Lea & Sandeman

Chablis

Domaine Adhémar et Francis Boudin

Adhémar, now 90, 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 2010s 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.

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

Very full, as well as bright and minerally. Sappy and long with real weight and compact texture.

Class will out: This floats effortlessly on the airy, yet rocky mineral core. All the weight and power of the Fourchaumes, but with an extra sense of weightlessness.

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

Very full, as well as bright and minerally. Sappy and long with real weight and compact texture.

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, a really terrific value buy, full, quite opulent even, but still tense and mineral - classic village Chablis in any other cellar.

Textbook classic Chablis, firm and bracing.

Stéphane's 'les Pargues' is a single vineyard wine of old vines and has always been a class above. Very citrus - a streak of fresh lemon which really seizes the senses, long and pure.

Broad buttery and intense, the most mouthfilling and richly textured at the January tasting.

Both fat and very mineral. Of the premiers crus this, perhaps, had the least in the way of distictive personality at our early tastings, but previous vintages have shown how well it can develop.

Very expressive, maybe a touch lighter-bodied than the Forêts, but supple, floral, almost spicy, zippy and brightly open.

Really this wine is consistently Grand Cru quality. At the January tasting, however, it was remarkably restrained, lightly lemony and immensely delicate and detailed on the long finish. With six months more élevage to go, the future is looking as bright as ever.

Smokey, complex, dusty and dense with flavour and minerals. A wine with a long way to go but all the elements are here. Ultimately fresh and pure, crystalline definition.

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 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 Drouhin Grands Crus in 2010 are remarkably mineral and intense as well as delicately pure.

Light, firm nose, a whiff of the sea, salty oyster-shell stones. Enough volume to give a full, soft mouth feel and to partly cover the rapier-like acidity and mineral drive. Very pure. Minerals still popping away on the finish. Lovely pure length.

From two parcels, one at the top and one at the bottom of the slope. 2nd and 3rd year barrels. Fuller than the Vaudésir, with a mossier, struck flint stoniness. Super-pure again, acidity slightly more 'covered' by the weight. Lots of power and energy. Impressive. A sense of being barely contained, ready to explode.

Light, firm nose, a whiff of the sea, salty oyster-shell stones. Enough volume to give a full, soft mouth feel and to partly cover the rapier-like acidity and mineral drive. Very pure. Minerals still popping away on the finish. Lovely pure length.

Mâconnais

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.

(Sold under the name of Daniel's son, Julien). This is the only one of Daniel's wines which sees no barrique, being aged in a combination of stainless steel and large foudres. Bright and breezy, fresh ripe fruit with a confident pace and feel.

Appetising sweet-edged fruit, ripe with a sappy texture. Really quite full and fat, but also poised and precise.

Very pure, appealing streamlined fruit, with something that recalls polished leather, there's slickness allied with a strength of texture and length.

Attractive pear and citrus fruit, delicately nuanced and with a supple, softly-flowing feel.

Undoubtedly richly oaky, but the oak is all well-combined and merely brings out the emphatic personality of this strikingly ripe and forward wine. Les Pommards has always done this - round and gloriously full.

At once densely rich and still balanced, fresh, pure, long. Old vines intensity and textural richness allied to a deep but rocky soil giving plenty of mineral drive. All in balance and very long.

Intense, still tightly-wound, very mineral (as the name implies). Very energy-filled and directed, the rapier amongst these old-vine cuvées.

Almost like the Verchère amplified, but with perhaps even greater sense of minerality. Ripe and even sun-dried fruit aromas along with stones and cool river freshness. Beautiful delicacy as well as amazing richness. Gorgeous.

The sheer size of this wine is there as usual, it's a big wine, and yet... it seems surprisingly even more mineral than les Crays this year, with a directed force and which nevertheless floats across the palate rather than pile-driving its way. Balanced and pure and unbelievably long.

Côte Chalonnaise

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. We have a particular fondness for the whites, and especially the Pucelle, which is a model of what a great Rully can be year after year.

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.

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.

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.

Grésigny is tucked up under the 'Montagne de Montpalais', a strong soil full of stones and which, with its south-easterly exposition, gets fully ripe. Touches of ripe yellow fruit and even a hint of exotic spice with refreshing citrus and appealing density and length. This wine impressed many tasters at our 2010 Burgundy tasting in January 2012.

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 full, but still very precise, with a tight, juicy apple acidity, very fresh and slightly floral.

Jean-Marc Boillot

Supple, fat nearly to the point of being oily, confident opulent style with a good fresh finish. The usual appealing and very good value Jean-Marc Boillot style.

Côte d'Or

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.

Bright, mineral and fresh, a nice taut dry style.

Filtered the day before I tasted, but not really showing any ill-effects. Very pale, very fresh and pure, a sense of more limestone power, dry and with serious intent. Quite a cool crystalline expression, with a tiny touch of bitterness which adds interest to the structure.

More colour and a riper power. Smokey richness and sap. Still straight and pure but a sunnier, more smiling style than the Chatenière, with a rich, full texture.

Richer nose than the Frionnes, again pale and bright freshness on the attack. Positive, rock-water feel. Both big and crystalline.

From a good plot near les Enseignères, with a bit of white stone in the clay. Fresh and floral - a lovely easy, gently mineral style with a fine texture.

Filtered the day before I tasted, but not really showing any ill-effects. Very pale, very fresh and pure, a sense of more limestone power, dry and with serious intent. Quite a cool crystalline expression, with a tiny touch of bitterness which adds interest to the structure.

