A gathering of a large number of the Femmes et Vins group of producers for their popular Exception’Elles tasting. This time in the Château de Montchat (right) in Lyon. Each of the producers was showing 4 wines, some even finishing with a contribution that was ‘a little’ older!

22 producers – 10 that were new to me – 90 wine notes and 17 highly recommended, don’t miss, wines are highlighted.

Enjoy:

Domaine Sylvaine et Alain Normand

Sylvaine Normand
10 Allée en Darèze
Route de Verzé
71960 La Roche Vineuse
Tel: +33 3 85 36 61 69
www.domaine-normand.com

I asked Sylvaine how she’d been affected by this year’s episodes of frost:
“We had quite big damage in the first wave of frost – 4-5 April – the buds were quite early, so some parts were 100% frosted – it’s possible that we’ve lost 14 from a little over 35 hectares – so at least a third.”

Sylvaine mentioned that she’s blocked the malos on all the wines in 2017 to keep their freshness. It’s a good range for sure.

2017 La Roche Vineuse
Young, south-facing vines.
A pretty freshness to this nose, of modest intensity but it’s a nice invitation. Good weight and drive in the mouth. The best part is the finish – it’s beautiful here!

2017 Pouilly-Fuissé Découverte
A single parcel of vines that look towards the village – one of the last parcels harvested – ‘young vines’ of 35 years
Hmm, the wine is cold but swirling liberates lovely and fine complexity – super purity here. Wider and more vibrant than the previous wine. Lovely ripples of finishing flavour.

2017 La Roche Vineuse Vieilles-Vignes
More depth of aroma with some lime zest. Depth and concentration on the palate – so much concentration. You should have the patience to wait for this one, but it’s very impressive. I prefer the first Pouilly-Fuissé to drink today though.

2017 Pouilly-Fuissé Aux Vignerais
Plain south-facing, mid-slope. Ground with not much soil. This will become a 1er cru, but tells that these ‘are anyway’ 90-year-old vines.
A deep nose, suggesting a little reduction. Supple, concentrated but here with a more relaxed delivery of flavour. Very drinkable, not with any overt oak, saline, complex, mineral finishing. Simply excellent.

Domaine Chevalier

Julie Chevalier
Hameau de Buisson
21550 Ladoix Serrigny
Tel: +33 3 80 26 46 30
www.domaine-chevalier.fr

Julie Chevalier showing a very good range.

2017 Ladoix Rouge
Pretty fresh fruit on the nose. Wide, bright and fresh – just like the nose. Good intensity and line, a fresh and speedy wine rather than a fat wine. Yum – floral finishing too. Super.

2017 Ladoix 1er Les Corvées
Almost Côte de Nuits!
A little more colour. More depth of aroma too. More drive and even more freshness in the mouth, in fact, there’s much more energy here and additional complexity too. Quite dynamic, the finish still says wait a few more months, but I like this a lot!

2016 Corton-Rognets
The 2017 is not yet bottled.
A deeper nose, inflected with some oak toast. Fuller, still a good freshness, plenty of oak flavour, long, layered but wait a couple of years for this oak – delicious wine all the same.

2009 Corton-Rognets
Of-course the colour shows more development, but perhaps a little less depth of colour. An attractive nose, showing some vestiges of oak-derived flavour – but not directly of oak! Ooh, lovely freshness for the vintage, saline, complex, long – I love this finish, but this is still to wait for. Excellent wine!

2017 Ladoix Blanc
8 different parcels
Fresh intense, though a little compact this nose. Depth of flavour, a certain vibration to the depth of aroma too. Mineral, layered. Very tasty wine!

Domaine Feuillat-Juillot

Françoise Feuillat-Juillot
Route de Montorge
71390 Montagny les Buxy
Tel: +33 3 85 92 03 71
www.feuillat-juillot.com

I asked Françoise Feuillat Juillot if she’d been affected by this year’s frost:
“In Montagny we had no damage, but the Bourgognes in St.Gengoux were affected.”

The first wine, from 2018, is just so precocious, on the other hand, I would wait until at least Christmas for the last two of these, but these are wines that should be on your list!

2018 Montagny Cuvée Camille
Just bottled
Ooh – a direct attack to the nose – fresh, sherbet, lovely. Nice energy, layers, tasty wine, actually quite a mineral wine, almost suggesting a mineral reduction. Nicely vibrant finishing – lots of flavour intensity, yum!

