Burgundy 2022: by producer

MARSANNAY

Domaine Charles Audoin

Cyril Audoin is one of a small cohort of producers forging Marsannay’s reputation for serious, fine Burgundy. He makes exciting, elegant wines that are starting to turn the critics’ heads, yet remain brilliant value. Audoin lost 70% of his crop in 2021, so he’s over the moon to have his winery full (for the first time since it was built in 2014). He made a generous 45hl/ha on average in 2022, and the wines were a real highlight of our tastings. For him the most important thing was spraying to protect against oidium, and he was out in the vines 23 times to guard them against the threat. At first he thought the wines could be a little big, but has been pleased with the finesse they’ve gained in barrel and plans to bottle the wines a little earlier than normal (the whites before Christmas and the reds in early March). Because of the rapid ripening period in 2022, the stems weren’t lignified and so he avoided whole-bunch (as he has done since 2018). Picking from 5th September, he did a little more pumping over than punching down and used around 20-25% new oak across the range. With between 13 and 13.6% alcohol, the wines are juicy, bright and moreish, nevertheless with serious structure at the top end of the range. For Audoin, they remind him of 1990 – a vintage that has always drunk well, with both richness and freshness. 

2022 Bourgogne Rouge, Domaine Charles Audoin 

GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN

Domaine Fourrier + Jean-Marie Fourrier 

Jean-Marie Fourrier considers 2022 a child of 2019 and 2020, a vintage of global warming and one that bears similar ripeness and balance. Unlike those years, however, in 2022 Mother Nature blessed them with rain when needed – and in Gevrey-Chambertin there was a heavy storm in late June that flooded the village’s streets. At the time it seemed like a disaster, but in fact it gave the vines the moisture they needed to get through a dry July and August. He picked from 5th September and felt that – although there was no disease – it was important to sort out any dried or sunburnt berries. His yields were lower than many (unsurprising given the high average age of vines at the domaine) with 30-35hl/ha. He used 15-20% whole-bunch to retain freshness and elegance in the warm year, and the resulting wines are stunning – elegant, expressive and beautifully refined, terroir-driven Pinot Noir. While delicious now these are serious wines with the balance and concentration that will evolve in bottle (all between 12.8 and 13.5% alcohol). “It is a vintage with an ability to age, but at the same time it has the crunchiness of red fruit that makes them approachable very young,” he told us, feeling it’s the sort of vintage that it will be tempting to drink before they’ve revealed their full potential.  

2022 Chambertin, Vieille Vigne, Grand Cru, Jean-Marie Fourrier 

2022 Gevrey-Chambertin, Premier Cru, Clos Saint-Jacques, Domaine Fourrier  

Domaine Tortochot 

Situated in the village of Gevrey-Chambertin, Domaine Tortochot may not carry the cachet of the very top domaines in the village, but it does offer some of the best value, producing wines with great terroir transparency in their top Premiers and Grands Crus, and fabulous village wines. The Tortochot team lost around 10% of a “normal” crop in 2022, largely due to sorting out any dried or sunburnt berries. They picked relatively early, from 29^th August, with the final wines all sitting around 13-13.5% alcohol. They opted to increase the proportion of whole-bunch, up to around 40-50%, depending on the wine, to bring freshness and make the most of the wines that are, in their words “tout sur le fruit” and incredibly approachable now. For their Chambertin and Clos Vougeot Grands Crus, they used 100% new wood this year, feeling the powerful wines could handle it. The wines – especially at the top end – are impressive, with bright aromatics, lush fruit and tannins that will allow them to age well.  

2022 Gevrey-Chambertin, Champerrier, Vieilles Vignes, Domaine Tortochot 

Domaine Duroché 

Team Duroché is busy finishing work on a new cellar, but Marianne is clearly pleased with their 2022s. They were unlucky enough to receive hail again (having been hit in 2021), with a localised corridor passing just south of last year’s strike, and reducing their yield in Lavaux-Saint-Jacques to 25hl/ha. With the old vines here, yields are generally low and the average was only 30hl/ha. They started picking from 26^th August in Griottes, finishing in Lavaux 10 days later. They used a little whole-bunch (10-15%) across the range in 2022, and a third for the Griottes and Cazetiers (along with a third whole-bunch but pedicel – the main stalk – removed, and the last third de-stemmed). They were able to avoid acidifying and the wines have some of the lowest alcohols at around 12%. Beyond the importance of picking date, Marianne felt that managing extraction was key – as it often is these days with climate change. As she said, however, “If you have nice grapes, it’s a big part of the job.” For her, the 2022 vintage is not as solar as 2020 so perhaps closer to 2019, but not having the same level of sucrosity. The wines are – as always, in honesty – superb. Fine-boned and dainty, these are deceptively diaphanous Pinot Noirs that have an underlying age-worthy concentration. 