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.

Pale green and sparkling bright. Bright and mineral - taut as well as having good weight. Stones - minerals like a Puligny. Very pure and long.

Fat and supple. Pure clean fruit with juice and more flavour to come. Full ripe pears and a light polish of oak, a little point of sweetness trails the finish.

Initially almost as round and fat as the Chassagne, but then a little bit of mineral and the juice comes alive with a flash of purity and lift, and this drives through to the succulent finish.

As usual the main impression is of the Morgeot 'fat'. Round and flavour-filled fat which promises a lovely wine in three or four years. A tiny touch of bitterness aids the feeling of directness.

More mineral than the Champ Gains, less obvious for now at least, but perhaps with more to offer in the longer term. Edgy and herbal, with pure rocks and mineral on the mid-palate rather than spice, beautifully mouthwatering and a classic wine with a stone finish.

Big wine, and the most difficult to taste at the time. Powerful, rich, pure, very mineral, and terrific legth, but aromatically very closed and for now shows more power than delicacy. Really quite structured, tannic and taut.

Such a definite terroir - distinction. Fat and very mineral. There's a force and direction here. Gorgeous, very long. Real 'éclat'.

Not as open as the Vide Bourse, but there's fantastic depth and length. Very measured and sophisticated, grandly, elegantly long and with complex spice and rocky mineral waiting to unravel.

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.

Fabulous expression, always such a joy, it makes me want to dance from one foot to the other as I taste it.

Tasted when the malolactic still had 25% to go. Bright with insinuating fresh cob nut flavour, lovely weight and feel, with just a point of malic still making it rather pointed at the end - but this will pass once the malo has finished.

Pale and bright, green edge to the colour, nervy, backward, very tense and bright.

Unsurprisingly a very different style to the Germain Meursault premiers crus, with more in the way of fat and opulence, a round, softly mouthfilling wine, much less pointed, reassuring, relaxing.

The premier cru shows its class with greater breadth and reach of flavour. Complex toast, nuts, subtle fruit and mineral, lovely frehness and balance and real delicacy. Very precise and long.

Very precise again. Fleshy, chewy rich. Compact but there's so much here. A different , more mineral, lifted style of Meursault, more Puligny in style, very pure and long.

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.

Tasted at the worst moment imaginable and still it showed well! It finished its malo on Thursday, was sulphited on Friday and I tasted it on the following Monday. Very precise and jewel-like, firm and transparent, despite obvious concentration it is this purity which dominates. 'There are years when the Meursaults don't have this much stuffing', remarks Rémi. At our 2010 Burgundy tasting it again showed a lovely sweet edge to the attack, togther with purity and sophistication.

Not tasted as it was in malo when I was there. Click to see other notes.

Even deeper colour than the Luraule, more toward gold. Very ripe, full and opulent, but stays very fresh. Lovely length on very pure fruit notes which edge toward mango but are a bit too 'cool' quite to be that exotic.

Pretty deep greenish colour. Finished malo a fortnight before I tasted. Lots of concentration again. Lovely volume and with a gulping sort of gourmand green fruitiness, juicy, peachy pears, yet a finish which is crystalline and pure.

Citrus, peach and a really intriguing menthol/fennel thing going on. Vibrant, rich but poised. Concentrated, complex and long. Bien fait!

Even broader than the Poruzots, but this is still a focused and precise wine. Citrus melded with peach and complex notes of subtle oak spice and a lively bright line of pure mineral. Bracingly fresh, this has all it needs to age gracefully over six to ten years.

Big wine, with a touch of smoke, complex ripe fruit, tingling balance and purity. Even at our January tasting this still had a lot of gas and was difficult to taste, but there is no doubting the combination (and balance) of ripeness, minerality and complexity.

Big wine, with a touch of smoke, complex ripe fruit, tingling balance and purity. Even at our January tasting this still had a lot of gas and was difficult to taste, but there is no doubting the combination (and balance) of ripeness, minerality and complexity.

Even broader than the Poruzots, but this is still a focused and precise wine. Citrus melded with peach and complex notes of subtle oak spice and a lively bright line of pure mineral. Bracingly fresh, this has all it needs to age gracefully over six to ten years.

Domaine 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.

Fat and yet completely tense and mineral. Relaxed but not fluid. Elegantly powerful and very precise. Perfect village Puligny - bien fait!

Higher up the slope again, above Combettes, and next to Meursault Perrières. Fine and fresh, a fruit that recalls juicy ripe pears but so much more, wonderfully translucent and fresh. Salty mineral in the background, glassy purity, hard not to swallow. 'A dangerous wine' says Jean-Marc, 'because you want to drink a lot of it.' Fabulous.

A vineyard that runs up to the boundary with Meursault, next to Charmes dessous. Very taut and mineral, a scrape of limestone, a touch of broad smokey background. Quite solidly stony and drily mineral, densely-packed. Powerful; 'masculine' says Jean-Marc. Very long indeed.

Up the slope from les Referts, this borders Meursault Charmes dessus. Sweeter and more flattering initially, richer, but still a sense of mineral power underneath. Very rich and palate-coating, almost oily but still mineral and straight. 'Elegant and fine', says Jean-Marc, 'power but on the side of elegance - aërien'.