2017 Montagny 1er Grapes d’Or
30% barrel elevage.
Less amplitide but still a good width of aroma. More direct, a wine of mineral drive in comparison to the 2018.

2017 Montagny 1er Les Coères
50% barrel elevage.
Also a tighter, less interesting, nose than the 2018. Width, growing intensity, studied, immersive, contemplative wine. Fine width and beautifully balanced. Intense and slowly mouthwatering in the finish.

Domaine R Dubois

Béatrice Dubois
7 route de Nuits St.Georges
21700 Prémeaux Prissey
Tel: +33 3 80 62 30 61
www.domaine-dubois.fr

There’s a little oak and herb in some of these cuvées, but others are fabulous – clearly Béatrice made some great 2016s!

2017 Nuits St.Georges
Bottled in March, this from 3 hectares worth of different parcels.
Medium-plus colour. An airy, part floral, part herbal nose. This is all destemmed, but some wines keep some stems. Round in the mouth, a lovely, quite silky texture. Saline, slightly herbal but with attractively mouth-watering flavour.

2016 Clos de Vougeot
Lots of colour again. This wine is showing some oak toast in its big volume of aroma. Hmm, more width, more concentration again, a fine but present tannin. The most vibrant of finishes. Concentrated and young – the oak is showing a lot for now – 60% new – but clearly this is super wine!

2009 Nuits St.Georges 1er 1er Clos des Argillierès
Plenty of more mature colour. A tighter nose but one of herby width. The flavour is so much more impressive than the nose suggests. A textural drag of tannin, but hardly any grain. A wine of melting interest, and a great finish, but I’d certainly wait a few more years for it.

2017 Côte de Nuits Villages Blanc – Les Monts de Boncourt
1999 was the first vintage
Fresh, faintly oaked. Round, supple, lovely depth of slightly oaked flavour. Long, tasty delicious wine.

Domaine La Pascerette des Vignes

Céline Robergeot-Cienki
Les Bois
71960 Sologny
Tel: +33 6 87 28 32 07
www.pascerettedesvignes.com

Both red and white Mâcons of super quality – I’ll be on the lookout for these labels…

I asked Céline about her brush with the frost this year; “I thought that there was quite some damage from the frost, and it was a strange frost; I’m quite high in altitude and it was the closed buds rather than those that were open that seemed to have the most problems – with time I’m less worried about the volume than initially.”

2016 Mâcon Milly Lamartine Rouge
All gamay, planted on hard limestone, all from Sologny.
A nice round, inviting nose. Hmm, lithe, open but with a lovely, attractive, floral freshness. A delicious, perfumed wine – certainly not a wine of impact or concentration, but completely delicious.

2016 Bourgogne Pinot Noir
Also a lovely depth of aroma, floral aroma. More volume on the mouth, more apparent concentration too – beautiful texture. Bright and growing intensity in the finish, only here some tannin starting to show. Lovely wine.

2017 Mâcon Milly Lamartine Cuvée Claude et Alphonsine
The old vines cuvée.
Not a big nose but a core of pure and ripe yellow citrus – with some energy too. Wide, concentrated, riper but not losing any balance – mineral, composed. Super wine!

Domaine Tortochot

Chantal Tortochot
12 rue l’Eglise
21220 Gevrey-Chambertin
Tel: +33 3 80 34 30 68
www.tortochot.com

One of the best showings I’ve had for young wines from this domaine – they really seem to need their time in elevage – but here are excellent 2017s

“The wines of 2017 are now all in bottle – now is the good time to taste,” says Chantal.

2017 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Corvées
Made from 0.90 hectares of 50-year-old vines, ‘And we had a really good quality and ripeness of grapes in 2017’
Deep colour. A deep and weighty nose too, despite an impression that this wine is still a little tight. Ooh, the palate is much more exciting than the nose; direct, fresh, deep and floral – there’s a lot here. Ooh, that’s such lovely wine, with very good length too.

2017 Morey St.Denise 1er Cuvée Renaissance
Clos Bouley and Clos des Ormes. “My grandfather had these vines but he didn’t like to work them because the vineyard was 3km away on the tractor. We had some Chambolle 1er too and maybe it was Gevrey snobbism, but he didn’t like to work those vines either. We are not yet organic certified organic here,” says Chantal, “As 2016 was the first vintage.”
Good colour. A nicely wide nose, with a touch of floral perfume. Fuller, more weight, more depth of flavour – some herb, salinity, round flavoured. Ooh, that’s also rather good. Yum and showing a super finish.

