This is one of the finest white Burgundy estates, where the wine-making involves minimal interventions. It is run by Jean-Marc Blain and his wife Claudine, the daughter of Jacques Gagnard-Delagrange. The family owns some of the village’s greatest hillsides. New oak barrels are never used to excess, being subtly spread amongst the different cuvées, so that spicy oakiness is never perceptible here. Blain is also prudent with stirring-up of the lees (known as bâtonnage) which, if used to excess, may result in heavy wines which taste mealy. Here, on the contrary, the finished wines have great purity of fruit, with balanced acidity and long, clean flavours which clearly evoke the wines’ precise origins.

A more deeply pitched and slightly riper yet still fresh and spicy nose also freely reveals its aromas of plum, dark currant and black cherry. There is fine volume and a beautiful mouthfeel to the sappy and palate coating medium-bodied flavors that conclude in a dusty, compact, moderately austere and built-to-age finale. This is also lovely though a wine that's going to require at least some patience as it's quite tightly wound today. Date: Jun 2024; Drink: 2032+; Issue: 94; Comments: Sweet spot Outstanding;  Rating: 92 Points; Allen Meadows; Burghound