Domaine Henri Boillot

Domaine Henri Boillot is now quite simply one of the very top domaines of the Côte de Beaune, in red and white alike. Henri, or 'Kiki' as he is known, is rightly proud of what he has achieved. Henri has had his son Guillaume working on the domaine in the vines for the past five years, and now he is beginning to take his place in the cellar too. Stunning 2010s in both colours.

Very pure yellow gold with green edges. Very fat and rich, but within that it has pure, crystalline mineral focus. Lovely mix of richness, volume and this driven minerality which makes it very long.

Lush and and fat on initial impact. Succulent, oyster-shell minerals. Mouthwatering, gorgeous juice with just a hint oak.

Rich yellow gold, so that the nose surprises by its taut minerality. Richness builds with subtle hints of white honey. Perfect balance and succulent texture. Very hard not to swallow. Long with tantalising pear and cirtus juice.

Bright deep yellow-gold. Rich, with quite distinct oaky notes at this stage. Brightly airy mineral middle floats above the oak and body. True class. Very long. Superb stuff.

Bright deep yellow-gold. Rich, with quite distinct oaky notes at this stage. Brightly airy mineral middle floats above the oak and body. True class. Very long. Superb stuff.

Domaine J. Confuron Cotetidot

Yves Confuron sticks to the family tradition of whole-bunch fermentation, picking very late. These are with huge body and 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 Chambolle 1er Cru Derriere la Grange was a new wine for them last year, and the 2010 is again outstanding, it showed brilliantly in our London tasting. For once all the wines showed nearly as well in London as they did in the Confuron cellars, largely thanks to the warm winter which has meant the wines have continued to evolve in barrel rather than just shutting down in the cold as usually happens. The newish additions of a village and premier cru Pommard have also been remarkably successful in 2010. The Grands Crus are also available but in limited volumes, please ask if buying other wines.

One of the hits of the 2009 campaign thanks to Victoria Moore pointing out what remarkable value it represents. The same is true of the 2010, it is mouthfilling, roundly opulent with a bracing framework of acidity - classic Côte d'Or Bourgogne Blanc in fact.

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 delicate nose - verging on being scented. Mountain spring flowers. Lots of colour and sweetness in the floral notes. Minerals barely hidden. Palate is a surprise of richness compared to the airy delicacy of the nose. Very bracing as well as rich and powerful.

Broad and fat, big and blunt, a broadsword to the Garenne's rapier. Mouthfilling and fat. Classic Morgeot in the most vibrant style. Very rich finish. Very pure even though a huge wine.

Rich nose. Delicacy too, but full of depth of rich flavour, layers of fresh almond and hazelnut and bright minerals. Lots to chew on, and clearly more to come as it builds to a crescendo on the finish.

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.

As so often a distinct greenish cast to the colour. Lively sappy mineral flavours. All of a piece, acidity well-covered, very directed. A purposeful 'knows where it is going' feel. Nearly painful... I want to swallow so badly as it is just so mouthwatering. Another great Clos des Mouches.

As so often a distinct greenish cast to the colour. Lively sappy mineral flavours. All of a piece, acidity well-covered, very directed. A purposeful 'knows where it is going' feel. Nearly painful... I want to swallow so badly as it is just so mouthwatering. Another great Clos des Mouches.

Côte Chalonnaise

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. We have a particular fondness for the whites, and especially the Pucelle, which is a model of what a great Rully can be year after year.

Like the 2009, a gorgeous fruit-packed Pinot for drinking on its young, juicy fruit, while also having all of the attributes of the Burgundy 'terroir' from which it comes. Dense with juice-filled, fine cherry-skin tannins.

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.

Medium-weight, juicy texture, nicely dry mid-palate, with fine cherry-skin style tannins, full of bright juice tang on the long finsh.

After the Vasées this seems riper yet with a weighty, plummy mid-palate and more depth and seriousness. Drink 2014-2019.

Pure, balanced and directed, but still quite closed. More minerality and glide than any of the other cuvées, and more long-term potential too. Drink 2014-2020.

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.

François was afraid that this might be rather restrained when I visited but, in fact, although only just racked it showed a soft, gentle purity, a very fine texture and gently insinuating red and black fruit. Really could be drunk from now although ideally 2013-2016+. Slightly closed after bottling at our January tasting but the note is consistent, the texture very silky.

This one was not shown at the January tasting as it was not being bottled until March. From cask it was, as usual, the biggest and broadest of François' wines, but in 2010 all the work that they have done in this vineyard is really showing - there's more tension, so that behind the ripe plums and obvious weight there's a cherry-bright firmness and drive. Really quite exciting. Although it could be approached younger we'd advise drinking this 2015-2022+

In a similar vein to the Clos Jus, this is perhaps a little bolder, a bit more concentration. Similar keeping potential - drink 2014-2020+

Again a silky texture, gentle yet confident, with an intriguing saline edge. Worth waiting a little for. Drink 2014-2020+

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. The 2009s are already on the shelves at L&S, this is an opportunity to get in on their third vintage as early as possible. These wines will be bottled in April or May. The Hautes Côtes is at 12.5% the other two at 13%. I'm pretty darn pleased with this discovery, but do note that all these wines are in quite a full-bodied style.

From a steep vineyard which faces due south over the village of Arcenant. At the top there is only 25 centimetres of soil above the rock. Dark colour and deep dark juicy fruit flavours, very pure with the mineral straightness of a wine from stone. Brilliant value.

Côte de Beaune

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.