2017 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Les Champeaux
Good colour for all these wines in 2017. Another nose that’s a little tighter. Great shape here in the mouth, melting flavour that reminds of the first Gevrey. More oak but more changing flavour complexity, a mobile intensity of flavour – an oaky but excellent wine.

2017 Charmes-Chambertin
In 2017 we had not just the cold but we had wind too – so I think that in the end we did okay.
A tight nose but suggesting cleanliness and freshness. A wine that’s more structural but shows more weight to the flavour. Long. Good grand cru here – so super wine. Saline and super finishing. Excellent.

Domaine Louis Chenu et Filles

Juliette and Caroline Chenu
12 rue Joseph de Pesquidoux
21420 Savigny-lès-Beaune
Tel: +33 3 80 26 13 96
www.louischenu.com

No lack of colour or interest – a good sampling of 2017s chez Chenu!

All of these 2017s are bottled. Juliette describing 2017 in Savigny as “A normal volume, not big. Despite the different volumes, the energy of 2017 reminds of 2010.” I also asked about frost in 2019 – “So far no damage, its 3 times this year that we’ve had the frost alerts, and its stressful of course, but fingers crossed, I think we are okay.”

2017 Savigny-lès-Beaune Vieilles Vignes
No oak, ‘to keep the crunchy fruit freshness.’
Nice colour. Hmm, a very pretty nose, sweetly floral, not really any impression of herb either. Hmm, volume, energy, and attractive fruit flavour – a suggestion of Savigny herb here but in a very attractive style. Very tasty! A tony touch of tannin showing only in the finish. Lovely villages for the price of a Bourgogne!

2017 Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Aux Clous
Bottled November, 15% new oak.
Medium colour. A fine, bright, pure fruit nose – yes! More volume, more energy. A vibrant, tasty, mouthful of wine. Excellent!

2017 Bourgogne Chardonnay
Almost classified as Hautes Côtes
A modest width of aroma but there is both depth and high notes here. Quite concentrated – in fact for the label it’s very concentrated. Very good!

2017 Savigny-lès-Beaune Blanc Les Saucours
‘A cold terroir, sensitive to oidium. Young and old vine parts that are blended – from 5 to 45 years old, including a little pinot blanc in the older parcel.’ 15% new oak.
Some concentration of ripe fruit, plus a suggestion of barrel in the aromas. Supple, nicely concentrated but a wine that’s more about fresh energy, which is exactly how I like my white Savigny!

Domaine Dubreuil-Fontaine

Christine Gruere-Dubreuil
18 rue Rameau Lamarosse
21420 Pernand-Vergelesses
Tel: +33 3 80 21 55 43
www.dubreuil-fontaine.com

From fine, to must buy!

I asked Christine Gruère-Dubreuil if she had been affected by the frost this year: “The worst was the night of 05 April. We certainly had some damage, but not too much. 13 April was also difficult but less-so.”

2017 Pernand-Vergelesses Clos Berthet
Bottled in January.
A tight nose, faintly reductive. Wide, slightly structural, fine weight and depth to this open flavour. Structural but lovely finishing. This needs time but I like the strictness that it shows. Yum!

2016 Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Ile des Vergelesses
More colour here. Also a little more reduction here versus the last. Round, lovely energy and a fine complexity – ooh that’s good, but today it is showing a lot of reductive character too – so carafe! But there’s a lovely depth of complex finishing flavour – its super here.

2016 Corton-Bressandes
Plenty of aromatic volume here, with only the merest accent of reduction. Drive, energy, some herb in this complexity but with added weight of flavour too. Melting, impressive finishing. Ooh, this will be super in a year or 5…

Domaine Rois Mages

Anne-Sophie Debavelaere – her son Felix, 34, makes the wine today.
21 rue des Buis
71150 Rully
Tel: +33 3 85 48 65 64

All delicious!

2016 Rully 1er Les Cailloux
‘We aim for fruit – 2016 helped! This was destemmed but I like to keep some stems to help drainage.’
Lots of colour. Hmm, a nice volume of floral aroma. Hmm (again), drive, freshness, vibrating flavour, lovely, long, narrow but completely delicious flavour.

