Top northern Côte de Beaune 2022 wines en primeur

Subtle and understated aromas of ripe black cherry and peony with hints of smoke, spice and a savoury touch at the end. Delicate texture but still structured and long. The grapes come from 0.35ha of old vines at the top of the slope. This wine should open more fully in five years and will drink well for at least another 50 after that. Biodynamic.

This slightly rugged version of Corton charms the drinker with its dense, plummy fruit and notes of earth, smoke, and cigar leaf. The texture is admirably compact and long, yet there is no astringency here. It is a powerful, classic Corton that will age for decades. The domaine farms four parcels that total 1.5 hectares; two are closer to the village of Aloxe, and two are closer to Ladoix. The latter are on Comblanchien limestone and deliver a Côte de Nuits style wine. The grapes were primarily fermented as whole clusters and are ageing now in cask (20% new).

In 2022, the Corton Renardes is the most complex and complete of the trio of Cortons in this cellar. The ripe plum and cassis fruit is accented with savoury game notes and a firm, saline minerality. The wine initially seems supple and elegant (it is), but impressive tannic grip and power become apparent with a bit of time in the glass. This wine has marvellous depth and range. Although it seems a bit reserved, Mallard believes it will open in five to seven years — and he opened a bottle of 2016 to demonstrate, proving his point. This is a 'don't miss' kind of wine.

The 2022 Baby Jesus is a wine of gorgeous intensity, with alluringly ripe aromas of blackberry and plum with notes of peony and spice. The forward fruits continue on the palate as intensely sweet and silky, with a density and grip that are only apparent with time. The grapes are from nearly four hectares of vines, although only the oldest vines and most concentrated fruit are used for this bottling, with some declassified into Beaune du Château. This wine will open in five to seven years and should easily drink for 30 more after the harvest.

The 2022 Bouchard Corton boasts concentrated mulberry and black plum fruit aromas, hints of violets and liquorice, and sweet oak spice. The texture is velvety and dense, with supple tannins and a pleasantly persistent finish underscored by a saline mineral note. Despite the location of the vines near the top of the slope, the grapes were picked early; 40% of the crop was fermented as whole clusters. This wine should open up in five to seven years and drink for another 25 beyond that.

David Croix's 2022 Corton Grèves was particularly successful — he reported picking some of the grapes at 14.7% potential alcohol. There is an intense mulberry and pomegranate fruit aroma with hints of earth and spice; the tannins are firm but not astringent, and the rich extract carries the wine to a lingering finish. The grapes come from just over a half-hectare of vines in the centre of the climat that run the length of the slope. They are partially destemmed and gently fermented on native yeasts before ageing in cask (one-third new).

Silky and spicy, Mallard's Le Rognet features notes of star anise and liquorice accenting the charming mulberry fruit aromas with a hint of dark chocolate to add impressive depth of flavour. The grapes come from a 1.27-hectare holding up the slope from Méo's Clos Rognet, whose vines were planted as massale selection 70 years ago. Mallard ferments 80% of the grapes as whole clusters. This year, the old vines have produced nine barrels; seven are new. This wine should drink well in three to five years.

There is charming ripeness to this wine, yet it remains very accessible. Complex aromas of mulberry fruit are coloured with hints of earth, smoke, and leather, and this evocative aroma continues on the palate with a sweetness to the somewhat un-Corton-like fruit. The texture is silky, yet there is an impressive core of density and power. The grapes are from a parcel of mature vines at mid-slope above Aloxe; they are partly destemmed and gently fermented before ageing in new wood.

This is the vineyard of happiness,' according to Lorraine Senard, 'we never have problems with this parcel.' The grapes produced a lovely wine in 2022, with a ripe, sweet mulberry fruit aroma with hints of earth and chocolate, a supple and dense yet relatively tannic texture and impressive persistence on the finish. The domaine owns 0.70 hectares here, just down-slope from Bressandes. The grapes are entirely fermented as whole clusters before ageing over two winters in cask (70% new).

This small corner of Corton is down the slope from Bressandes and south of Maréchaudes; it deserves to be better known. Senard compares it to Renardes, which has a reputation as solid and rustic; this Paulands has some of that wild character, yet it remains discreet. There is an element of game but also the elegance of Bressandes in the expressive red and black fruit aromas and the firmly structured and tannic texture.

Consistent with my notes from 2023, the 2022 DRC Corton in bottle was very aromatic, but more ripe black cherry than raspberry and pomegranate. There is still a strong floral component, but now the sweet vanilla and cedar spice from the cask ageing is more in evidence, and there was more grip and a slightly rustic edge on the palate. The texture is supple but not lacking in substance, and the wine lingers pleasantly on the finish. Produced from 0.57ha of Clos du Roi, 1.19ha of Bressandes and 0.51ha of Renardes. 11,353 bottles were produced in 2022.

This dense, powerful wine has robust tannins and an impressively substantial texture, yet it is not lacking fruit. The forward, accessible blackberry aromas are scented with smoke, black tea, and floral notes. The grapes come from 0.83 hectares in the centre of this climat – arguably among the finest locations in Corton. The grapes are entirely fermented as whole clusters in 2022 but with a gentle extraction and are now ageing in cask with a modest amount of new wood.