Olivier was forced to harvest his Santenay early because of the storm which passed over the southern end of Chassagne and Santenay and Maranges, but was able to leave this until much later, and as a result it is significantly richer and fuller, with nice tension and length.

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.

Good juice, pretty fruit with surprising delicacy, a touch of rusticity to the tannins in the middle, but this will soften. Better priced than many a Bourgogne rouge.

Bottled three weeks before my November visit. Less of a fruit bomb than the Bourgogne, this is more mineral, slightly more tannic, more serious and long-term, but can still be drunk from now. Lovely cherryish crunch to the fruit.

A soft touch of oaky vanilla on the nose, a round supple attack and feel in the mouth. Then the tannins build, less of the bright acidity of the Volnay, and more spicy depth of tannic structure and ripe black fruit.

As always and bit of a burst of flavour. Serious depth of smooth raspberry purity, expanding into juicy coulis de cassis. Pointedly delicious in a very bright style.

Sweetly harmonious. All fruit and supple texture, some complexity with black cherry, blackberry and red fruit top-notes. A lovely weighty style which is still never heavy.

Spicy nose, gorgeous cool thick tightly-woven, thick silk texture. Yet it floats. Lots of mineral here to give an airborne weightlessness. Very long on this lovely balance.

After the Charmots, the Rugiens immediately shows much more structured, masculine, beefy concentration and powerful black fruit power. Very deep colour, black fruit flavours and very concentrated earthy spice. Laurent may not be as well-known as some as a producer of this vineyard (nor the same price either), but as Nicolas Rossignol once remarked to me of an earlier vintage 'c'est un vin qui m'a bien bluffé' - this is another wine which will surprise many!

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.

Classy Beaune!. There's a nice fresh saline quality to this: grown-up, vinous fruit, detail, fine tannins and lively grip.

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.

Lush and bright at the same time. More mineral lift and joie de vivre than than Remi's earthier Vignes Rondes.

Domaine Chandon de Briailles

2010 is the Domaine Chandon de Briailles' fifth vintage in fully biodynamic production. 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.

Very pale as usual - the whole bunch fermentations tending to reduce colour depth but add to the overall depth of flavour. Strawberry sweet and round, really nicely juicy, delicate and pure, ending with a surprisingly directed long mineral finish.

Produced from only 28hl/ha. From barrel it was much finer than the domaine's 'vergelesses' cuvee, with much more fruit depth. Minerals coat the tongue, fine and saline, very grown up and very long. At our tasting in January it seemed darker in colour and fuller bodied, but significantly denser and more closed. Either way the promise is there.

Tasted from barrel two weeks after a racking, it was supple, with complex hedgerow fruit, a tightly woven texture and fine juicy length. In London in January it showed more richness of body and impressive length, even if still on the elegant side of Corton.

This finished its malolactic early, so was ready for bottling when I tasted from barrel in November. 80% whole bunch fermentation on a wine from a very calcareous soil, the result is classic Clos du Roi, big bones and a certain austerity, but there is also a rich soft fruit interwoven with dry spice and plumskin - one to look forward to in ten years or more.

Domaine Nicolas Rossignol

Nicolas Rossignol is making a huge range of wines, and his vinifications are continuing to evolve. In 2010 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. In the middle of 2011 Nicolas had to move cellars, and he now shares a building with Ben Leroux in Beaune, where he has lots of room for all his little vats. The only way to move the wines was to roll the barrels, and most of the wines were still thick as soup when I went, with all the sediment in suspension. For an accurate view of the whole range please click on each wine to see Sarah Marsh's notes from a visit before the move. I have sketchily noted only a few of the wines which were clear at the top of the tanks they had been assembled in when I was there. For the same reason Nicolas was unwilling to prepare samples for this year's London tastings in January, so there will be no notes from anyone who has not been to Beaune to taste in the cellar. From the star quality of the basic Bourgogne Rouge (which has since been filtered and bottled and is here now on our shelves) we have total confidence that the rest of the range will be among the best wines Nicolas has yet made.

Nicolas' special cuvée of old vines is still a bargain for what it is. Bright and precise as well as having the rich depth of old vines fruit.

This one was difficult to taste but just about discernable - quite structured black fruit and a spicy edge, a Beaune in the style of a crunchy 'Pommard' - although one should probably not say this, since Nicolas is always trying to make the point that there are chunky masculine terroirs in both Volnay and Pommard, and equally there are fine and 'feminine' clay soils, making supple aromatic wines in both villages too.

This was one of the few wines which showed some sign of being developed at my November visit. Really immediate and lovely. Fruit with the sucrosity of the 2009s and a juicy fresh structure and lively length - really fantastic Savigny.

Lively and juicy, subtle background of oak, nice cut - there's a crispness to the juice. Fresh and nicely balanced finish.

Here the terroir gives such a positive wine that Nicolas has no urge to bolster it with whole bunches, and this is entirely de-stemmed. Rich and dense body. Lively with touch of animal wildness and spice, and a drily tannic finish. Needs a little time.

At once rich, with a solid fruit, and still silky and 'gourmand'. Long flowing balanced juice.

30% whole bunches. A bit of a roar of power tasted after after the subtle Caillerets, with a much more imposing tannic structure on the palate. Lots of interest - rich with cherry fruit and even floral notes. Precise too. Structure a little hairy for now, but with a light pre-bottling filtration this will be sensational.

