Joseph Drouhin : Beaune 1er cru "Clos des Mouches" 2023

Lovely cherry fruit with hints of lavender and rosemary. The texture is silky and dense, almost fat. There is more clay here, and less limestone than in Les Cras, and the tannic structure is not as firm. The grapes are from Drouhin's massive 6.75ha here, not far from Pommard; they are partially destemmed and fermented on native yeasts before ageing in cask (25% new) for 14–18 months.

Cask sample. Such a sweet, easy nose! Smells ready to drink! Creamy (almost a little yogurty). Red fruit in abundance, lactic tang in abundance. The tannins circle and pull the wine in like a drawstring. Sour cherries, rose hip, red-plum skin, salt. Something wonderfully pencil-line, quinine-cut savoury on the finish. I love the precision of this wine. (TC)