2016 Beaune 1er Les Sceaux
Pronounced sew
Lots of colour again. Quite a big nose, slightly herbed like a Savigny. Lovely shape and style in the mouth – delicious too. Ooh, that’s so good. The nose could be more interesting, but this wine’s completely delicious.

2016 Rully 1er Les Cailloux Blanc
The only parcel not frosted in 2019!
Both tight but also clearly with some concentration. Supple, lively but still concentrated, lovely over the palate – deliciously mineral. Long tasty wine.

2016 Rully Blanc
An assembly of many parcels, less than a third of a normal yield.
Also tight but here showing a pure freshness to the aroma. Drive and energy in the mouth – more an intensity than an overt concentration. But delicious.

2017 Rully Plante Moraine Blanc
A little more freshness and volume to the aroma. Big, vibrant, maybe a suggestion of oak, but really the smallest accent. This is open, energetic, pure and completely delicious – I’d drink it ahead of the 16s in terms of readiness.

Domaine Caroline Bellavoine

Caroline Bellavoine
2 rue de Nyon
71510 Saint Sernin du Plain
Tel: +33 36 65 06 26 50

Lowly labels but consistently great wines – bravo!

Caroline’s domaine is in the Hautes Côtes, close to Maranges:

2017 Bourgogne Rouge
Modest colour. A modest weight of aroma too, but with an attractive sweetness. Hmm, plenty of impact in the mouth, with lovely depth of flavour +/- this is not overtly sweet but there’s a super depth of flavour.

2016 Bourgogne Rouge
Just a little more colour. A tiny touch of reduction, so less inviting than the 2017. More intensity and depth to the flavour though – actually, here is a lovely vibration of finishing flavour, and it’s more concentrated too. Nicely floral finishing. Impressive and actually quite a baby.

Domaine du Duc de Magenta

Abbaye de Morgeot
21190 Chassagne-Montrachet
Tel: +33 3 85 82 09 86

Some oak showing here, but still very tasty wines – their 1969 shows what we are missing today with Chassagne Rouge!

2017 Bourgogne Blanc
From Les Houllières in Puligny
A nice blend of both concentration and energy to the nose. Nice density and purity of fruit. That’s a lovely energy and complexity – yum!

2017 Puligny-Montrachet Les Houllières
A big waft of oak here. The palate is fresh, complex, energetic though – yes a little creme brulee but not the oak impact of the nose. It’s very tasty wine indeed.

2017 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Abbaye de Morgeot
Hmm, not so much oak here. In the mouth, there’s lots of scale, lots of minerality, a faint noisette, and a fine drive of flavour. Excellent – this is really a great finish!

1969 Chassagne-Montrachet Rouge
Bright, vibrant. Big in the mouth, tasty, delicious, full of energy, bright but far from aggressive energy. A privilege!

Manoir du Capucin

Chloé Bayon
22 rue Cache Poupons
71960 Fuissé
Tel: +33 385 35 87 74
www.manoirducapucin.com

A new name to me but with some seriously great wines!

Manoir du Capucin have some vines in St.Veran, but more in Pouilly-Fuissé. Chloé’s grandparents were dentists who bought land in Pouilly-Fuissé. Today the domaine stands at 9 hectares and almost 4 will be classed as 1er cru.

2016 Pouilly-Fuissé Cuvée Sensation
Multiple parcels, all with tank elevage
A tight, slightly stony nose. Concentrated, with good depth of flavour and growing, mouth-watering, flavour panorama.

2017 Pouilly-Fuissé Aux Morlays
Wide, more concentrated and tighter – both above and below. Nice volume in the mouth, vibrant, good complexity and no obvious oak – super

Domaine Brigitte Berthelemot

Brigitte Berthelemot
24 rue des Forges
BP 3008
21190 Meursault
Tel: + 33 3 80 21 68 61

Some oak showing here, but still very tasty wines – a fine address.

Brigitte on the 2019 frost: “The frost of 4-5 April caused some damage in Puligny and Chassagne, but not in the reds.”

2016 Monthelie
Two ‘complimentary’ parcels one with the structure, the other the fruit.
Good colour. A nice depth of faintly herbed aroma – some concentration here. Mouth-filling, delicious, concentrated wine. This is excellent, just a slight reductive suggestion in the mid-palate. But super!

2017 Beaune 1er Grèves
A little more freshness of red fruit, though less volume or rather weight of aroma. Hmm, lovely energy and volume of flavour. Lots of mobile, delicious middle and finishing flavour – the profound side of Grèves? – No – the delicious side – absolutely!