50% whole bunches. Rich - the stems give a certain rigour and energy - but this is still suave and velvety as it is wont to be. Nice sweetness to the ripe fruit.

Very supple and silky, and seems more advanced, more precise than the Santenots. Scented fruit, mineral and floating, lovely cherryish finish. May just be because it's nearer to being ready to taste, but this is certainly lovely today.

Domaine Comte Armand

Benjamin Leroux, hugely respected amongst growers who approach things from an organic or biodynamic point of view, then took over here from pascal Marchand, and has refined this approach and changed the way the parcels of vines are divided up for harvesting, paying less attention to just the age of the vines, and more to the underlying soil types. Claude Bourguignon was employed to provide a full geological survey of the Clos as the basis for this. Benjamin is also a master technician if required to be. The wines of the Clos have gained in finesse and precision, while still having the depth and richness expected of a great Pommard. Both Pascal and Benjamin were keen to expand beyond the confines of the Clos, and the Domaine also has vines in Volnay, and, a particular enthusiasm of both Pascal and Benjamin, in Auxey Duresses, where they are convinced of the great potential of some of this village's undervalued and neglected terroirs.

Intense and gravelly dry. Quite springy, spicy, not exactly fruity. Very dry tense style for three to five years hence. Pure and precise. Sophisticated at this price level.

A big jump to the 1er Cru. A completely different level of fruit depth, and a vinous, straight-up, oak-battened stiffness and seriousness here. 15% new wood - it's not that you can taste it but you'd miss it if it wasn't there. Lovely balance. Lovely length.

As usual tasted in several components and then a provisional blend. Young vines on compact rock - a lovely Pommard in its own right, great personality, bright raspberry fruit with darker, damson notes; very pure straight, elegant and long. Older vines on the same soil type - richer, very directed, lovely, maybe a bit of chunky chocolate; 'slightly more concentrated but not big, sometimes slightly spicy but closed' says Benjamin. From the top of the Clos, the only part that is in 'Grands Epenots', thirty-five year-old vines on fragmented rock - very silky and flowing; feels like the previous cuvée with the brakes taken off (10% of final blend). Old vines, in bottom of Clos - similarly flowing but with much more complexity, more spice and hints of smoke and burning, sweet rich ripe fruit, elegant with crystalline balance. Benjamin then does his thing to mix an approximate blend - taut and energetic, with the old vines fruit filling out the mid-palate, and the cuvées from the compact rock pulling out the long finish and giving nerve and liveliness. Complete, elegant, full enough, lovely feeling of intense purity. Bravo!

As usual tasted in several components and then a provisional blend. Young vines on compact rock - a lovely Pommard in its own right, great personality, bright raspberry fruit with darker, damson notes; very pure straight, elegant and long. Older vines on the same soil type - richer, very directed, lovely, maybe a bit of chunky chocolate; 'slightly more concentrated but not big, sometimes slightly spicy but closed' says Benjamin. From the top of the Clos, the only part that is in 'Grands Epenots', thirty-five year-old vines on fragmented rock - very silky and flowing; feels like the previous cuvée with the brakes taken off (10% of final blend). Old vines, in bottom of Clos - similarly flowing but with much more complexity, more spice and hints of smoke and burning, sweet rich ripe fruit, elegant with crystalline balance. Benjamin then does his thing to mix an approximate blend - taut and energetic, with the old vines fruit filling out the mid-palate, and the cuvées from the compact rock pulling out the long finish and giving nerve and liveliness. Complete, elegant, full enough, lovely feeling of intense purity. Bravo!

As usual tasted in several components and then a provisional blend. Young vines on compact rock - a lovely Pommard in its own right, great personality, bright raspberry fruit with darker, damson notes; very pure straight, elegant and long. Older vines on the same soil type - richer, very directed, lovely, maybe a bit of chunky chocolate; 'slightly more concentrated but not big, sometimes slightly spicy but closed' says Benjamin. From the top of the Clos, the only part that is in 'Grands Epenots', thirty-five year-old vines on fragmented rock - very silky and flowing; feels like the previous cuvée with the brakes taken off (10% of final blend). Old vines, in bottom of Clos - similarly flowing but with much more complexity, more spice and hints of smoke and burning, sweet rich ripe fruit, elegant with crystalline balance. Benjamin then does his thing to mix an approximate blend - taut and energetic, with the old vines fruit filling out the mid-palate, and the cuvées from the compact rock pulling out the long finish and giving nerve and liveliness. Complete, elegant, full enough, lovely feeling of intense purity. Bravo!

As usual tasted in several components and then a provisional blend. Young vines on compact rock - a lovely Pommard in its own right, great personality, bright raspberry fruit with darker, damson notes; very pure straight, elegant and long. Older vines on the same soil type - richer, very directed, lovely, maybe a bit of chunky chocolate; 'slightly more concentrated but not big, sometimes slightly spicy but closed' says Benjamin. From the top of the Clos, the only part that is in 'Grands Epenots', thirty-five year-old vines on fragmented rock - very silky and flowing; feels like the previous cuvée with the brakes taken off (10% of final blend). Old vines, in bottom of Clos - similarly flowing but with much more complexity, more spice and hints of smoke and burning, sweet rich ripe fruit, elegant with crystalline balance. Benjamin then does his thing to mix an approximate blend - taut and energetic, with the old vines fruit filling out the mid-palate, and the cuvées from the compact rock pulling out the long finish and giving nerve and liveliness. Complete, elegant, full enough, lovely feeling of intense purity. Bravo!