2022 Gevrey-Chambertin, Premier Cru, Lavaut Saint-Jacques, Domaine Duroché 

Domaine Heresztyn-Mazzini 

Established in 2012 when Florence Heresztyn took over her family domaine with husband Simon Mazzini (originally from Champagne), Domaine Heresztyn-Mazzini is a gem of an estate. As with others in Gevrey-Chambertin, the torrents of water from the June storm dominate memories of 2022, however the growing season was otherwise relatively uneventful for Florence Heresztyn. They waited until 6th September, looking for maturity of the stems given the high proportion of whole-bunch they use. They used a maximum 80-90% in the vintage, with most cuvées seeing more than normal to balance the ripe fruit, and for similar reasons a reduced proportion of new oak. Delicate extraction was important, but the winemaking was relatively stress-free, although with high pHs (and despite having acidified some wines), she was careful to watch and analyse the wines to avoid any issues. Yields averaged around 50hl/ha with alcohols between 13 and 13.5%. The wines here are concentrated, with the old-vine cuvées offering remarkable intensity, a grip of tannins and saline freshness – impressive. 

2022 Morey-Saint-Denis, Premier Cru, Les Millandes, Domaine Heresztyn-Mazzini 

Domaine Denis Mortet 

This domaine is one of Gevrey-Chambertin’s most illustrious. Created in 1956 by Charles Mortet, Charles’s grandson Arnaud took over this domaine in 2006 after his father Denis’s sudden death. Unfortunately Arnaud Mortet’s yields were reduced by hail in parts of Gevrey-Chambertin (as for Duroché), however he is still happy – and no surprise given the quality of the 2022s here. He picked from 1^st September, with a team of 45, and felt it was important to reduce extraction for the wines, choosing to pump-over more and punch-down less. Having tested a vertical press in 2021, he used it for the entire range in 2022 – feeling that although he may lose up to 10% in volume the uplift in quality is worth it, with more delicate juice and avoiding any hard tannins. Alcohols are a gentle 13-13.2% and he generally reduced his use of whole-bunch, depending on the pH of the cuvée. He is one of a growing number of producers to remove the pedicel – the main stalk – from whole-bunches, a painstaking effort that has to be done by hand. The wines are extraordinary, refined and aromatically expressive, with incredibly fine tannins and impeccable persistence.  

2022 Gevrey-Chambertin, Premier Cru, Domaine Denis Mortet 

MOREY-SAINT-DENIS

Domaine Gérard Raphet 

Raphet is an understated estate, blessed with a few exceptional parcels – most notably their old-vine Clos Vougeot and Clos de Bèze Grands Crus – that are fantastic value. Marion Raphet (who is in charge today) has had her twin girls since we last saw her – juggling a full cellar of 2022s and 2023s as well as two children at home. There’s little that could shake this tacitly steady vigneron, however. The 2022 vintage was, she told us, “une belle année”, with little of note, although some of their Bourgogne and Chambolle-Musigny vineyards were hit by hail. They picked from 7^th September over two weeks, with no major changes in the winery, but feeling they did need to acidify the wines. Alcohol levels are 13-13.5%, and the wines are as staunchly traditional as normal, firm at this youthful stage yet with great intensity of fruit behind – especially at the Grand Cru level. There’s no Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru Combottes as the parcel is recovering from frost damage.  

