2012 Beaune Village

David Croix's 2012s are fabulous. At the lower end of the range, the wines are perhaps a bit bigger and richer than normal, but that is not such a bad thing for wines that are meant to be enjoyed on the young side. At the upper end of the spectrum, the wines are truly distinguished. Yields came in around 25 hectoliters per hectare versus a historical average of 30-35. Croix told me he is going for less and less extraction - especially with vintages like 2012 that are naturally low yielding - and trying to emphasize freshness in his wines. In 2012, Croix gave his entry-level wines 12-14 days on the skins, while the Grand Crus saw total fermentation/maceration times as long as 24-25 days. Except as noted, I tasted the 2012s from barrel. Recent bottles of the 2005 Pertuisots and Bressandes were terrific, but the wines Croix is making today are even better.