2017 Pommard Noizons
They make two cuvées of Pommard as they have 2 hectares. This the older vine cuvée – in 2017 kept some stems in the fermentation.
A more composed but wide nose – tighter depth. A touch of oak flavour, but there is a playful depth of concentrated, delicious, flavour. The oak is certainly in plain view so I’d wait a couple of years, but this us super.

2017 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Abbaye de Morgeot Rouge
Plenty of oak on the nose but it remains wide and very interesting. Plenty of purity, volume, and open energy. This is super, though always accented by the oak, but also (always) completely delicious too. Excellent wine.

2009 Meursault Tillets
A little fumé touch to this nose. Fine shape in the mouth, fresh, long, lots of concentration but also with a fine freshness for the vintage. Long finishing. A treat – completely delicious.

Domaine Patrick Javillier

Marion Javillier
9 rue des Forges
21190 Meursault
Tel: + 33 3 80 21 27 87
www.patrickjavillier.com

The whites are more than good, but despite their lighter colour, here are a gorgeous pair of reds!

2017 Meursault Clos du Cromin
Hmm, that’s got a lovely freshness – such a very attractive nose. Bright, big, but full of delicious flavour. Simply excellent in 2017…

Domaine Taupenot-Merme

Virginie Taupenot
33 route des Grands Crus
21220 Morey St.Denis
Tel: +33 6 10 18 84 82

Virginie poured a simply delicious group of wines!

2017 St.Romain Red
Plenty of colour. A little touch of sucrosity to the fresh, forward, fruit. Open, layered – ooh that’s so good! Open completely delicious pinot but with concentration and depth of flavour. Yes!

2017 Morey St.Denis 1er La Riotte
A good aromatic width of stony red fruit, tighter below. More energy but also more structure for this wine – in comparison to the last, worth having a little more patience with, but frankly it’s already delicious!

2017 Mazoyeres-Chambertin
A little depth of reduction here, but actually a fine if subtle fruit behind – almost a textural width of aroma. The reduction’s in the flavour too, but so are many other complexities – including a bit of oak. Complex, fine wait a couple of years, but this is a lovely wine.

Domaine La Croix Montjoie

Sophie Woillez
50 Grand Rue
89450 Tharoiseau
Tel: +33 3 86 32 40 94
www.lacroixmontjoie.com

Just one wine tasted from Sophie as I had tasted her 3 cuvées of Vézelay here – but it was a nice one!

2017 Irancy
All pinot
Hmm – a fine and invitingly fresh nose. Volume, complexity – fine balance and a touch of pinot tannin. So yum!

Domaine Comte Senard

Lorraine Senard Pereira
1 rue des Chaumes
21420 Aloxe-Corton
Tel: +33 3 80 26 40 73
www.domainesenard.com

A fabulous first wine. Not bad thereafter, too!

2013 Corton Clos du Roi
Hmm – more density of aroma but with freshness too. Plenty of mouth-filling volume, energetic, beautifully complex. Ooh, that’s super – mouth-wateringly mineral finishing. Excellent.

2009 Corton Clos des Meix
An open nose, if slightly diffuse, sweet red fruit of some development. The palate is more interesting than the nose with both depth of flavour and freshness of energy. Modestly developed flavour with a fine mineral finish. Lovely…

Au Pied de Mont Chauve

Francine Picard
5 rue du Château
21190 Chassagne-Montrachet
Tel: +33 3 80 21 98 57

This selection of wines are all in a great place!

2015 Chassagne-Montrachet En Pimont Blanc
A nice vibration of aroma – it’s inviting. Big in the mouth, vibrantly flavoured – a blend of mineral and ripe fruit aspects. This is both delicious and long.

2015 St.Aubin 1er Pitangerets
A little vibration of reduction here. A little extra sweetness and depth of flavour too. Fresh, energetic, and like the nose, the flavour is slightly reductive, but excellent and sweet finishing.

2014 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Les Vergers
Here’s a lovely width of freshness. Direct, mineral long, complex and completely tasty, fine, wine – direct and just so giving! Fabulous.

2016 Puligny-Montrachet 1er La Garenne
A broad width of aroma that’s accented with a modest, but attractive, sweetness. Drive and energy here – the concentration is a given but not a defining part of the wine. Long, melting, super wine.

