Aromas of hazelnut, buttered orchard fruit, fresh peach and waxy citrus rind, the 2016 Meursault Village is medium to full-bodied, satiny and sumptuous, with succulent balancing acids, lovely purity and a long finish. It's more textural and enveloping than all the Auxey-Duresses whites, excepting perhaps the Macabrée. The cuvée is a blend of Pré de Manche and Chaumes des Perrières, lieux-dits that Bize-Leroy bottles separately in more abundant vintages.

The 2011 Meursault Villages has a refined walnut and hazelnut bouquet with just a hint of butterscotch loitering in the background. The palate is very well-balanced with a lovely citrus peel note on the entry accompanied by Japanese yuzu and grilled walnuts on the elegant understated finish. Very fine, if not quite up to the level of the Auxey-Duresses whites. Drink now-2018. Having tasted the complete range of Domaine Leroy's wines in Vosne, Lalou Bize-Leroy hopped in her Toyota with her constantly quarreling canines and we follow her down to the back and beyond of Saint Romain to taste her complete range of Domaine d'Auvenay 2011s: two reds outnumbered by the whites. Most of us have more chance of spotting a yeti dining with a dodo at Ma Cuisine than drinking a wine from Domaine d'Auvenay, since the wines are produced in microscopic quantities and only fools would choose to resell them. To put that into perspective, when I visited the picturesque estate tucked away behind a leafy glade, Lalou pointed to what looked like a tin bucket and explained that I was looking at the entire production of last year's Criots-Batard-Montrachet, all 75-litres of it. But there is something magical that shrouds Domaine d-Auvenay and my few encounters have been memorable. Just last year, her Meursault Narvaux 1999 had the hubris to outshine a Corton-Charlemagne from Coche-Dury, and it remains the greatest white village cru that is likely to ever pass my lips. The 2011s were extremely good, but you probably know that already. What I appreciated was that they are very honest wines, respective of their terroirs, not all implicitly the greatest whites you will ever taste, but each adorned with individuality. I have few experiences of mature wines from Domaine d'Auvenay, but they do have an extraordinary propensity to age. Having said that, if my cellar was stocked with these wines, I would find it extraordinarily difficult to resist temptation. Importer: Martine's Wines, Novato, CA; tel. (415) 883-0400

D’Auvenay’s 2010 Meursault is soft, supple and inviting. White peaches, flowers and flint take shape in the glass, but the overriding sensation is one of delicacy. The Meursault is pure class. Best of all, it should be one of the more approachable of the 2010s, although I am confident it will also age well. Anticipated maturity: 2014+. Do you want the good news or the bad news? Lalou Bize-Leroy’s 2010s at Domaine D’Auvenay – both white and red – are off the charts. That is the good news. The bad news is that the wines won’t be released for at least a few more years. Aging white Burgundy these days requires a strong stomach but D’Auvenay is one of the few domaines where the wines actually need a few years in bottle to show well. With time, the D’Auvenay whites often blossom into extraordinary wines with few peers anywhere in the world. I also include notes on the 2010 reds, which are equally, if not more, impressive than the whites. I find the D’Auvenay 2010 reds just a bit more refined than Bize-Leroy’s 2010 reds at Domaine Leroy. In any event, these remain some of the most riveting wines on the planet. The only problem is finding them. Importer: Martine’s Wines, Novato, CA; tel. (415) 883-040

An assemblage of Pre de Manche and Chaumes des Perrieres, the 2003 Meursault bursts from the glass with spicy, toasty hazelnuts. Ample, supple, and lush, this medium-bodied effort is deep, reveals anise-laced nuts, and sports a prolonged, seamless finish. Drink it over the next 8 years. Importers include: Martine’s Wines, Novato, CA; tel. (415) 883-0400; and Lauber Imports, Somerville, NJ; tel. (908) 725-2100

Produced from an assemblage of Lalou Bize-Leroy’s parcels of Pre de Manche and Chaumes de Perrieres, the 2001 Meursault reveals toasted nuts, buttered pears, as well as spices in its aromatic and flavor profiles. Fruit-forward, medium-bodied, and silky-textured, it is a sensual, pure, flavorful, and impressively long wine. Drink it over the next 7 years. Importer: Martine’s Wines, San Raphael, CA; tel. (415) 883-0400