2022 Clos de Vougeot, Vieilles Vignes, Grand Cru, Domaine Gérard Raphet 

Domaine Georges Lignier 

Always looking like he’s just emerged from the vineyards, in his workwear and with metaphorical dirt under his fingernails, Benoît Stehly was pre-occupied when we visited with the 2024 Saint-Vincent Tournante festival, which he’s involved in organising. The 2022 vintage, however, was “wonderful”. He has long been a lone advocate for permanent grass cover in the vineyard, but got burnt by this approach in 2020 and decided to plough in the spring of 2022 to reduce hydric stress – unfortunately just in time for the heavy June rains and therefore increasing his risk of erosion. Luckily he escaped serious damage. He brought in a full crop from 29^th August and felt it was “a vintage for doing nothing”, such was the quality of the fruit. The grapes had lots of pips so he chose to de-stem 90% of his fruit, wanting to avoid hard tannins. The resulting wines are mouth-wateringly fresh with concentrated fruit. The tannins are more present than at some addresses, making the wines a little less approachable now, but are seamless and beautifully balanced, pointing to wines that should age very well indeed. 

2022 Morey-Saint-Denis, Premier Cru, Les Sorbès, Domaine Georges Lignier 

Domaine des Lambrays 

Winemaker Jacques Devauges is clearly still besotted with his smart gravity-fed winery, with 2022 the first vintage made in it, meaning the wine has not been pumped at all (and won’t be until bottling, something he feels makes the wines brighter and more expressive). To add to this, the estate has re-claimed vineyards that were historically part of the domaine, bringing the total vineyard area to 15 hectares and adding two new Morey-Saint-Denis Premiers Crus to the range – Clos Baulet and Clos Sorbé – as well as Vosne-Romanée Premier Cru Beaux Monts and Nuits-Saint-Georges Premier Cru La Richemone. He picked from 29^th August in 2022 and feels that the year is hard to compare to another, with such “matière” yet not at all heavy, liking the energy of the wines. The full range – the most comprehensive to date – is a joy to taste, with brooding fruit, a savoury structure and density that foretells a long future. 

2022 Clos des Lambrays, Grand Cru, Domaine des Lambrays 

Domaine du Clos de Tart 

The team here was among the first to pick, from 26^th August, and had modest yields of 28hl/ha given the age of their vines. Alessandro Noli was most concerned with retaining freshness, elegance and precision in the wines. While some producers reduced the proportion of whole-cluster, he had no problem using the same percentage as normal given the low levels of potassium in his soils, and therefore little concern over pH increase. In his opinion, the key in 2022 was to harvest at the right time, control your yields and manage extraction carefully. It’s no surprise that the wines here are impressive – with flawless balance, vibrant red fruit and sweet spice that lingers on the long finish. With air, you can see the wines evolve and start to reveal their massive potential. 

2022 Clos de Tart, Grand Cru, Domaine du Clos de Tart 

CHAMBOLLE-MUSIGNY 

Domaine Hudelot-Noëllat 

Always polished, Charles van Canneyt is typically modest about his 2022s. “I love the balance of the year, it makes it very approachable,” he says. It’s a vintage he’s confident that people will love, although he didn’t find it easy. The fruit he eventually brought in (from 3^rd September) was perfect, but it was challenging with the threat of water stress and then oidium pressure (especially given he works organically). Despite this, he has a full crop and wines that have brilliant balance – with 13-13.6% alcohol and 3.5-3.55 pH. For him the wines recall the freshness of 2010 or 2012, with the volumes of a year like 2018. These were some of the very finest wines we tasted this year, a stunning range with each cuvée a clear reflection of its terroir. Vibrant, with crunchy fruit and seamless tannins, it’s an outstanding line-up. 

2022 Vosne-Romanée, Premier Cru, Les Beaumonts, Domaine Hudelot-Noëllat 

VOSNE-ROMANÉE

Domaine Georges Noëllat 

Maxime Cheurlin might seem gruff at first, but – like his pair of playful Bernese Mountain Dogs – he’s as gentle as they come. He tested the fashionable “tressage” (plaiting or weaving the shoots together rather than trimming them, as at Leroy) on his Premiers Crus and is looking to implement it more widely moving forward. He is pleased with the wines’ balance, having picked from 5^th to 8^th September, typically at the latter end of the harvest period, but with a maximum 13.6% alcohol across his range. The work for this year was all in the vineyard, protecting against oidium from the end of June, but then it was easy in the winery. He used a little less new wood but went for a higher toast on the oak he did use to bring more mid-palate weight and density. “Vraiment, la marque de la millésime, c’est la finesse,” Cheurlin said ("In truth, the trademark of the vintage is its finesse"). For him it is closest to 2012, but more supple. The wines here are singing this vintage, with a beautiful line-up of silken Pinot Noir with a concentrated core of lush fruit and mineral freshness. 

