Batard--Montrachet

Around 30 percent down due to frost this year, this is a wine of wonderful purity and elegance, from the delicate, peach and citrus-scented nose through to the fine, precise and mineral palate. There is still an underlying sensation of brooding power which will no doubt open out to fill the palate, and a lovely finish of toasty oak. Drink 2023-2033.
Adam Bruntlett, Burgundy Buyer

At 115 hectares, Domaine Joseph Faiveley is one of the biggest domaines in Burgundy. The company has been based in Nuits-St Georges since the days of Pierre Faiveley who founded the business in 1825. His son Joseph gave his name to the family business, to be followed by the first François, Georges who helped found the Chevaliers du Tastevin, Guy who developed the business in the Côte Chalonnaise, François who has retired and now his son Erwan, born in 1979. The change of generation has dynamised the business: there’s been a notable expansion of vineyards, including Domaines Annick Parent, Monnot and Matrot- Wittersheim in the Côte de Beaune, as well as Dupont-Tisserandot (Gevrey) and Billaud- Simon (Chablis). Old-style Faiveley wines could be massively tannic at the expense of the fruit. From 2007 the wines are much fresher and fruitier, yet with real intensity. Harvest began on the 22nd September in the Côte de Beaune, taking an unusually long three weeks to ensure everything was fully ripe. In terms of frost damage, the Côte de Beaune was worst-hit, along with some Gevrey parcels, but where there was no frost damage, the yields were good. Stylistically, the red wines have seen slightly less whole-bunch than in 2015, and the wines continue in the new, more elegant style. The feeling is that 2016 reds are fresher and crunchier than 2015, while Erwan suggests that the white wines have the potential to be better than 2014.

Gagnard's Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru shows a powerful nose with delicate peach notes which lead to amazing intensity, building brilliantly to the back of the palate. This wine is a huge mouthful, with tannins from the new wood helping to complete the structure

Only 2.5 barrels were made. Its bouquet is very dense but exceptionally backward, as befits a Grand Cru. On the palate, the fruit absolutely swells, with a very engaging lime mineral thread while all the expected weight remains in superb balance. This is incredibly persistent.

“This is definitely the best vintage I have made in white,” says Benjamin. “The wines have great vineyard definition; I would just have loved to have made more. It is my style of vintage.” His reds, too, have gorgeous layers of ripe fruit, so 2014 is clearly a significant success all round for Benjamin.

Further cuvées are available from Benjamin and can be found at www.bbr. com/burgundy2014. Note – all the white wines will be bottled under top-quality screwcaps, StelvinLux Plus.

From a prime plot of Bâtard with old vines producing regular very small grapes, this is pale and bright in colour, with a magical intensity of chiselled Chardonnay fruit on the nose, it opens out gloriously on the palate, with a little touch of coconut, to very complex, ripe fruit notes but dominated by stone fruit. There is a sense of vibrancy throughout, while layers of fruit keep building in the mouth.
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Wine Director

This superb domaine grows in reputation and also in size: this year sees the first vintage of Nuits-St Georges, Clos de Thorey. Look out for even further additions in the next two years. Winemaker Pierre Vincent’s style is for lighter colours and very sensual wines and he has done a cracking job again in 2012; a vintage which supported the plentiful use of whole bunch fermentation. The domaine is certified organic and fully biodynamic.

With hints of coconut on the nose and an endless stream of flavours on the palate, this Btard-Montrachet Grand Cru from Domaine Faiveley is precise and well balanced too. It will be very attractive in youth but will age gracefully.

This is a new vineyard for Domaine de la Vougeraie, where forty year old vines yielded four barrels of wonderful juice from 0.20ha. The nose offers weight, but as yet no detail, and by gosh it is fabulous on the palate. It is a huge rich mouthful of fruit, with a deeply impressive and absolutely endless finish.
Jasper Morris MW, Berrys' Burgundy Director

Pierre Vincent’s reputation has been blossoming over the last few vintages, as critic’s rate his wines increasingly highly and repeated success at the International Wine Challenge has been rewarded with the Len Evans Trophy for consistency over 5 years. Pierre is looking to major on delicacy while building persistence, to which end the new oak component is being reduced and the whole bunch fermentation percentage increased. The Vougeraie 2011s were picked over 12 days, beginning on the 31st August.

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Picked in the sunshine on 28th September, this is a pale, clear yellow, with smoky reduction on some very classy fruit. A huge wealth of multi-layered fruit in the mouth, with exceptional vivacity and a fabulously long finish. Superb in the creamy density of its finish.
Jasper Morris MW - Wine Buyer

The plot is superbly sited within Bâtard and with very old vines. Picked 26th September because it was ripe early, the wine is a fine, pale yellow, with a heavenly fragrance of white peaches, pears, and a touch of buttery banana. A huge, magical mouthful, with a vibrant mineral thread. Really gorgeous.
Jasper Morris, MW - Wine Buyer

The harvest began with whites on 26th September, before the rain, then the reds were brought in during less good weather, with sorting necessary. The stems were ripe enough to allow for whole bunch vinification, and Pierre has chosen the soft pedal in 2013: not much punching down, more an infusion approach, less new wood and perhaps a shorter time in barrel. Pierre can see some elements of 2008 but with more weight, more flattering wines overall.

Only two barrels were made this vintage, so it saw 50 percent new oak. This is built for the long term, and aged reductively to minimise the use of SO2. It has very good precision for a Bâtard, which can sometimes be quite big-boned. This still has the trademark richness and weight, but also has some fine contrapuntal notes of quince and spice. Drink 2022-2030.
Adam Bruntlett, Burgundy Buyer

Based in Premeaux, just south of Nuits-St Georges, Domaine de la Vougeraie was created in 1999 when Jean-Claude Boisset decided to group together all the vineyard holdings of the various négociant companies he had acquired over the years. Pascal Marchand was put in charge in 1999, with Bernard Zito in the vineyards, which are farmed biodynamically. Pascal produced powerful wines, fairly heavily extracted in his early vintages but clearly moving to a softer style by 2004. The wines have subsequently been made by Pierre Vincent who has maintained the more delicate approach. Top-quality vineyards continue to be added, especially Grand Cru whites in recent vintages. This is Pierre Vincent’s last vintage, as he is now installed at Domaine Leflaive. Vougeraie is very happy with this year’s result, another domaine to call the vintage “très Bourguigonne”, meaning that the precision and purity of the fruit means this is more terroir-focused than 2015’s broader and more intense style. They are also very happy with the way the frosted and non-frosted vines finally ripened homogenously, giving much of the credit to their biodynamic culture. Given the health of the berries, a lot of whole bunches were used at fermentation.