2017 St Aubin, Les Combes, 1er Cru, Jean-Marc Vincent, Burgundy

Domaine Jean-Marc Vincent

Domaine Jean-Marc Vincent is a family-owned wine producer based in Burgundy, France and is known for producing high-quality wines from the renowned wine regions of Meursault and Santenay. The domaine is named after its founder, Jean-Marc Vincent, who has been responsible for its success and reputation.

Meursault is famous for its white wines, particularly Chardonnay, and is considered one of the most prestigious appellations in Burgundy. Santenay, on the other hand, is primarily known for its red wines, although it also produces some whites.

Domaine Jean-Marc Vincent is known for its traditional winemaking approach, focusing on terroir expression and allowing each vineyard’s unique characteristics to shine through in the wines. They often use oak barrels for aging, which can impart subtle nuances to the final product.

Auxey-Duresses

A small village in a side valley off the Côte de Beaune, with a slightly cooler local climate making for a more austere style of Burgundy. Nonetheless this can be an excellent source of relatively inexpensive wine in warmer years, or from top producers. At the moment production is about 75:25 red to white. The reds can age well, while the whites can have a most attractive minerality.

• 138 hectares of village Auxey-Duresses
• 32 hectares of Premier Cru vineyards (nine in all), the best being Les Duresses
• Recommended producers:  Comte Armand (red), Fichet (white)

Chardonnay

Chardonnay is often seen as the king of white wine grapes and one of the most widely planted in the world It is suited to a wide variety of soils, though it excels in soils with a high limestone content as found in Champagne, Chablis, and the Côte D`Or.

Burgundy is Chardonnay's spiritual home and the best White Burgundies are dry, rich, honeyed wines with marvellous poise, elegance and balance. They are unquestionably the finest dry white wines in the world. Chardonnay plays a crucial role in the Champagne blend, providing structure and finesse, and is the sole grape in Blanc de Blancs.

It is quantitatively important in California and Australia, is widely planted in Chile and South Africa, and is the second most widely planted grape in New Zealand. In warm climates Chardonnay has a tendency to develop very high sugar levels during the final stages of ripening and this can occur at the expense of acidity. Late picking is a common problem and can result in blowsy and flabby wines that lack structure and definition.

Recently in the New World, we have seen a move towards more elegant, better- balanced and less oak-driven Chardonnays, and this is to be welcomed.