Aromas of cassis, orange rind and smoked meats, framed by a deft touch of new oak, introduce the 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Village, a medium to full-bodied, rich and enveloping wine that's fleshy and charming, concluding with a saline finish.

Offering up an attractive bouquet of berry fruit, smoked meats, espresso roast, warm spices and sweet soil tones, the 2017 Gevrey-Chambertin Village is medium to full-bodied, supple and fleshy, with an open and expressive core of fruit, velvety tannins and fine length on the finish. This has turned out very nicely in bottle.

The 2013 Gevrey Chambertin Village includes 50% whole cluster and matured in 30% new oak. It has a very upfront, high-toned bouquet that comes as some surprise after the more reserved showing of the C?te de Beaune ‘13s, though it begins to calm down with aeration, revealing impressive crushed strawberry, redcurrant and sous-bois scents. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, well-judged acidity, good body for a village cru with a sweet candied finish. This serves as a fine introduction to the delights of Domaine de la Vougeraie.

The 2012 Gevrey-Chambertin Village comes from 5 different parcels such as “Les Galands” and “La Justice” and this year it contains 50% whole bunches. It has a foursquare but defined bouquet with simple brambly, slightly tertiary red fruit. The palate works well with sappy red berries, a fine line of acidity and a solid, stocky finish with grippy tannins. This will provide enjoyable early drinking. Domaine de la Vougeraie was founded in 1998 when the domaines of Claudine Deschamps, Pierre Ponnelle, Louis Voilland and L’Heritier-Guyot were merged. I remember it well because at the time I was exporting L’Heritier-Guyot’s wines to Japan (to be frank, they were quite ordinary back then.) The man behind the venture was Jean-Claude Boisset, whose own considerable holdings meant that Domaine de la Vougeraie became a significant player in the Cote d’Or, with 37 hectares of prime vineyard including seven grand crus to their name. I have to be honest and say that like many others, I liked the first few vintages of their wine, but found them a little predictable and seemed to struggle for charm and personality. Perhaps that was a reflection of former winemaker Pascal Marchand applying the practices he had learned at Comte Armand: a lot of new oak with 100% de-stemmed fruit – not really my bag. When he departed for pastures new, incoming winemaker Pierre Vincent seemed to apply a gentler touch. The new oak is still part of the wines’ character, but there is certainly a more considered approach, plus he is more open to using whole cluster fruit. Managing such an array of wines with a relatively small team cannot be easy in challenging vintages such as 2012, or for that matter 2013. Pierre told me that his average yields were 22 hectoliters per hectare, though for the grand crus, they were down to 17 hectoliters per hectare. Importer: Boisset Family Estates, St. Helena, CA; tel. (800) 878-1123

The 2010 Gevrey-Chambertin is all about finesse, detail and nuance. The bouquet alone is striking for its pure crystalline expression of Gevrey. Finely knit layers of fruit flesh out on the palate in this beautifully articulated, precise Gevrey. The 2010 is pure class and elegance. The Gevrey is made from five parcels on the lower slopes of the village. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2025. This is stunning set of wines from Pierre Vincent and Domaine de la Vougeraie. It is impossible to miss the attention to detail at this impeccably run domaine. No expense is spared. It takes 80 people to work the vineyards during harvest and another 20 in the cellar to take it from there. Production in 2010 was of course down significantly as it was everywhere else. Yields came in at 24 hectoliters per hectare for the Pinot and 29 for the Chardonnay. Vincent used between 30-80% whole bunches, depending on the wine. Readers who want to learn more might want to check out my video interview with Pierre Vincent on www.erobertparker.com. I will report on the domaine’s 2009s in the April issue. For now let me just say the 2009 Musigny is one of the wines of the vintage. Importer: Boisset Family Estates, St. Helena, CA; tel. (800) 878-1123 1