Domaine Henri Germain & Fils Bourgogne Blanc Cote d’Or AC – 2023

“Aromas of honeysuckle, pear and freshly baked bread introduce the 2023 Bourgogne Côte d’Or, a medium to full-bodied, fleshy and satiny wine that’s lively and charming.

Domaine Henri Germain, where patriarch Jean-François Germain has now been joined by his dynamic daughter, Lucie, put in another strong performance in 2023, producing wines of texture and charm. Readers will remember that viticulture here is organic (though uncertified), and vinification is decidedly traditional, with the wines spending two winters in barrel on the lees, without racking, if possible, and almost invariably without bâtonnage. In the domaine’s cold cellars, alcoholic and malolactic fermentations are protracted, but Germain is content to let the wines take their time. Percentages of new oak are low and derive mostly from Tonnelleries Damy and Trémeaux. The resulting wines are rich but lively, with fleshy fruit but firm structural bones that demand time in the cellar. In the last decade, the style has become a little less austere and reductive, probably as much a reflection of climate as of technique, but the domaine remains old-fashioned in the best sense.” 88-89pts Wine Advocate