2023 St Aubin Clos de la Chateniere

The 2023 Saint-Aubin Clos de la Chatenière 1er Cru comes from vines planted in 1960 and was cropped at 35hl/ha. This distinctly has more reduction on the nose, making the aromatics difficult to read (Olivier Lamy was not sure exactly why). The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, perhaps one of the most elegant takes on Saint-Aubin, prolonged by its intrinsic sapidity and mineralité . Beautiful, but I would give it three or four years in bottle.

From a steep, warm, south-facing site with vines over 60 years old and affected by virus, the 2023 Saint-Aubin 1er Cru Clos de la Chatenière is another success, lifting from the glass with gently reductive aromas of burnt buttered toast, orange and pear. On the palate, it is medium- to full-bodied, concentrated and layered, supported by ample chalky structuring extract and culminating in a long, saline finish. This is one of the finest renditions of the cuvée I have tasted to date.