2021 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru

“Mildew was a problem,” Bertrand Dugat admits, not for the first time during my Burgundy marathon. “But we had the same volume as 2018, 2019 and 2020 – there was just a little bit of frost. There were chenilles [caterpillars] that ate the buds. We started the picking on 19 September. This is the style of vintage that I prefer. Previously, vintages have been a bit too rich.” Dugat has been on a roll in recent vintages. Together with his sister Laetitia, their small portfolio has turned 180° from the slightly oaky wines of a decade ago to wines that exude finesse, elegance and transparency – paradigms of Pinoté. Their Chapelle-Chambertin leaves me wanting to run away with the barrel and a bit produced, which probably would not go down well. Utterly sublime and one of my favourite wines from the Côte d’Or, let alone Gevrey. Try and grab whatever you can.