2022 Chambolle-Musigny, Premier Cru, Les Feusselottes, Maxime Cheurlin Noëllat 

Nicole Lamarche

A visit to Nicole Lamarche is always a treat. Not only does she produce some of Burgundy’s finest, most elegant wines (year in, year out), but she does so in style. The 2021 vintage was the last for several parcels (owned by her cousin Nathalie and now leased to Domaine de Comte Liger-Belair), however she is supplementing the domaine vineyards with some new négoce bottlings. She picked between 2^nd and 12th September, creating a range of wines with 12.5-13.5% alcohol and surprisingly low pH of 3.2-3.4. She is very happy with both the quality and quantity (with negligible losses and 38hl/ha on the Grands Crus in general). For her the vintage is closest to 2017, having similar acidity that will allow the wines to age. The range here bears Nicole Lamarche’s distinct imprint – the most exquisite, wispy Pinot Noirs with gossamer tannins, driven by thrilling acidity. 

2022 Vosne-Romanée, Premier Cru, Les Suchots, Nicole Lamarche 

Gros Frère & Sœur 

While once known for intensely coloured and flamboyant wines, there has been a notable shift at this address in recent years, toward much less glossy and more delicate styles of Pinot Noir, with the use of new oak reined in significantly. The 2022 vintage saw this property lose several parcels due to Burgundy’s complicated inheritance laws. Sadly it means that Vincent Gros lost 2.5 hectares of vines, reducing their Grand Cru production by half – with no more Grands Echezeaux and smaller parcels in Echezeaux, Clos Vougeot and Richebourg. They produced a full crop, picking from 6^th September and finishing 10 days later. They used 50% new oak across the range and have reduced their use of sulphur, with none added during the vinification. 

2022 Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits, Gros Frère & Soeur 

Domaine Jean Grivot 

A benchmark name in Vosne-Romanée, the Grivot family has been making wine here since the French Revolution. Etienne Grivot – who took over in the 1990s – established the domaine’s modern reputation, working with high-density, old, low-yielding vineyards to produce concentrated and age-worthy wines. Etienne’s children, Mathilde and Hubert, are now taking over gradually. The philosophy at Grivot is to have consistent winemaking each year so that the wines reflect the year and terroir. In 2022, they had to do a little more sorting to remove any dried berries, but it did not significantly impact volumes which were reassuringly generous after 2021’s half-crop. Hubert Grivot explained that they were, as normal, one of the last to start picking on 12^th September, when temperatures were starting to drop and it was a little fresher. The resulting wines are regal, seductively elegant with striking density of fruit – powerful and destined for the cellar. 

2022 Echezeaux, Grand Cru, Domaine Jean Grivot 

Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair 

Since its rebirth in 2000, Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair has quickly become one of the most highly sought-after producers in Vosne-Romanée. Louis-Michel Liger-Belair started picking on 30th August in 2022, early enough that his children could join him in the vineyards before going back to school. The vintage was the first for several top cuvées, from vines leased from Nathalie Pacareau-Lamarche – Vosne-Romanée Aux Réas, La Croix Rameau, Les Malconsorts and Grands Echezeaux (also expanded by adding to his existing plots in Vosne-Romanée Les Suchots, Echezeaux and Clos Vougeot). Managing these new plots was the main challenge (as well as finding room for additional barrels in the cellar – a good problem to have). It wasn’t one thing that mattered, but every tiny decision made throughout the season and vinification that impacts each wine. The wines make the most of the vintage – rich, broad and concentrated, yet retaining freshness. Built to age, these are a distinctive style. 

2022 Vosne-Romanée, Premier Cru, Aux Brûlées, Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair 

NUITS-SAINT-GEORGES

Domaine Faiveley 

For Head Winemaker Jérôme Flous, 2022 was a very special vintage – indeed, he feels the year produced his best whites to date (rivalling those of 2017) and that the reds are very, very good. The June rain saved the vintage, avoiding overly concentrated and intense wines. Nuits-Saint-Georges for example received 250mm in June versus an average 60mm. It was their first full vintage farming organically (with certification forecast for 2025). He started picking in the Côte de Beaune on 29^th August. The wines have an average of 13.4% alcohol and he had to acidify a few parcels where the young vines don’t reach very deep or the soils have high potassium levels. This was one of our favourite visits this year, and not just for the wealth of detailed information from Flous. The whites are outstanding and the reds very good – they clearly picked at the right moment and judged the extraction well, creating fresh and appealing wines that are reflective of both their site and the quality of the year. 

