Domaine Lafouge Auxey Duresses 1er cru La Chapelle – 2018

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! “Aromas of ripe cherries, raspberries and plums introduce Lafouge’s 2018 Auxey-Duresses 1er Cru La Chapelle, a medium to full-bodied wine that’s a touch firmer and more youthfully austere than it typically is. In 2018, the La Chapelle actually seems more overly structured than Les Duresses, though the opposite is generally the case.” 90+pts The Wine Advocate