Tuvilains may not be the first Beaune premier cru to spring to mind, but it is consistently among my favourites in this cellar. Croix farms a third of a hectare of 80-year-old vines here in the deeper clay soils at the base of the slope. It has given a massive wine in 2022, with a savoury, meaty character and a deep mulberry fruit. The texture has impressive grip and length. Croix avoided whole cluster here to help tame the wine and did the extraction very carefully, and the result is delightful.

The 2022 Faiveley Corton is surprisingly fresh and lively for a warm year, with a forward red and black fruit character and a pronounced floral edge with hints of violets and roses. The texture is supple but reasonably dense, and the fresh acidity supports the wine through a long finish. The grapes from Faiveley's 2.77-hectare monopole were partially destemmed and gently fermented before ageing in cask (half new). This wine should open in five to seven years and drink well over the next three decades.

The Lafarge Beaune Grèves is a spectacular wine. It is produced from century-old vines that deliver a wine of great concentration, depth and length. There is a focused mulberry and black plum fruit with hints of earth, leather, and cigar leaf on the initial attack and a firm texture that remains vibrant due to the crisp acidity from the small, concentrated berries. 2022 will be the last vintage to taste just the old vines – next year some younger vines will come online and be added to the blend.

Mallard has 0.30 hectares in Maréchaudes; about a quarter of this is premier cru (the rest is Corton grand cru) – just enough for a single barrel. Mallard treats it as a grand cru, with 70% of the fruit fermented as whole clusters and aged in 50% new wood. The results are not as powerful as the Corton but show more complexity and depth of flavour than many Aloxe premier crus, with a pleasant balance between silk and structure.

This superb Aloxe premier cru opens with floral notes that lead into aromas of mulberry and plum with an earthy edge. The texture is dense and structured, more substantial than the elegant Toppe au Vert. The 0.39 hectares of vines lie on the southeast-facing, nearly flat terrace of Bressandes, where significant iron is mixed in with the clay. 80% of the grapes are fermented as whole clusters, and the wine is ageing in 50% new casks.

Mallard's Maréchaudes is perhaps the most approachable of his trio of Corton grand crus, with a superbly expressive blackberry and plum aroma with hints of leather smoke and spice. The wine has superb complexity and is undoubtedly substantial, but it is not as dense or powerful as his Les Renardes or Le Rognet. Most of the grapes are fermented as whole clusters, using very gentle extraction; Mallard had enough for four barrels this year, and three are new. This elegant Corton should open in three to five years and will drink well for three decades.

This interesting terroir faces due south, near the quarries on the edge of Corgoloin, which protect it from the influence of the woods. It has produced a gorgeous wine in 2022, with immensely pleasurable dark, plummy fruit with notes of earth, smoke and spice. It is a tannic wine with abundant density and length. The domaine owns 0.78 hectares here; 60% of the grapes are vinified as whole clusters, and the wine is ageing now in cask (half new). Open in five years for best results.

Bize owns 2.1 hectares here, including a half-hectare of Chardonnay. The red has an explosive blackberry and wild strawberry fruit aroma with hints of fresh and dried flowers, earth, and cigar leaf. The texture is tannic and firm but less tightly-wound than the 2020s. Fermentation is done as whole clusters; the wine is aged in cask, with just 5 – 10% new. When finished, this delicious wine should be approachable earlier than some vintages have been.

This compellingly lovely wine is among the top wines from Beaune this year, with a deceptively light colour but a bewitching aroma of wild strawberries and roses with hints of cinnamon and clove. As the wine opens on the palate, there is an intense sweetness to the fruit, and yet there is no lack of tannins or structure, suggesting the wine will age effortlessly for twenty years. The grapes are fermented as whole clusters, and the extraction is gentle and done entirely by foot; the result is delicious.

2022 is the inaugural year for the new terroir-driven approach for the Hospices Corton; the Cuvée Les Renardes is 100% from this lieu-dit. This latest wine is delicious, redolent of blackberry and plum, with hints of earth and spice. The ripe character comes through on the palate with a clear sweetness to the fruit and less emphasis on tannin and structure, although there is enough of both to keep this lingering on the finish. This wine will be ready to drink in three to five years and will last a further thirty beyond that. (Elevage Domaine Henri Boillot)

The 2022 version of Jadot's Corton Pougets boasts a charismatic ripe plum and fig aroma with notes of earth and fresh flowers. The texture is silky and refined; the fruit ripens well in this south-facing site next to Le Charlemagne. The Jadot plot is planted to white wine at the top in the thin, rocky soils and Pinot in the siltier soils below. The grapes are destemmed and gently fermented before ageing in cask (one-third new); the delicious result demonstrates that both reds and whites are equally at home in this terroir.

There is more depth and structure in the Epenots than in the village wine, but this latter is still approachable and forward, with ripe black plum and mulberry fruit and hints of lavender, menthol, and star anise. The texture is dense, and the tannins are supple but supportive, leading the whole to a pleasantly persistent finish. The grapes are 90% from Grands Epenots and 10% from Petits Epenots; they are fermented as whole clusters and aged in used casks to produce this memorable wine.

The delicious Corton Bressandes has long been a favourite in this cellar. It is produced from a large (0.80 hectare) parcel that Pacalet rents, planted with 80-year-old massale selection vines at very high density. The vines give a small yield but very concentrated fruit that Pacalet ferments gently as whole clusters to deliver this intense, powerful wine that retains surprising elegance and finesse for such a substantial wine. The ripe mulberry and plum fruit aromas are hedged with earth and savoury game notes; the texture is tannic and compact. This Bressandes should open in five to seven years and drink well for decades.