2022 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru

Caroline Drouhin guided me through their 2023s. She told me that they used 60% new oak on the Premier and Grand Crus that now come from five cooperages instead of four: Raymond, Cavin, Seguin Moreau, Billaud and Ateliers Centre France. From the 2024 vintage, they are using their new winery onsite rather than the old one that had been used since her great-grandmother. The new facility has more efficient temperature-controlled vats that are easier to clean.

I was enamored by the 2023s from this Domaine, which I have been visiting since Caroline’s parents’ days. Back then, the wines were often extracted and oaky, in vogue at that time. These wines are cut from a different cloth: picked a little earlier, a lighter maceration, with more red fruit and a lighter veneer of oak that is more proportionate to the fruit concentration. The best had been doing cartwheels of joy (metaphorically). I have no doubt that their 2023s surpass their 2022s; in fact, this might be the most consistent and satisfying range from Drouhin-Laroze.

Caroline Drouhin guided me through the Domaine’s 2022s, which were picked between September 1 and 10. Their vintage report highlights the violent storms of June 22 that saw 100mm of rain within 45 minutes and reiterates that it was, overall, the warmest summer since 1947 after 2003. Nevertheless, alcohol levels all come in between 12.5% and 13.5%. One addition to their portfolio is Gevrey-Chambertin Vignes Belles, which had previously been blended into their “Dix Climats” cuvée. My picks here include a very fine Clos de Vougeot, their Chambolle-Musigny Village and Gevrey-Chambertin Craipillot.