Domaine Henri Boillot

Domaine Henri Boillot is now quite simply one of the very top domaines of the Côte de Beaune, in red and white alike. Henri, or 'Kiki' as he is known, is rightly proud of what he has achieved. Henri has had his son Guillaume working on the domaine in the vines for the past five years, and now he is beginning to take his place in the cellar too. Stunning 2010s in both colours.

As usual Henri would not be happy with just any old Bourgogne rouge, and this includes several little bits of quite well-known vineyards - Beaune Montrevenots, Santenay Passetemps and so on. Rich dark and spicy. Round with firm palate presence, a completely gorgeous mouthfilling Pinot.

Still a touch gassy when I tasted, which will have hardened it a little, but a very dark colour and a powerful dense wine with quite serious tannic grip. Very impressive.

Henri has bought the old Domaine Clerget, from which this parcel comes. Dark colour, and deep dark cassis style fruit. Surprising, Gevrey-like cassis flavours to the fruit. Mineral dryness and fine tension draw out the finish.

Silky, full, good deep colour and wild fruit flavours. Complex and so fine-textured, a touch of wood-smoke and an intense, fine polished surface. Very harmonious and full as well as delicate and detailed.

Elegant, ball-gowned. Very silky, slowly dancing, Mineral and real lift and serenity. Rock juice; it's so mineral and so juicy and fine and long. Quintessential Volnay.

Silky, full, good deep colour and wild fruit flavours. Complex and so fine-textured, a touch of wood-smoke and an intense, fine polished surface. Very harmonious and full as well as delicate and detailed.

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. The Criots Batard and the Clos Vougeot were amongst the most impressive wines of our January tasting, and yes, this is the most expensive of the Corton Charlemagnes we offer, but it is also the best.

Broad punch of a nose; ripe black fruit. Mouthfilling richness on palate, it gains movement with superb blackberry juiciness which makes it painful not to swallow. Impressively succulent for so massive a wine.

Domaine J. Confuron Cotetidot

Yves Confuron sticks to the family tradition of whole-bunch fermentation, picking very late. These are with huge body and 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 Chambolle 1er Cru Derriere la Grange was a new wine for them last year, and the 2010 is again outstanding, it showed brilliantly in our London tasting. For once all the wines showed nearly as well in London as they did in the Confuron cellars, largely thanks to the warm winter which has meant the wines have continued to evolve in barrel rather than just shutting down in the cold as usually happens. The newish additions of a village and premier cru Pommard have also been remarkably successful in 2010. The Grands Crus are also available but in limited volumes, please ask if buying other wines.

As weird as ever to taste this in amongst the Côte de Nuits wines. Structured and fat, a massive wine with pepper and spice and opulent fruit. Dense. Very thick dry tannins, which are all part of the rich appeal. Like the Nuits St Georges, a big wine.

Like the village Pommard, another big wine. At this very young moment the tannins are almost eye-watering, but they are always shot though with fruit and energy, and the wine is all in place, pure and long.

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.

Some of the Clos des Mouches went into this. As so often, a bit of a bargain, ripe and rich with very Beaune style fruit, almost opulently full on palate and the nice sweet balance of the vintage.

The Drouhins bought this clos in 2009 and this is the first vintage they have made. Instantly recognisable position on the slopes of Savigny for its very perfect circular 'cabotte' (one of the vignerons' stone huts in the vines). Well-placed vineyard for a village level wine. Nice touch of mineral, dry and intensely juicy. Bright red fruit, and very attractive raspberry length.

Much more mineral and airy tasted after the opulent fullness of the Beaune Grèves. Delicate, detailed and compact. More driven and long than aromatically showy for now.

Domaine de Courcel

The 'other' great domaine of Pommard, and three great expressions of the terroir of Pommard, yet a very different style to the Clos des Épeneaux of Comte Armand. Yves Confuron, the régisseur, describes the difference between the two top wines by saying that the Grand Clos is 'terreux' while the Rugiens is 'aérien'. Very late harvested as usual, which should in theory have been not ideal this year, and yet the wines give the lie to such theorising.

Deep colour, lush but still vibrant, a lovely rich ripe style. There's real purposefulness about this - a Pommard in all but name.

Obviously very good, even though more about structure than easy juice for now. Very rich, it seems a little fuller than Confuron's own Pommard.

Spicy, liquorice, bright red and fresh. A firm tonic dryness gives a solid monumental feel; big blocks of stone. Fruit amplifies on finish - long and satisfying.

Spicy, liquorice, bright red and fresh. A firm tonic dryness gives a solid monumental feel; big blocks of stone. Fruit amplifies on finish - long and satisfying.

Very fine - a strong thread of mineral gives both lift and a very firm dry texture. Densely-packed, it is the tough, bare-rock side of the Rugiens character which is in the ascendant today, with a slightly jagged austerity. Powerful long-term stuff.

Very fine - a strong thread of mineral gives both lift and a very firm dry texture. Densely-packed, it is the tough, bare-rock side of the Rugiens character which is in the ascendant today, with a slightly jagged austerity. Powerful long-term stuff.

Spicy, liquorice, bright red and fresh. A firm tonic dryness gives a solid monumental feel; big blocks of stone. Fruit amplifies on finish - long and satisfying.

