In 2013 the decision was made to plant chardonnay instead of pinot noir and here is yet another vintage to support that decision. More glaring this time in fact because while 2021 is a true throwback to the way things used to be in terms of hard, closed, unforgiving and austere pinot noir - such is not the case for chardonnay. Les Perrières is blessed with fruit, glorious but also grippy, tannic and high extract fruit. Not quite as aromatic as say Santenay but both texture and intensity are bigger, stronger and in serious command. This will age slowly and really well - the way it just sits in the glass for minutes on end without changing tells us that much. Drink 2024-2030. Tasted August 2023. Score - 94. (Michael Godel, winealign.com)

This is a classic Meursault in so many ways. First, the nose is all about layers of complexity with pear flan, hazelnut, light toast and fine brown cinnamon/nutmeg spice. It is full bodied, rich and fleshy but the acid core is terrific and well integrated. And despite all the largesse it maintains a sense of delicacy and minerality. This is so well focused and the length is outstanding. Tasted August 2023. Score - 95. (David Lawrason, winealign.com)

Maturing slowly, this is just moving into some gold shading at seven years. It is a lovely, gracious and seamless wine with complex, refined if not effusive aromas melding peach/pear fruit, lemon, subtle spice and the beginnings of tertiary nutty complexity. The sense of charm is its abiding feature, but there is also power and depth. The length is outstanding with fine minerality. Tasted January 2023. Score - 97. (David Lawrason, winealign.com)

Clos Sorbé is a Morey Saint Denis premier cru named for the low walls that once surrounded the vineyard. The gradual slope facing east is located in the middle of the village with a soil mix of chalky marl and fragmented white limestone stones coming up from the sub-strata. Delivers the finesse and shadowy Morey smoulder for a grippy pinot noir, sneaky like its maker, confident and destined to be there for the long term. Nicolas Potel has held on to this 2016 and we thank him for that, from the low-yielding (with thanks to springs frosts and rains) yet powerful vintage (because of a very hot summer). The wine is still in infancy, tough juddering from a mechanical equine, a mudder that will find its stride just as it comes out of the last turn. On track for a mid to late decade run. Drink date: 2024-2029. Tasted November 2021. Score - 93. (Michael Godel, winealign.com)

Properly structured and with solid tannins, this is a concentrated wine. Its firm texture is balanced by ripe black fruits, dark and intense. From a vineyard surrounded by some of Burgundy's greatest, this superb wine needs many years. Drink from 2026. Cellar Selection. Score - 95. (Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast, Feb. 1, 2018)

As small as a plot gets, 0.3 hectare in size, planted in 1927, sandwiched between Echezeaux and Clos de Vougeot. A place of heroic, sustainable, focused and reasoned farming, for Nicolas Patel one of the exacting gems where pinot noir in the Côtes d'Or will find greatness and cast a spell. Yes the austerity, bound and wound intensity are off the proverbial charts to set this wine back 25 years but just a fifth of that time will be needed for its charm to show. The swell of red fruit is inspiring and 2021 or not the awe is noted. Vosne Romanée is represented with utmost esteem and time can only serve to embellish, replenish and increase the splendour of this complex wine. Drink 2026-2037. Tasted August 2023. Score - 96. (Michael Godel, winealign.com)

Maison Roche de Bellene is a pioneer in innovative winemaking techniques. Grapes are vinified using a vertical press, and the wine is racked according to the lunar and biodynamic calendars and subsequently aged in very old cellars to benefit from the best conditions. This wine is floral, supple and spicy, with notions of fresh flowers, red fruit and licorice.