less obvious body and depth. Of course, the big guns show more power, but discreetly. Suchots certainly shows lithe body and structure, particularly from old vines, while being less muscular and more accessible than typical. Suchot’s rose- petal aromatics and sensuality can take a decade to show, but not this year. The grands crus were forthcoming,


too. There is an airiness and luminosity to Richebourg this vintage, while Romanée- St-Vivant carries on haunting perfume. Overall, a good vintage for more


accessible Vosne-Romanée, and the quality is consistent.


Nuits-St-Georges In Nuits-St-Georges, style and quality are variable. Generally quite light, some are lean, others are rather stalky and herbaceous. I found myself selecting fewer Nuit-St-Georges when tasting with producers who make wine from several villages. But Domaine Jean Chauvenet has turned out a very good set this vintage. Their focus is Nuits, and it shows. South-side Nuits is fruity and approachable, supple, and inviting. With lighter body, less matter, and lighter tannins, they are more “tender” so can feel soft, lacking the essential forthright personality of south Nuits-St-Georges. Les Cailles stood out for its fine texture, but Les St Georges was a little disappointing, with no wow factor. Perhaps I preferred the north side, where the higher-sited premiers crus caught my attention. Damodes is lively, frosty, and floral. Les Cras is straight, pure, and racy. They shimmied across the palate. It’s a good vintage to show these more refined terroirs. Aux Thorey lies on limestone at the end of the combe, facing southeast, where it is cooler in the morning but warms during the day and benefits from the setting sun. In hotter vintages you don’t see the lighter mineral character, but it’s apparent this vintage.


Around the Hill of Corton White grands crus here are strong and can be austere. They are compact, with savory tension, more so than reds, which are more seductive, fluid, and smoothly textured than you might suppose. Taste Corton-Vergennes in red and white from Château de Meursault, and you’ll see. From the colder west-facing side, En Charlemagne is keen, lean, and focused. Budding was later, and some took a full


crop, though it required sorting for botrytis. East-facing Corton-Charlemagne combines richness with purity, but is also quite austere and sapid in 2021. The high-sited lieu-dit Languettes shows muscle from Bouchard’s marly parcel, while Drouhin’s is straight and salty. Corton reds are less grippy and compact than the whites and have inviting fruit and supple texture, varying from satin to velvet. They are instantly reflective of their terroir, while the whites will need longer to come around. Maréchaudes is plump and smooth, a touch chunky but charming, while Bressandes is more streamlined, with a richer satin texture. Rognet follows suit, with a supple, rather polished feel, but firmer in structure than Bressandes, which is unusual as it’s typically quite robust. Clos du Roi shows its class in structure, presence, and refinement of texture. The Corton reds put on a rather good show. Pernand-Vergelesses shows its colder,


sappier face, which I enjoy, without the whiplash of a high-acid vintage. They are approachable and energetic. The reds have crisper but lighter tannins than average. Village wines are light-bodied and crunchy, with a certain twang. Premiers crus are rather friendly; more savory than fruity. A touch angular from Caradeux, in white as well as red. There is cool-toned, supple Les Vergelesses; more refinement from Île. The whites have stone fruit, fresh cut, and cold sapidity. I really enjoyed the energetic whites, even more than the reds.


Beaune and Savigny-lès-Beaune Here there is plentiful, bright, fresh fruit. Even in a cooler vintage, I prefer the energy from colder village parcels, but those from the flat are very pleasant and easygoing. Careful extraction has produced light-tannin red premiers crus. Not so long ago, such a vintage would deliver green and unattractive Savigny, while most were very attractive if quite simple, focusing on fruit and freshness. Conversely, Beaune reds lean into their soft side. Beaune has showed well in recent vintages, but I failed to find such excitement in 2021. Most of the reds are gentle, often open and airy, and notably aromatic from clay and limestone soils, though the latter are bolstered with some sapidity. Teurons produced some of my favorite wine in 2021. For intensity, balance, and refinement, Grèves should be


the most reliable premier cru in Beaune, but in 2021, while there were some good examples, I had too many underwhelming wines to recommend it generally. The Bouchard Père & Fils Grèves


and Vignes de l’Enfant Jésus are on form, however, as are the 100-year-old vines from Lafarge. Generally, I prefer Beaune whites this year, and among the most attractive is Seguin-Manuel’s Beaune Clos des Mouches.


Pommard Approach Pommard with caution, and buy from the best producers. Careful extraction was necessary to avoid rusticity, particularly from vineyards that catch the cool of the combe, such as Arvelets. Quality and style vary. My tastings revealed the difficulties of making convincing Pommard in 2021, with quality and style varying. On one hand, rough and ready; on the other, light and polite. Clearly, the latter is preferable, but by taking the foot off the gas, many wines bypass Pommard’s essential character. Rugiens illustrates the advances that have been made in producing elegant Pommard, even in a classic year where tannins can be pronounced. Rugiens Haut showed more refinement than austerity. Clerget, who destems, has made a delicate wine, though I’m not sure I would not recognize it as Rugiens; it felt more like Chanlins. Ben Leroux’s Rugiens fizzles, and Bouchard’s refined example has barely a sniff of austerity; you’d be hard-pressed to spot the whole-bunch. Both are good examples. In Rugiens Bas, the clay and iron would usually turn out wine of more substance, but it seems quite light and delicate in 2021. Brian Sieve at Domaine de Montille also used plenty of whole- bunch. He told me, “You needed to wait for ripeness and to be careful.” But for overall quality and style, I was happiest tasting Epenots. Whatever the vintage—and I’ve been tasing it from barrel since 2003—and however it is made, Epenots is consistently more debonair, while the terroir expression of Rugiens seems more subject to fashion and vintage. This vintage accentuates its more sophisticated style; try Château de Meursault’s Epenots for refinement and silky texture. With extensive holdings in Pommard, this domaine is fine-tuning its Pommard terroir. Meurgey-Croses has made a sleek Epenots—and this from purchased grapes.


THE WORLD OF FINE WINE | ISSUE 79 | 2023 | 175


2021 BURGUNDY: INTRODUCTION


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