Very fine - a strong thread of mineral gives both lift and a very firm dry texture. Densely-packed, it is the tough, bare-rock side of the Rugiens character which is in the ascendant today, with a slightly jagged austerity. Powerful long-term stuff.

Very fine - a strong thread of mineral gives both lift and a very firm dry texture. Densely-packed, it is the tough, bare-rock side of the Rugiens character which is in the ascendant today, with a slightly jagged austerity. Powerful long-term stuff.

Spicy, liquorice, bright red and fresh. A firm tonic dryness gives a solid monumental feel; big blocks of stone. Fruit amplifies on finish - long and satisfying.

Côte de Nuits

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. The 2009s are already on the shelves at L&S, this is an opportunity to get in on their third vintage as early as possible. These wines will be bottled in April or May. The Hautes Côtes is at 12.5% the other two at 13%. I'm pretty darn pleased with this discovery, but do note that all these wines are in quite a full-bodied style.

From two parcels of vines in Corgoloin just south of Nuits, one sixty years old, the other thirty-five. Real Côtes de Nuits class and definition here, bold ripe black fruit flavours with finesse and purity.

Eighty year-old vines from a vineyard called 'les Chaillots' in Corgoloin. Real old vines density to the black fruit palate, mineral but still quite closed. Superb finish.

Domaine Huguenot

The Huguenots can trace their history in Marsannay and working in the vines back to 1789. Currently the domaine is run by Philippe. His father Jean-Louis expanded the domaine from five to twenty-three hectares before handing over the reins, and Philippe has taken the bold step of taking all twenty-three hectares into organic production (the conversion was completed in 2010). Clearly Philippe's arrival has also been accompanied by a qualitative jump of some size, and the ranges of 2009 and 2010 wines are remarkable for value as well. All these wines will be bottled in April or May, and all are close to 13% (13% on labels).

Bright fresh crunchy fruit, a lovely fresh easy Pinot to drink as soon as it is bottled.

Firmly defined black-cherry fruit, sappy weight on palate, tastes ripe with no overripeness - perfectly pitched, precise, long.

Deep clay soil evident in the deep supple smoothness of texture. Full rich tangy fruit, powerful and racy.

Les Champs Perdrix is the southernmost vineyard in Marsannay, so on the border with Fixin, on a 'Comblanchien' (marble) subsoil. Violet edge, less large-scaled than the 'Montagne', but fresher and longer, mineral and driven. A terroir which gives more complexity, says Philippe.

Level with the centre of Gevrey at the bottom of the village. A lovely combination of straight Gevrey cassis and a slight tautening from a stony edge. Juicy, more-ish, with a chalky finesse.

A premier cru next to Grand Cru les Ruchottes. Deep rich soil. Powerful wine, deep colour and serious pull and weight. Lots of concentration and length.

Well-placed vines next to Griotte Chambertin up by the 'route des Grands Crus'. Old limestone gives lovely elegance and finesse. Deep and richly vinous, with impressivly fine tannins. Dense black fruit. Very rich and mouthcoating and very clinging fruit which makes it very long.

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. The Criots Batard and the Clos Vougeot were amongst the most impressive wines of our January tasting, and yes, this is the most expensive of the Corton Charlemagnes we offer, but it is also the best.

Black centre with red-black edge. Black fruit only, almost coal-black. Slight sweetness, a moment when it is slightly indistinct, then aromas build, wild flavours in a slightly nervy structure, lots here - wildcats in a sack, and time needed to tame them. From vines in le Grand Maupertui, next to Anne Gros. Over the wall it's Musigny, with Echezeaux on the other side.

Domaine Thierry Mortet

Three or four days of cold maceration are followed by two weeks of fermentation, with just a touch of cooling to keep the temperature around 31-33C (below 35, at least), then into barrel, all second use or older for the Bourgogne, with 30% new wood on the Gevrey, and 50% on the Clos Prieur. Certified organic and in biodynamic conversion. Thierry's wines are fine and precise, tangy and long, never massive, but not unsubstantial all the same.

From vines in Daix, a village in the prolongation of the Côte de Nuits to the north of Dijon, at the mouth of the valley of the Ouche, well-placed hillside vines which have always made an exceptional Bourgogne. Now Thierry has subtly changed his vinification to make this approachable younger. As he says, it is a vineyard with lovely clay soils which give finesse. The wine is richly textured, expressive, delicate and fresh - like a village Chambolle.

As usual Thierry's Gevrey is very fine and delicate, while being quite full enough. Total purity, with real character - cassis and black berries and also detailed red fruit. 'In general the 2010s are very rich' says Thierry. Fine balance.

Thierry descibes this as being the 'terroir le plus fin de Gevrey', (by which he means it gives the wines of the greatest finesse). It is a Chambolle-like in its delicacy, but with a bit more force on the finish, cherry-taut but with a cassis blackness to the expression and tangy, lively acidity.

Higher tonal register than the Gevreys, suave and round on the entry. Fine raspberry and cherry fruit, very delicate fresh and floral, lovely balance and fine long finish - a lovely, completely classic village Chambolle.

Deep colour, very rich on palate, still with very fine tannins. 'Plus massif, plus profond' says Thierry, and the depth is certainly there.

As usual Thierry's Gevrey is very fine and delicate, while being quite full enough. Total purity, with real character - cassis and black berries and also detailed red fruit. 'In general the 2010s are very rich' says Thierry. Fine balance.