2022 Bâtard-Montrachet, Grand Cru, Domaine Faiveley 

Domaine David Duband 

This is certainly one of the most exciting domaines in the Côte d’Or. Based in the village of Chevannes in the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits, David Duband has an impressive array of vineyards throughout the Côte de Nuits, across 23 different appellations. For him, the 2022 vintage is one of his favourites – with good maturity, balance and yields. It didn’t come without its challenges however, having a handful of cuvées that developed “piqûre lactique” as he tried to further reduce his sulphur use – fortunately adapting his pied de cuve solved the problem and the vast majority of his ferments ran smoothly. He used the same proportion of whole-bunch as normal and avoided acidifying, with wines that sit between 12.5 to 13% alcohol. The range speaks of Duband’s modish, minimalist style, with spicy perfume, mineral power and fine tannins. 

2022 Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits Louis Auguste, Domaine David Duband 

SAVIGNY-LÈS-BEAUNE 

Domaine Jean-Marc & Hugues Pavelot 

Domaine Jean-Marc & Hugues Pavelot is one of the leading producers in Savigny-lès-Beaune and long a FINE+RARE favourite, with extensive holdings throughout the Premiers Crus, as well as additional holdings of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in Pernand-Vergelesses and Corton. For Hugues Pavelot, 2022 was relatively easy to manage, beyond the violent storm in June, bringing his crop in from 29^th August over a little under two weeks. It was the first vintage for his new parcels (all in appellations where he already had vines), bringing up the total vineyard area to 17 hectares, now having a little over one hectare of Premier Cru Les Serpentières (up from a mere 0.17 hectares). For him the vintage has lovely definition, fresh and energetic, sitting somewhere between 2018 and 2019, although not as ripe as the former. The wines are full of crunchy fruit, firmly sitting in the red-berry spectrum, with a saline freshness and a structure that can be powerful on some cuvées, needing time in bottle, as for his ever-concentrated flagship Premier Cru, La Dominode, that is currently a little shy. 

2022 Savigny-lès-Beaune, Premier Cru, Les Serpentières, Domaine Jean-Marc & Hugues Pavelot 

BEAUNE

Remoissenet Père & Fils 

Based in Beaune and established in 1877, Remoissenet operates as both a domaine and négociant, having access to some of Burgundy’s finest vineyards either directly or via some very prestigious connections. Winemaker Claudie Jobard explained how the vines developed quickly after the warm spring, with some water stress on certain parcels with shallower top-soil, but next-to-no disease pressure. Their team picked from 28^th August (starting with Chardonnay in the Côte de Beaune). She felt it was important to reduce pumping-over and use longer, but more gentle macerations. The resulting wines are unlike any other she can remember, having richness, complexity, balance and freshness – a remarkable turnout for such an early vintage. Both the whites and reds impressed us, with the whites classically built, vibrant and concentrated, while the reds were perfumed with fine tannins and lovely fruit density. It’s been amazing to see the evolution in the Pinot Noir which was previously on the richer side, moving towards a more elegant style – and the freshness retained this year, versus the similarly warm 2020, is terrific. 

2022 Clos Vougeot, Grand Cru, Remoissenet Père & Fils 

Bouchard Père & Fils 

Winemaker Frédéric Weber always offers an interesting perspective on a vintage, with an intelligent and analytical approach. For him, 2022 was a great vintage. He had to hire 20 more people to work in the vineyards because the vines were growing so rapidly in the spring. He pointed to not just the June rain, but August’s showers, a week before the harvest, that were key to plumping the berries, helping them reach maturity and increase tartaric acid, giving the wines their surprising freshness despite the warmth of the year. His team was out from 26^th August to bring the fruit in, and he felt it was important to be able to chill the fruit before it was processed. He used 30-40% whole bunch for the Côte de Beaune and 60% for the Côte de Nuits, to give the wines delicacy and more aromatic expression, using only gentle punch-downs during shorter maceration periods. For the whites, he kept high turbidity in the must and the ferments short to preserve freshness and purity. He feels each terroir shines through in the year, reminding him of 2015 for the reds and 2017 for the whites. It's a shame it’s the last vintage of some of the top négociant parcels, but it’s a brilliant year for them to finish on – with taut, zingy whites and expressive, juicy, fine-textured reds. 

