Saint Aubin

Situated in a valley between Puligny- and Chassagne-Montrachet, Saint-Aubin has long been one of the best-kept secrets of Burgundy insiders, but has recently risen to be considered alongside its more famous neighbours, due in no small part to the effects of global warming meaning the wines are now more juicy and approachable.

Borthers Jean-Baptiste and Benoît Bachelet recently took over the running of the estate from their father and have set about making lots of small improvements which add up to a big jump in quality. Derrière la Tour literally refers to the vineyard’s position behind the fortified tower in the hamlet of Gamay, which is currently occupied by the mayor of Beaune.

The vineyard’s south-facing aspect provides soft, plummy fruit whilst the valley location gives a balancing freshness and careful oak maturation adds a smoky, spicy edge to the floral aromas. A versatile wine which would pair well with charcuterie and barbecue food. 
Adam Bruntlett - Wine Buyer

Coming from old vines and small bunches that remained free from rot, this is bright purple and very clean with a ripe and vibrant nose. There is very good tension to this, some firm tannins, a lovely crunch at the back and fine, ripe fruit which emerges at the finish.

Olivier Lamy went through his red vineyards three times before the 2014 harvest to remove any damaged berries, which especially posed a risk on the clay soils. The white crop, meanwhile, was superb, with healthy grapes and a respectable yield; picking began on 12th September. Olivier notes excellent definition between the different terroirs, which he says is typical of a cooler year. He plans to give the whites a slightly longer élevage than usual, while using minimal new oak, about 10 percent for the Premiers Crus. Drink 2018-2022

From 50 year old vines on the lower slopes.  Dense purple, the nose is ripe and plummy. Very good deep volume of fruit yet also with crunchy acidity. A bracing, invigorating, pinot from St Aubin. 
Jasper Morris, MW - Wine Buyer

En Remillys usual forceful personality and solid structure shows on the weighty, ripe nose of this wine. It needs more time to show at its bright best, but the length shows an early mark of quality.
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Director

Olivier Lamy decided on an unusually early start of 14th September in 2010, having closely monitored the ripeness of his grapes. He has also significantly reduced the amount of new oak this year, preferring to use one year old barrels from the plentiful 2009 vintage. He now has a substantial barrel park of 600 litre demi-muids to draw from. Olivier is not a fan of lees stirring: his style is for pure, precise concentrated wines.

The vines on this small east-facing parcel give tiny grapes which ripen quickly, resulting in a St Aubin which is more aromatically open than its peers. There is a lovely band of steel running through the flesh, supported by notes of fresh apricots and refreshingly high acidity.
Jasper Morris MW, Berrys' Burgundy Director 2011 delivered a correctly sized crop in white wines but again a shortfall in red. Olivier Lamy feels that the poor weather in August was, in fact, helpful as it preserved freshness in a very precocious year. Olivier has renewed his barrel cellar over the last few years, moving to the larger demi-muid size but, now this process has been achieved, the proportion of new oak has been reduced.

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Clear, bright and fresh with a little touch of gun-flint graphite, this is both tightly wound and enticing. An approachable and affordable St Aubin with energy and a fine, concentrated core.

Benoît and Jean-Baptiste Bachelet have made a great range of wines in 2014, though unfortunately they had another short-ish crop, similar to 2013 but lower in red. They adore the excellent fruit/acid balance, and the ripe fruit flavours without high alcohol levels. The wines will stay in barrel until the spring and will not be bottled until late July 2016.

From old vines of fine quality, in what may be St Aubin’s best vineyard, this is gorgeous. After a discreet nose, the palate is full of yellow plums, white peaches and some lemon notes with excellent density.

The progress we noted with the 2013 vintage here has been further developed with an excellent range of 2014 wines. Extra details apparent this year are the enhanced use of lees after racking and the minimal use of sulphur without risking oxidation. The Château de Puligny rises a further few notches up the ladder. Étienne de Montille notes that, in 2014, “there was super clean fruit and we could pick at leisure”.

Fine, pale and fresh in colour, there is a little touch of coconut on the nose. This has lovely tension and quite complex aromatics, with more white fruit than yellow. There is good weight through the middle and fine length. Drink 2018-2021.
Jasper Morris MW - Wine Buyer

The biodynamic Bachelet boys, Benoît and Jean-Baptiste, began picking on 3rd September, reporting  very good yields in white, close to the ideal, but down in red. The whites are superb again this year, scarcely showing any sense of heat, but enjoying excellent concentration with good balancing acidity. I would sign up for this every year, says Jean-Baptiste! As always, the wines will stay in barrel for nearly two years before bottling.

This is made from one old-vine block and one which has been top-grafted from red. Some gunflint, the wine has a tight, concentrated, mineral nose, not lush, but very classy and intense. The palate has tingling minerals with a huge weight of fruit behind, lively and impressive. The vintage worked really well here. Drink 2018-2023.
Jasper Morris MW, Wine Buyer

The harvest began on 28th August, with acceptable but still slightly low volumes, very similar to the immediately previous vintages. Already certified as organic, the château’s wines will also be certified (Biodivin) as biodynamic from 2017. This has become a seriously good address for white Burgundy in recent vintages. The 2015s have an excellent weight of fruit married to good acidity.