Domaine J. Confuron Cotetidot

Yves Confuron sticks to the family tradition of whole-bunch fermentation, picking very late. These are with huge body and 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 Chambolle 1er Cru Derriere la Grange was a new wine for them last year, and the 2010 is again outstanding, it showed brilliantly in our London tasting. For once all the wines showed nearly as well in London as they did in the Confuron cellars, largely thanks to the warm winter which has meant the wines have continued to evolve in barrel rather than just shutting down in the cold as usually happens. The newish additions of a village and premier cru Pommard have also been remarkably successful in 2010. The Grands Crus are also available but in limited volumes, please ask if buying other wines.

Lots of energy here, fresh and taut, precise, full enough, very complete and integrated. Long.

Although this is not giving much away on the nose, the palate is a different story. Rich and full of substance, and still fresh and fine. Lots of lovely ripe tannins in the middle of the tongue, cherries and woodland notes.

Immediate Gevrey cassis, and full and charming. Long wine with a finish of fruit-filled, positively bouncy tannin.

Fabulous nose - really straight and streamlined. Authoritative fruit on the palate, ripe as well as very structured and classical. A pillar of a wine.

Very showy with all its oak, but there is lovely expression and length too with a bright, mineral finish.

After the bright dancing movement of the Chambolle 1er Cru, the Vignes Rondes seems deeply taciturn and grumpy, just a whiff of black fruits on the nose. But the palate is a different story, generous, rounded, sweet, opulent, the tannins are all there, but this is very much the suave, gentle, round tannin of the vineyards bordering Vosne rather than the aggression of some of the wines to the south of the town.

Really mineral. Extremely sophisticated gliding and lifted. Straight-backed and verging on austere, but with charm and great length.

Regal. A boundary-reaching off-drive, straight off the the sweet-spot - cassis and complex black fruit in a wonderful energy-filled blast. Huge power combined with lively bright freshness. Long-term.

On deep clay. Supple and sweet, but not just ripe cassis - there's more to it, Round, taut, pure. Big and powerful too, but in a very mineral, floating, directed, straight way.

Vibrant deep colour. So sweet and winning, and yet with a profound depth of flavour and a rich tannic density. Very pure and long on cherries and cassis. Terrific flow.

Opulent ripe fruit. Very supple and rich. The tannins are there all right, but ripe and rounded, and well-covered by the richness, which is a definite step up in volume from the premiers crus. Not that defined for now, but amazingly long and definitely impressive in terms of volume of sweet 'matiere'.

Vigorous sweet wild fruit, wafts of the orient in complex spice, a peculiar kind of eastern delight. Really sensous and yet firm and directed at the same time.

Rich, sweet, supple, starting as a very easy, typically Charmes easy opulence before the Confuron rigorous tannins kick it and propel it to greater heights than many reach. Superb example which really grips the terroir and streams it into life and length.

Although this is not giving much away on the nose, the palate is a different story. Rich and full of substance, and still fresh and fine. Lots of lovely ripe tannins in the middle of the tongue, cherries and woodland notes.

Although this is not giving much away on the nose, the palate is a different story. Rich and full of substance, and still fresh and fine. Lots of lovely ripe tannins in the middle of the tongue, cherries and woodland notes.

After the bright dancing movement of the Chambolle 1er Cru, the Vignes Rondes seems deeply taciturn and grumpy, just a whiff of black fruits on the nose. But the palate is a different story, generous, rounded, sweet, opulent, the tannins are all there, but this is very much the suave, gentle, round tannin of the vineyards bordering Vosne rather than the aggression of some of the wines to the south of the town.

Regal. A boundary-reaching off-drive, straight off the the sweet-spot - cassis and complex black fruit in a wonderful energy-filled blast. Huge power combined with lively bright freshness. Long-term.

Regal. A boundary-reaching off-drive, straight off the the sweet-spot - cassis and complex black fruit in a wonderful energy-filled blast. Huge power combined with lively bright freshness. Long-term.

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.

A simple delight. Not heavy, but tantalisingly springy, bouncy fruit. So lively, all over the palate with a mouthwatering, perfect juice balance.

A similar lively style to the village Morey cuvée but, of course, with more minerals, more depth, more density. Equally hard to spit because it is just so easy, so croquant. Defined crunchy fruit, and complex spice notes. Big smiles. Thierry and I agree that 'un verre appelle un autre', you want another glass on finishing the first - a style of wine we both like. Spicy long finish.

A similar lively style to the village Morey cuvée but, of course, with more minerals, more depth, more density. Equally hard to spit because it is just so easy, so croquant. Defined crunchy fruit, and complex spice notes. Big smiles. Thierry and I agree that 'un verre appelle un autre', you want another glass on finishing the first - a style of wine we both like. Spicy long finish.

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.

The usual mix of Drouhin's little bits of various premiers crus - the les Baudes, separated out in 2009, is back in the mix in 2010. Floral sweet red fruit. Quite a skein of minerality and a smooth dryness. Taut as anything, all with juice. Eye-popping intensity and delivery. Very long. Classic Chambolle, in fact.

Domaine Faiveley

The Faiveley family are the largest vineyard owners in Burgundy, owning around 120ha, spread across the Côtes de Nuits, Beaune and Chalonnais and encompassing everything from generic Bourgogne up to the grandest of Grand Crus. Their holdings supply the grapes for 5 out of every 6 bottles made by Faiveley, the balance being bought in from carefully selected contract growers.