tasting / laying down / 2021 Burgundy
and intension. A touch of tannin on the finish. What’s not to like? Snappy white Fixin. Spot-on. 2023–25. | 85–86
St-Aubin Premier Cru En Remilly
Gentle aroma of litchee, and the lightly exotic theme continues with pineapple on the palate. Quite concentrated. A bit exotic and lacking a little energy, but the finish is well-supported by the sappy oak tannin. 2024–28. | 85–86
Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
Overtly oaky aroma; vanilla, Brazil nut, and cappuccino. Slightly exotic fruit to boot. Rich attack, concentrated, savory, rich marzipan and a buttery texture. Very showy. Good depth mid-palate. The oak comes through with freshness on the finish, which is rather well-sustained with sweet saltiness. Not bad at all. 2027–35. | 96
Red Nuit-St-Georges Premier Cru Les Pruliers
Dark, woodland aroma and an earthy palate. Leathery, chunky tannins, with notes of licorice in this beefy palate. Full-bodied and robust, with decent follow-through, this shows good terroir typicité. 2025–33. | 92
Pommard Premier Cru Les Arvelet
Ripe blueberry fruit, with some oak giving vanilla and cinnamon notes and creaminess to the palate. An agreeable, smooth-textured Arvelets, very relaxed, with some tannic bite to the end of the modest finish providing balancing freshness. 2025–29. | 90–91
DOMAINE JEAN CHAUVENET “A very red-fruit vintage, except in Vaucrains, and the acidity makes it very energetic. Not a heavy vintage,” remarks Christophe Drag, who used a slightly shorter vatting this year. When the density reached 1010, he just pushed the cap under. As ever, no stems. A super-reliable domaine.
Nuits-St-Georges Lavières
Perfumed, red-fruit and red rose-petal aroma. Silky swath on the palate. Slightly peppery tannins. Delicate and precise, and so pure on the finish. 2025–28. | 90
Nuits-St-Georges Premier Cru Les Bousselots
Six barrels rather than the usual 11. 35hl/ha. Mid- slope, so not as impacted as Damodes. Spicy aroma of cherries and cinnamon. Succulent and generous. Quite plump on the mid-palate, with lush depth of texture and muscle, while being lively, bright, and fresh to finish. 2026–32. | 92
Nuits-St-Georges Premier Cru Les Damodes
Very impacted by the frost. Just two barrels. High-toned, upright blueberry aroma. Juicy attack. Good intensity and supple-suede texture. Lively
188 | THE WORLD OF FINE WINE | ISSUE 79 | 2023
sweetness and acidity come together on the finish. Focused and energetic. A lighter and delightful NSG. Spot-on. 2026–32. | 92–93
Nuits-St-Georges Premier Cru Les Perrières
Uptoned aroma with garden herbs. Such a silky texture on this refined and elegant NSG. Lively fluidity and delicacy. Light, minty note. A Nuits of fine aroma and texture. Wait for the minerality to come through with some bottle age. So stylish. 2026–33. | 94
Nuits-St-Georges Premier Cru Rue de Chaux
Rue de Chaux shows the terroir impression exactly the same way each year. A southeast exposure but it has the cold draught of the combe. Always small berries, with millerandage. Red soils, with pieces of iron, 16–20 inches (40–50cm) above the bedrock. Always very consistent, and better in this respect than Vaucrains, thinks Christophe. Both climats have clay and get muddy in the topsoil in a vintage like 2021, but in Vaucrains the oolitic limestone appears at 6–8 inches (15–20cm). Spicy, dark- forest fruits. It is straight, channeled, and savory on the palate. Neatly edged. Elegant. Slate, smoke, and quartz on the finish. 2026–32. | 92–93
Nuits-St-Georges Premier Cru Les Vaucrains
Only half the normal production, four of eight barrels. Intense aroma, with red fruit and black pepper. Satin-textured. It is deep and dense, with a firm core enveloped in sweet succulence of fruit. Lithe muscularity. A persistent and smoky graphite finish. 2026–35. | 95
EDOUARD DELAUNAY White Meursault
Ripe citrus and almond aroma, probably from the oak. Also quite light, but slightly rounded, creamily textured; buttery, with a hint of marzipan richness. It has a sharp mineral note to finish. 2024–26. | 88
Puligny-Montrachet
High-toned aroma, with aniseed, delicate citrus, and elderflower notes. Light-bodied, straight palate, with some vibrancy. An edgy, bitter-lemon, pithy finish. Just a touch steely. 2024–26. | 88
Red Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru
Marsannay En Combereau Upright red-cherry aroma. Perky, fresh, and rather vibrant. Slim body. Crunchy tannins and a light bite to finish. 2023–28. | 85–86
Morey-St-Denis Premier Cru Les Millandes
Blueberry fruit. Lightish, fresh, and tart on the attack, with a hint of astringency. Somewhat
A broad and generous palate. Concentrated, deep, juicy, and vigorous. Expressive and inviting. Quite vivacious on the long finish. 2027–35. | 96
Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
From Le Corton, east-facing, which lost 70–80%. This is strong, austere, and straight. Powerful and slightly severe. Long, savory, sparse finish. 2026–35. | 94–95
herbaceous on the palate, but it is tangy and energetic. The tannins are quite fine, and just the right side of green. 2024–28. | 88
Nuits-St-Georges Premier Cru Aux Argillas
The oak rather dominates in the purple spice aroma and on the palate. But it has plenty of sappy freshness and a cool, bright line. There is a lean, edgy, finely textured, and elegant wine fighting to get out. Decent finish, with sapid chalky minerality. Not bad. 2026–30+. | 92
Pommard Premier Cru Les Chaponnières
Spicy, black-fruit and pepper aroma. Full-bodied and punchy personality. I like the vigorous freshness. It’s rounded through the middle, with a herbal, fresh thyme bitterness on the finish. 2026–30. | 90–91
Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru
Full-bodied and lightly muscular, with smooth, sweet tannins and plenty of summer fruit on the mid-palate. It’s well-mannered and rather polished. Silky graphite freshness supports the palate and extends the finish. A polite Clos de Vougeot. 2027–35. | 94–95
DOMAINE AND MAISON
JOSEPH FAIVELEY The domaine vineyards in Nuits-St-Georges are managed organically. The difficult 2021 vintage convinced Erwan Faiveley to convert the whole domaine to organic production. He recalls, “We burned candles, one per vine, in Bâtard– Montrachet for three nights. It worked, but we couldn’t do it everywhere. It is very expensive. We used a little more oak than usual. The more tannic the vintage, the less oak we use; and in the less tannic vintages, we use more.” “The vintage that first comes to my mind is
2007. Conceptually, very aromatic and very light in tannins, and very well-balanced. I am very optimistic about the 2021 vintage, even if it is not a vintage to put aside for your grandchildren. I expect we will have drunk all of our 2021s before the 2015s and 2016s, but it will give a lot of pleasure.”
White Meursault Premier Cru Blagny
Lemon and white peach. Vivid and flighty; the straight, crisp, and light palate shimmers with minerals. 2024–30. | 92
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