2018 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru

I have been feting Nicolas Groffier’s winemaking for three or four years now. Where once the domaine had a penchant for rather over-extracted wines, Nicolas Groffier has navigated a different course with completely different wines: elegant, full of tension and respectful to their terroirs. And that’s the thing: there vines populate some enviable patched of "dirt", which means once in the hands of a talented winemaking, you are inevitably going to make some serious wines. "They are like 2015 but with more yield and more accessibility," the ever garrulous Groffier told me. "Two thousand and eighteen is like its smaller sister, but there is more volume. It was a nice surprise to find berries with much more juice, but the vintage is serious for me. It is the opposite of 2017. The wines kept the tension. I started the harvest on 28 August harvest and finished 2 September, so it was quite quick. The average alcohol is around 13.0%, with just a little chaptalization to extend the fermentation. I didn’t find any sur-maturité in the wines and I strive for grapes that I recognise when I taste them in the vineyard. The extraction was easy." I find Groffier an erudite and engaging winemaker to exchange views with, so I asked him how he feels about a future whereby vintages start in August. "I prefer to pick at the end of September but I don’t mind picking at the end of August because the vines are happy in the warmth, even if it is not good in terms of global warming. No, the only real problem [of an early harvest] is deciding the date of the harvest. You must be reactive in terms of mobilising the pickers. For me, the ideal alcohol around 12.5% because at 13.5% Pinot Noir can become a bit of a caricature." Overall, Groffier’s 2018s fall into the "stellar" category and not just at the top end. The Gevrey-Chambertin Les Seuvrées punches at Premier Cru level but yes, if you can shell out for their stunning Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze, please invite me round when you crack it open.