Hautes-Cotes-de Beaune

Perhaps because of its location in the sleepy village of Pernand-Vergelesses or the Rollin family’s modesty, this domaine continues to fly under the radar. The reins are gradually passing from Rémi Rollin to his son Simon, but the winemaking style remains hands-off, with the emphasis on high-quality fruit, picked in good time to ensure freshness, and vinified with minimal bâtonnage and discreet use of oak.

Rémi describes this as “dynamic” wine, and certainly its acidity and zesty lemon character provide a sense of energy. Most (80%) of the blend is raised in 400-litre oak barrels (none of them new), to add a touch of weight to the palate. The long, salty finish is something of a trademark for Domaine Rollin. Drink now to 2023.

The Clos de la Perrière is one of the outstanding sites of the Hautes Côtes de Beaune, facing south on stony and shallow soil. The nose has a lovely, lifted perfume which leads on to a textured palate packed with pure red-cherry fruit and dense tannins. This will truly hit its stride with a few years in bottle. Drink 2020-2024.

A short tour of one of Sébastien Magnien’s vineyards tells all you need to know about his philosophy; each vine is perfectly manicured, with not a leaf out of place.  This attention to detail is reflected in his wines, which are precise, steely and mineral. Sébastien’s choice of picking date is guided by acidity rather than sugar levels, putting the emphasis on freshness. He declared himself very happy with 2017, comparing the white wines to 2014 but with perhaps a touch more flavour ripeness, and praising the accessible, moreish character of the reds.

Jean-Yves has just under two hectares in the hills around Nantoux. Initially the style is as you would expect: fresh, linear and assertive. Slowly, however, the openness of the vintage becomes evident with a pleasing buttery texture, still supported by a lemony freshness. Drink 2020-2024.

It was a “normal” harvest here this year which, in Jean-Yves’s world, is still a relatively paltry 30hl/ha, due to his scrupulous organic and biodynamic vineyard management. Jean-Yves is increasingly interested in the role and importance of sulphur dioxide in a wine’s evolution. He found that a trial bottling made without SO2 had little expression of the vineyard, yet he finds that adding SO2 too early in the winemaking process makes the wines more fragile and prone to oxidation. A fine range from a reflective winemaker.

Good energy levels here, there is vivid fresh fruit which hovers between white and yellow; a plump, rounded body; excellent length; and enough acidity behind. It finishes with a particularly good aftertaste, sunshine in a glass. Drink 2018-2020.
Jasper Morris MW, Wine Buyer

With prices in Burgundy still rising, even if often for understandable reasons, the appellations Bourgogne Blanc and Bourgogne Rouge are great places to look for affordable wines. You get the opportunity to drink wine from a top winemaker, from vines which are adjacent to the famous villages, and which will be accessible earlier. The 2005 Bourgognes Rouges are still delicious and youthful more than 10 years later, but most wines have been drinking well for a few years now. 

From a parcel known as Les Chagnots, a steeper and stonier site than Champs Perdrix, this wine is vinified and matured for 18 months – or 18 moons – in 10 percent new oak. The nose is floral with citrus fruit, while the palate offers surprising density, lime cordial acidity and a chewy, grippy finish which drifts into grilled nuts and spice. Drink 2020-2025.

It was a “normal” harvest here this year which, in Jean-Yves’s world, is still a relatively paltry 30hl/ha, due to his scrupulous organic and biodynamic vineyard management. Jean-Yves is increasingly interested in the role and importance of sulphur dioxide in a wine’s evolution. He found that a trial bottling made without SO2 had little expression of the vineyard, yet he finds that adding SO2 too early in the winemaking process makes the wines more fragile and prone to oxidation. A fine range from a reflective winemaker.

