Winemaker Notes
Les Hautés is a very stony, high-elevation parcel in Auxey that produces a precise, focused wine of impressive length and purity.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Everything that Jean-Marc Vincent makes is worth buying, but this stunning village wine, which is better than a number of grands crus in 2017, is doubly so. Located close to the hill behind Meursault on hard limestone soils, this 80-year-old parcel is a marvel in the hands of one of the best viticulturists in Burgundy. Savoury, subtle and leesy, it has lovely oak integration and effortless grace and poise.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Jean-Marc Vincent's 2017 Auxey-Duresses Blanc Les Hautés lives up to its excellent performance from barrel, unfurling to reveal aromas of Anjou pear, Meyer lemon, hazelnuts and white flowers. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, with super concentration and a long, chalky finish. This parcel was planted some 80 years ago by Vincent's great-granduncle.
Rating: 91(+)
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
Perched in the western uplands alongside the famous Chardonnay-producing village of Meursault, Auxey-Duresses is a small but substantial wine-producing sub-appellation in the Côte de Beaune of Burgundy. Its vineyards cover both sides of the valley (called a combe in French) that cuts through the low hills just west of the lower Côte de Beaune villages of Meursault and Volnay. Cooling winds flow through this basin during the growing season and result in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with a touch of charming rusticity. They are also more approachable in price compared to their Volnay or Meursault counterparts.
The village does include some Premiers Crus vineyards. Les Duresses and Le Climat de Val climb the southeastern slope of the Montagne du Bourdon.