Rapet, Drouhin, Jadot, Comtes Armand, Lafarge
Tucked away behind the hill of Corton, the pretty village of Pernand-Vergelesses is surrounded by vineyards on all sides. One of our big discoveries of recent years is based here: the Rapet family have been farming vineyards here for generations. These days, the domaine is enthusiastically managed by Vincent Rapet and his son Robin. Their 2022s here are elegant and understated and extremely appealing.
'The 2022 vintage was one of the hottest and driest ever seen in Burgundy, yet the vines were easily able to rise to the challenge of the extreme conditions imposed by the growing season this year.' Frédéric Barnier, the winemaker at Beaune Maison Louis Jadot, believes that the best, biodynamically maintained vineyards are adapting well to an era of climate change. One might equally argue that the success of the Jadot wines in 2022 is testimony to the great care and skill the team is displaying in the vineyards. Beaune is also home to Maison Joseph Drouhin. Véronique Drouhin describes the 2022 vintage as 'generous and magnificent'. Drouhin applies the very best of modern practice in viticulture and vinification to some of Burgundy's finest terroirs; their vineyard-focused approach, foregrounding low yields, high density plantings, organics and biodynamics mean all the wines are marked by a strong sense of its individual terroir.
Pommard is the first village south out of Beaune. The soils here are rich in clay and iron: Comte Armand's Clos des Epeneaux is probably the finest expression there is of the weightier, forceful wines characteristic of the village. A little further south, in Volnay, the soils are thin and the vines quickly reach limestone. The wines made here are lighter and lacier. Lafarge excels in this style. Their 2022s display an offhand, utterly effortless elegance. It always seems that way at this address, yet these wines are in fact the product of Herculean labours of care in the vineyard, an intense commitment to biodynamic viticulture, and some very old vines. While Volnay is all about red, Lafarge also make fine, understated whites from holdings in Meursault and Beaune. The gentle style of these can seem old-fashioned in comparison to the high-energy style that is popular elsewhere, but Lafarge have never been about following fashion. /NT
Read our full 2022 Burgundy vintage report here.
Offered subject to remaining unsold; for shipment Spring 2025
