Drouhin, Jadot, Comte Armand, Ballot-Millot, Jobard
The walled and cobbled town of Beaune is surrounded by the vineyards of the Cote d'Or, and is the hub of the Burgundy wine trade. It is also the home of two great Maisons, both of which combine negociant trading with the careful cultivation of some select plots all their own. Joseph Drouhin has an enviable set of holdings up and down the Cote; combine that with the very best of modern practice in viticulture and vinification, and the critical excitement over their 2019s should come as no surprise. Their whites are vibrant and concentrated, packed with energy, freshness and flavour; their reds are smooth, ripe and elegant. Louis Jadot is also part negociant, part grower, owner and farmer, and has access to some truly great sites. Tasting their 2019s woke us up to how good the vintage is: the whites are bright and expressive, the reds precise and complex, and all have their own distinct sense of place.
Pommard has always had a reputation for powerful tannins and solid, structured wines built to last the course. That's not quite the whole story, though; and no site better demonstrates the sheer elegance Pommard can also achieve than Comte Armand's monopole Clos des Epeneaux. The family have owned this site since the early nineteenth century and for a long time made nothing else; it remains the appellation's greatest single point of reference.
The image of Meursault is changing: a new generation of talented young winemakers are making wines that are among the very best on the Cote de Beaune. With his determination, energy, hard work and natural talent, Charles Ballot at Ballot-Millot produces superlative wines vintage after vintage. He makes powerful, intense, modern Meursault at its very best - racy and linear, brimming with verve, full of a sense of terroir. Since Antoine Jobard took the helm at Jobard in 2007, he has been building on his father's great achievements, quietly fine-tuning. Graceful and steely, mineral and refined, the wines here are better than ever, and will age beautifully. /NT
