expressive, this will need less long than some of the Premier Crus.

All destemmed - it has enough structure without seeking more. Iron in the soil here. Very round and rich. Very vinous and distinctive. Faisandé, 'always more massive than Santenots du Milieu', says Nicolas, 'although lower, it's more stony'. Everything from gamey to meaty to spicy and rich:- everything but fruit in fact, but lots of body and richness.

Another of the bigger Volnays - what Nicolas calls his 'winter wines'. But very different in style and flavour profile to the Santenots. Densely-packed wild berry fruit and mineral strictness. Rocky and concentrated. Super-pure. Love this.

Two cuves, Nicolas' uncle's vines. picked a week later (because they needed the extra time) and 100% destemmed. Juicy, large open and easy, lacks a little punch on the finish. Nicolas' own vines were fermented 100% as whole bunches. There's much more to this. Volume and richness, dark expression. Sweet damsons again.

Lovely richness of suave weight. Spicy fruit, an animal touch, big boned. Yes really the style is fine and fruit-filled. Deliciously long.

Black fruit depth, silky and sweet. Very rich feel. 100% whole bunch fermented.

A big hit at our London tasting, soft gentle Pommard, with juice and nice very fine weave texture, long finish.

So delicate and fine. Sweet fruit, it just floats. Supple and so fine, a joyful lift and juicy length. Nicolas destems this entirely to preserve it gracefulness.

A hard blue colour. From above the Rugiens Hauts. Chiselled directness and punchy density.