Deep garnet hue with a fascinating array of aromas from mineral and floral to earthy/animal and baking spice/wild thyme. The fruit shines through on the palate with bright cherry, blackberry and mulberry complimented by a rich earthy vein. The savoury characteristics from a cool and exceptionally low cropping vintage are sensational when married with the classic Gibbston silky, fine tannins and electric acidity. VALLI is the personal vocation of pioneering winemaker Grant Taylor. Grants name is synonymous with Otago Pinot Noir. He has been crafting wines there since 1993 when there were only 20 ha planted today there are over 2000. Grant founded VALLI in 1998 with the intention to produce single vineyard Pinot Noirs highlighting the different characteristics of Otagos sub regions. More than 20 years later, VALLI is doing just that, producing single-vineyard pinot noirs from Gibbston, Bannockburn, and Bendigo in Central Otago and the Waitaki Valley in North Otago, as well as a dry Pinot Gris from Gibbston and a Riesling from Waitaki. In 2015, established Otago winemaker Jen Parr joined Grant in the winery where the two aim to create wines with honesty, integrity, and most of all, a sense of place. When you drink a Valli wine, you are enjoying more than just a wine: you are experiencing a place.

La Fussière is the largest climat of Maranges (at the very south of the Côte de Beaune, next to Santenay), covering an area of almost 35 hectares. It faces south, directly towards the start of the Côte Chalonnaise, on a slope between 290 and 400 metres. Alongside a cracking red from these marly, crinoidal limestone soils, Bachelet-Monnot has long crafted an exceptionally pure and taut white Burgundy from a small parcel of 40-year-old vines occupying the vineyard's highest reaches. This site lost almost 70% of its crop due to the frost this year. Raised with 20% new oak, it’s a beautifully pitched, chalky white with crisp apple and white peach fruit, finishing with a tangy, citric snap.

JEAN-NOEL GAGNARD Santenay 1er Cru Clos de Tavennes , Santenay

Cuvée des Peupliers Bourgogne Rouge Drawn from a parcel directly below the Route Nationale in Chambolle, abutting the Morey border. Ponsot has been farming this site since 2002 and it is, if you will, a launching pad into Chambolles evanescent glories of crunchy red fruit, silken tannins and chiffon-like detail. A waft of spice and sous-bois accents top it all off. A mere quarter of the cuvée was raised in oak facilitating imminent accessibility and enjoyment, high on the drinkability spectrum.