Domaine Sophie Cinier

Shopie Cinier
396 rue Adrien Arcelin
Champ Potard
71960 Fuissé
Tel: +33 3 85 35 66 41
www.domaine-sophiecinier.fr

The first wine was showing a little oak – the others simply showed beautifully!

I asked Sophie about any damage from the frost this year: “About 1/3rd is at least 30% damaged by the frost, it was the bottom of the slopes which were the more humid that were damaged.”

2017 Pouilly-Fuissé Collection
A single parcel but old vines, barrel elevage but none new.Y
Hmm – wide, good volume, if a very slightly fumé nose. Big, fresh, lots of open energy. Ooh, that’s directly very fine. A little fumé in the finish too but mainly saline and mineral finishing.

2016 Pouilly-Fuissé Vers Cras
A wide and fresh nose, a little tight though. Ooh, depth of concentration here, finely textured. Longer today, more in the direction of caramel, but still no overt barrel impression – this is super!

Domaine Château de Vinzelles

Françoise de Lostende
71680 Vinzelles
Tel: +33 6 07 11 43 88

I’ve tasted the wines from here, chez Drouhin, for the last few years – I think I prefer the wine from the domaine direct though!

2016 Pouilly-Vinzelles Cuvée Vaubin
Hmm, a nice freshness to this nose – it’s inviting. Supple, concentrated, really a good drive to this flavour and great concentration too. This is delicious.

2015 Pouilly-Vinzelles Cuvée Vaubin
Same parcel as the first wine
A concentrated nose, still fresh, but perhaps less elegant nose. Big in the mouth, fresh, very mineral, ingraining flavour if almost forced. I prefer the more composed last wine. Great intensity!

2015 Pouilly-Vinzelles Climat Les Pétaux
A more composed nose, almost a floral hint in this one. Big, very mineral, lots of flavour and flavour density. Fresh, long, impressive…

Domaine Jean-Pierre Bony

Fabienne Bony
5 rue de Vosne
21700 Nuits St.Georges
Tel: +33 3 80 61 16 02

In this selection, modest to good wines.

2017 Côte de Nuits Villages Les Chaillots
A single parcel in Les Chaillots, all destemmed.
Plenty of colour. A little herb in the mix, but also fine clarity and depth of fruit. Hmm, that’s nice – pretty, with bubbling energy and complexity, nicely finishing too. Very tasty wine.

2017 Nuits St.Georges Les Damodes
The domaine has more than 3 hectares of vines in this ‘villages’ area.
This nose seems a little stewed. In the mouth there’s good vibrance to the flavour, and energy too – nothing that reflects the nose. Yum!

2017 Vosne-Romanée
An understated but certainly a nicer nose than the last. Plenty of presence in the mouth – energetic and delicious wine, very good too!

2014 Nuits St.Georges 1er Les Pruliers
More modest colour. Hmm, there’s already a little leafy development here. Direct, more drive and acidity, the structure in middle a little less controlled – I might say unruly – but the flavour is good, exciting even! A wine I could still happily drink.

Domaines Courtault & Michelet

Stéphanie Michelet
1 rue de Montfort
89800 Lignorelles
Tel: +33 3 86 47 50 59
www.chablis-courtault-michelet.com

Solid wines before a treat – an absolute treat!

2017 Jean-Claude Courtault, Bourgogne Epineuil Côte de Grisey
All hand-harvested, triage at the vines.
Medium colour. Lots of depth of aroma with fresh top notes and a little floral note too. Hmm, that’s really rather concentrated – fresh, depth of flavour – Yum!

2018 Michelet, Petit Chablis
A little rigour on the nose. Mouth-filling and energetic. Slowly relaxing over the palate. Tastier and tastier as you spend time with it.

2016 Chablis 1er Beauroy
A nicely vibrant nose – this is very attractive. Driving minerality, it’s clearly too young, but like the last wine, it relaxes over the palate becoming ever-more accommodating. Lovely, a fresh and intense finish – excellent here.

2015 Chablis Blanchots
A nose with a modest volume of aroma, but with fine, fresh, width. Driving, in the mouth, all citrus and mineral. Good, worthy grand cru!

1989 Chablis
The third vintage vinified by Jean-Claude – from only 9-year-old vines opposite Vaulignots.
A very young colour. A smoky, mineral nose with a little lanolin. Big, mineral, fresh, complex. Ooh, what a beautifully preserved wine – why can’t they all last like this. It’s a treat to finish the day!