Domaine Lafouge Auxey Duresses 1er cru La Chapelle – 2017

This excellent red Burgundy comes from the finest 1er cru vineyard in Auxey Duresses, a small appellation which lies in the next valley west from Volnay in Burgundy’s Cote de Beaune region. Auxey Duresses is traditionally a little cooler than the Cote de Beaune but La Chapelle vineyard has a perfect, southerly exposure.
It has impressive multi-layered fruit flavours – red and black cherries, violets and spices – together with lovely depth and density and silky smooth tannins. It is great value – if it came from Volnay 2kms to its east, it would surely fetch double the price!
“The finest of Lafouge’s reds this year is the 2017 Auxey-Duresses 1er Cru La Chapelle, a lovely rendition of this emblematic bottling that wafts from the glass with aromas of smoky cassis, plums, cocoa nib, rose petals and candied peel. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, supple and layered, with good concentration at the deep and layered core, velvety structuring tannins and ripe acids. Combining the elegance of Lafouge’s Duresses with the structure of his Climat du Val, the La Chapelle is the more serious and complete wine in the cellar.” 93+/100 pts The Wine Advocate