2022 Chevalier-Montrachet, Grand Cru, Bouchard Père & Fils 

Louis Jadot 

Managing Director Thibault Gagey is pleased with the company’s 2022s, with a good crop of Pinot Noir and around 80% of a “normal” Chardonnay harvest (having seen a little more oidium). They started picking on the last day of August, and Gagey noted that the vines had shut down at the end of the month as the mercury rose above 35˚C. He highlighted how we often think of low yields as better, but points to the legendary 1999 vintage as a year that offered both quantity and quality. Alcohols are between 12.5 and 13.5%, and they blocked the malolactic fermentation on some of the whites as always to preserve acidity. The reds here were juicy with concentrated fruit, vibrant acidity and fine-textured yet present tannins, while the whites are classically ripe with dry extract, density and a pleasing bitterness that gives natural tension. 

2022 Gevrey-Chambertin, Premier Cru, Combe aux Moines, Domaine Louis Jadot 

Albert Bichot 

Although the Bichot family settled in the region in 1350, Albert Bichot was founded in 1831 by Bernard Bichot. Today the producer is one of Burgundy’s most respected, making wines from both its own vineyards and with purchased fruit. Albéric Bichot and Alain Serveau continue to impress here, crafting wines that improve year on year. The 2022 reds are fleshy with distinctive, sour-cherry fruit and floral delicacy, along with silken tannins. There’s a clear sense of place across the range and, as we know from experience, the wines will taste glorious with a couple of years in bottle. The wines from their Chablis estate, Domaine Long-Depaquit, were particular stand-outs, combining intensity with expressive aromatics. There’s great balance that makes these whites appealing now yet destined to age very well. 

2022 Chablis, Grand Cru, Moutonne, Domaine Long-Depaquit, Albert Bichot 

Domaine de Bellene + Maison Roche de Bellene 

Nicolas Potel is one of the Côte d’Or’s most knowledgeable and connected winemakers. For him, 2022 is a vintage that combines the power of 2018 with the freshness of 2009, but with lower alcohol than 2018. He started picking on 28th August, finishing on 20th September, given the extensive range of vineyards he works with. Acidity was a challenge and he had to acidify some wines, although looking back at his father’s records, he’s reassured that he does so significantly less than was once routine. He reduced the proportion of new oak across the range, to let the purity of fruit in the wines shine through, and is also using foudres more, especially for the whites. Potel has already started bottling his 2022s, keen to capture the fruit in the wines and avoid any risks with the reds’ naturally high pH. The range – both for whites and reds – is elegant, fruit-forward yet dense and with lovely tension, making them incredibly approachable already. 

2022 Charmes-Chambertin, Grand Cru, Maison Roche de Bellene 

Olivier Bernstein 

Micro-négociant Olivier Bernstein is one of the region’s top producers, working with old vines and low yields to produce a flight of outstanding Premiers and Grands Crus. “I really feel we are reaching another level of quality,” said Richard Séguin – Olivier Bernstein’s winemaker and viticulturalist, who is generally rather modest. Although they have worked organically for several years, they’ve officially started the certification process. In 2022, he felt it was key to be in the vineyard, controlling yields – from pruning and de-budding through to multiple passes to green-harvest and drop any fruit that didn’t reach their exacting standards. The team increased the proportion of whole-bunch to 70%, feeling they could due to the ripeness of the stems, and reduced the new oak to around two-thirds on the top wines to make the wines more approachable in youth, a trend they’ve continued in 2023. While there’s a hint of reduction on some of the wines at this early stage (as we often find here), the wines are aromatic and expressive, full of crunchy red fruit – and very charming. 

2022 Bonnes-Mares, Grand Cru, Olivier Bernstein 

Charles van Canneyt 

While Charles van Canneyt spends much of his time at the helm of Domaine Hudelot-Noëllat, in 2012 he started his eponymous négoce label, to allow him to increase production. Although he doesn’t have the same influence on the vineyards for his négociant operation, the approach in the winery was similar to that for his domaine wines (see Hudelot-Noëllat above) and the 2022 wines have similar pH and alcohol levels. These wines continue to offer brilliant access to this young vigneron’s expert skills and style. The reds – as we expect of Van Canneyt – are elegant and approachable, driven by rich, dark fruit. We were particularly impressed by the whites this year too; take the Bourgogne Blanc, for example, which is deliciously concentrated with a luxurious, buttery texture – punching well above its weight. 

