2023 Bourgogne Blanc

The 2023 Bourgogne Chardonnay comes from a small parcel, half of which was recently pulled up. This matured in one-third new oak. It has a very effervescent bouquet with intense tropical notes that manages to retain delineation and poise. The palate is well balanced, intense, mineral-driven and packed with flavor and a dash of spice on the finish. I kind of love this! Call me smitten. Three barrels were produced. Heresztyn-Mazzini is an estate that I have visited regularly for a decade now. They might not be one of Gevrey's "superstars," but they have been producing excellent wine for several years. Underlying their success is a cluster of choice holdings, biodynamic vineyard husbandry and an attention to detail in the winery, where I find assiduous use of whole clusters. Their 2023s may well be the finest set of releases so far, perhaps better than the 2022s. "We did a green harvest in July for two weeks. There was a lot of rain that month, so we used silica when it was dry, which helped with the structure of the wine. I had never seen such a precocious vintage. Picking began on September 7 and the average yield was around 35 hl/ha."