2022 Aloxe-Corton 1er Cru La Coutière, Domaine Henri Magnien

Charles’s approach to these two Côte de Beaune wines gets gentler each year as his diligent work in the vineyards produces ever better-quality grapes. In 2022 he did no pigeage at all on either wine, trying to avoid the rusticity that so often plagues wines from this part of Burgundy. On this Aloxe, he reduced the amount of new oak to 30% to allow the wine to express itself, happy that it was ripe and rich enough for the fruit to stand alone, which it does well. There is some gravelly freshness and hints of forest floor and briar with very much of the emphasis on the red fruits. Drink from 2027