2022 Beaune 1. Cru Les Champs Pimont Domaine Henri Felettig

Gilbert took over the vines in 2018 (planted 1968) and they needed a lot of work – not having been ploughed before. 35-40% whole bunches. A rich crimson purple, still reticent on the nose but showing some class. Good depth of dark fruit, then a livelier finish. He waits to pick this because he thinks 13.5% suits it, and this example would bear that out. 60% new wood has been tamed as well.

The 2022 Beaune Les Champimonts 1er Cru includes 40% whole bunches and is one of the cuvées that had just been racked. Felettig informed me this was picked after his Premier Crus in the Côte de Nuits. That would explain why it is a little tighter at the moment, though it opens with time, offering brisk, minerally, well-defined red fruit. The medium-bodied palate is quite sapid with good substance and finely honed tannins. It perhaps misses a bit of finesse on the finish, yet there is clearly good backbone that should see it age well in bottle.

Bursting with aromas of plums, raspberries, orange zest, petals and anise, the 2022 Beaune 1er Cru Les Champs-Pimont is medium to full-bodied, rich and layered, with a fleshy core of fruit framed by powdery tannins that assert themselves with discreet asperity on the finish.