2022 Griotte Chambertin, Grand Cru, Charles van Canneyt 

MEURSAULT

Henri Boillot 

“C’est pas mal, quand même,” said Henri Boillot, smiling. It’s been a few years since we tasted with Henri and he’s clearly very content with his 2022s. The conditions were drier in the Côte de Beaune and he saw his vines suffering from stress, however he highlighted that the heatwaves in June, July and August were short – lasting around four days, rather than a solid 17-day onslaught such as in 2003. He started picking on 25^th August, with the reds, moving on to the Chardonnay a week later, all in perfect condition with the sorting team stood uselessly watching the fruit go past. He used a little more new oak on the wines, feeling the power of the wines could handle it. The wines are outstanding – taut, electric Chardonnays that offer a clear imprint of their terroir, and the reds (which remain vastly under-rated) are delicate, juicy and hard to resist. 

2022 Meursault, Henri Boillot

PULIGNY-MONTRACHET 

Domaine Paul Pernot 

Synonymous with Puligny-Montrachet, this estate is – along with Leflaive and De Montille – one of the village’s largest shareholders. Brothers Michel and Paul Jr have worked together on the estate since 1978 and have carried on their father’s, Paul Pernot Sr’s, traditional techniques, making a forward style of Puligny-Montrachet that can be enjoyed after a couple of years in bottle. The team at Paul Pernot harvested from 29^th August, bringing in a full crop. They used next to no new oak on the range – and the wines are really impressive. They offer plump, ripe fruit – generous yet bright – with a saline edge and pleasingly bitter note that adds further tension to the wines. 

2022 Puligny-Montrachet, Premier Cru, Chalumaux, Domaine Paul Pernot 

Alvina Pernot 

Our tasting at the "other” Pernot, was at this rising-star estate’s new winery, just down the road from the family domaine. Since the first vintage, we have firmly believed in the potential here and it’s exciting to see the progression at this address. Earlier this year, Alvina Pernot officially stepped away from the family business to focus exclusively on her eponymous project. The 2022 vintage was the fifth for this label (and the first for their son Pâris who was born on 1^st January 2022) and it is going from strength to strength, as they focus increasingly on different sites in Puligny-Montrachet. While family ties give them access to some very fine vineyards, they have also bought their own plots and are purchasing fruit to access a wider range of terroirs. The new winery has given them more precision and flexibility in terms of élevage, further helping things. With several new wines, including two Saint-Aubin and two Meursault cuvées, it’s an impressive line-up – showing amazing freshness and modest alcohols (12.5-13%), vibrant and tight Chardonnay that should age beautifully. 

2022 Puligny-Montrachet, Clos des Noyers Brets, Alvina Pernot 

SAINT-AUBIN 

Domaine Hubert Lamy 

Having seen the extensive building works last year, Olivier Lamy’s new cellar is now complete – and very smart too. It even includes a wall of exposed subsoil – offering a visual aid to guide you through Saint-Aubin’s geological history, with vine roots that have worked their way down through the metres and glimmers of moisture creeping through the rock. The focus was entirely on 2021, and – as usual – we’ll have to wait until next year to hear about his experience of 2022 and taste the wines. (Although it was a pleasure to taste through an extensive range of the 2021s, wines that were absolutely thrilling.) 

2021 Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet, Haute Densité, Grand Cru, Domaine Hubert Lamy 

CHASSAGNE-MONTRACHET 

Au Pied du Mont Chauve 

This brilliant-value label from the Picard family is a firm FINE+RARE favourite. The team here was relieved to have a year with such good quality and quantity, having had to reduce their range significantly in 2021 due to the tiny crop. They feel the late budbreak was key, allowing them to escape frost, while the vines saw little water stress over the summer, with rain arriving just when it was needed. They picked from 7^th September, and the wines are true to the house style. Ripe and textured, the 2022s are packed with plump stone-fruit, all balanced by a firm backbone of acidity, making them approachable young, yet with the capacity to age. 

2022 Chassagne-Montrachet, Premier Cru, Les Macherelles, Au Pied du Mont Chauve 

Our thanks as ever to all the producers for welcoming us to taste. Please note that not all producers will be available in every market, with restrictions applying in the UK, US, Asia and Europe.