From just over a hectare of vines above St Aubin, this is a lovely, energetic, mineral wine. The vineyard was untouched by frost (but did not escape in 2017). It’s refreshing, skinnier than a Chassagne, but Caroline’s composed hand is evident. Drink 2018-2020.
Adam Bruntlett, Burgundy Buyer

Caroline Lestimé took over from her father, Jean-Noël Gagnard (b. 1926) in 1989, since which time she has fine-tuned the holdings, increasing the number of white wine cuvées by separating out each different vineyard. She has also planted new sites in the Hautes Côtes de Beaune to complement her range of Chassagne-Montrachet (including nine white and two red Premiers Crus) and Grand Cru Bâtard-Montrachet. Chassagne was badly hit by the spring frosts, especially in the vineyards above the village and towards Puligny. Nevertheless, this is an impressive result for Caroline and she was in ebullient form, despite the relative emptiness of her cellar, perhaps after the fecund volumes of 2017, just harvested. There is an amplitude about her wines this year, which matches the freshness of the vintage very well. Sadly, there is no Masures this year due to frost.

Unfortunately, the cool location of this parcel above St Aubin meant that at least half the crop was lost to frost this year. What remains is, however, excellent: energetic and crisp, but with extra concentration which gives more grip and density than is typical. Around half the wine is raised in barrel, adding some complexity and apricot-skin texture. Drink 2019-2024.


After the catastrophically small vintage last year, Caroline is much happier with the good but in no sense excessive crop of 2017. Indeed, her organic viticulture methods and old-vine holdings mean that yields are a long way below the permitted maximum. Caroline is pleased with the ripe fruit profile of the wines, highlighting the velour, density and volume as key attributes, but taking care to explain that they are not heavy. These are exciting wines, which will be hedonistic in youth but the abundance of dry extract points to huge ageing potential.

This wine is made from three parcels selected for their excellent exposition and quality vine material, which allows zero-sulphur vinification of whole bunches. The nose is charming, with notes of blackcurrant, peony and rose, and just a touch of white pepper. The palate has sweet fruit initially, but it is the clean and crisp acidity that prevails, along with a haunting, verdant perfume. Drink 2019-2023.

After the catastrophic 2016 vintage, which saw her lose around 70 percent of the crop, Claire Naudin is much happier with 2017. She still didn’t get a full crop, though, because the frost had damaged the vine, stunting the following year’s growth and limiting the crop to 80 percent of a full yield. The vintage certainly suits her style, with wines that are all about elegance, finesse and delicacy. These are appetising wines which always give great pleasure, on even the grandest occasions. As ever the wines are made with 100 percent whole bunches.

From vines planted in 1954 grown on classic claylimestone soil this has a brilliant mid-purple colour with a totally alluring dark raspberry bouquet. It has beautifully even fruit throughout, good concentration and structure with both tannin and acidity, and an immensely long finish.

Sébastien professes himself to be very agreeably surprised by the 2014s. He notes good phenolic maturity so could extract the Pinot fruit well, and riper flavours than 2013. Sadly he had yet another vintage of low yields for his whites, especially in Meursault. The wines are concentrated but should be attractive very young.

Last year Carel had to blend what he could salvage from both his Beaune Premiers Crus into one wine. Back as a stand-alone this year, this is relatively sturdy and strong, although not inflexible. This is Camille Giroud’s own vineyard. Drink 2022-2027.

With a range that spans both Côtes, Carel observed that the red vintage is about pretty, balanced, fresh fruit. The reds south of Beaune are generally lighter than the north, where there is better phenolic intensity. Carel puts the whites on a par with 2014, but the raw material is healthier and so the wines are purer. He rates 2017 as one of the best white vintages in the last decade. Stylistically, Carel’s preferred direction for reds is towards whole-bunch and he confesses he would always do 100 percent if he could (and this year he often has).

Old vines in a fine location make a superb wine given its lowly appellation. Pretty, bright mid-purple, this is quite deliciously perfumed with raspberry and ripe cherry and a good oak component. It has really juicy, ripe, concentrated yet balanced fruit, still with crunchiness behind. Drink 2019-2023.
Jasper Morris MW, Wine Buyer

Sébastien began picking his whites on 31st August, then paused before attacking the reds. He made no change to his usual vinification practice of long maceration without forceful extraction, having de-stemmed the grapes. Sébastien comments positively on the well ripened tannins and notes that the wines have been tasting well throughout their time in barrel.