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Red Burgundy Bargain! Top 1er Cru + celebrated vintage + quality producer

Beaune 1er Cru Greves 2016 Joseph Drouhin
 OC (6×75) @ £275 per case IB
 
Patience required but this should ultimately be excellent
92/100 – outstanding – Allen Meadows / burghound.com

 

Beaune might be the administrative and cultural heart of Burgundy but its wines rarely make the headlines.  There’s no flagship Grand Cru and no superstar domaine to draw in the crowds.  In fact, we would go as far as to say that Beaune’s wines are under-appreciated, consistently under-estimated and, overall, a bit unloved.

Yet those prepared to venture beyond Burgundy’s more fashionable vineyards will find a rare confluence of quality and value in the 1er Crus of Beaune.  Few other villages in the Cote d’Or could field a top 1er Cru, from a celebrated vintage and a quality producer, to match Drouhin’s Beaune Greves 2016 at £275 a case.  We would be willing to bet that the equivalent wine from Gevrey Chambertin would start at twice this price.

With an ideal exposition on the hillside above the town, Greves is a strong contender to be considered Beaune’s finest vineyard.  According to Jasper Morris MW it is ‘absolutely the heartland of Beaune, with the richest, most structured and longest-lived wines of the appellation’ (Inside Burgundy).  The famous Vigne de l’Enfant Jesus is an enclave within the Greves vineyard.

In a tasting of recent vintages of Drouhin’s Beaune 1er Crus, the 2016 Greves was the standout.  We bought our stock direct from Beaune and these last few cases are immediately available from LCB.

 

This is starting to take on some secondary tones of leaves, spice and even meat alongside ripe red fruit.  It’s reassuringly old school in its weight and muscular profile, with dry tannins and a mineral line at its core.  Really impressive structure that is buffered by slender but persistent fruit – all red berries and some floral notes.  The finish is dominated by fine chalky tannins and plenty of crunch, boding very well for the future.
93/100 – Matthew Hemming MW

 

Here the nose plays on the edge of reduction and while it doesn’t completely mask the floral-scented nose of dark berries and earth, it does render it less expressive. The rich and notably denser medium-bodied flavors also flash a lovely minerality that adds a sense of lift to the much firmer, even robust finish that is presently somewhat youthfully austere. Patience required but this should ultimately be excellent.
92/100 – Allen Meadows

 

Value is a very rare commodity in Burgundy these days, especially when talking about a vintage such as 2016 – small in quantity, outstanding in quality and extremely popular with collectors.  Having cut my teeth on old Beaune 1er Crus – 1971s, ‘69s and the occasional ’59 We have great affection for these wines and are thrilled to recommend Drouhin’s 2016 Greves.

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