Domaine Mongeard-Mugneret, Savigny-lès-Beaune

Vincent takes an intelligent and pragmatic view of his vineyards: "I adopt many of the practices of organics and biodynamics," he says. "But all of our vineyards are different and require different approaches, so the use of one philosophy would not give us the quality we're looking for." The sandy, gravelly soils of Savigny-lés-Beaune are ideally suited to growing vines and are also comparatively deep. The 50-year-old vines are Guyot pruned and planted at an altitude of 245 metres. Severe debudding in spring and a green harvest in the summer helps to regulate the crop and increases high quality and maturity.

Following the challenges of 2021, the 2022 vintage in Burgundy was characterised by abundance and excellence. Despite heatwaves and the largest drought in Burgundy since 1976, 2022 emerged as a generous vintage, with excellent quality and yields far exceeding the three previous years. The growing season began with a cold winter, which delayed budburst and ensured most vineyards escaped April frosts unscathed. Optimal spring conditions followed and the vines grew quickly, with flowering taking place in mid-May. The summer was hot and dry, yet rain showers at the end of June replenished water reserves and allowed vines to thrive. Harvest began at the end of August and lasted until mid-September and the quality of the fruit harvested was excellent, with vibrant aromatics and balancing acidity.

The grapes were destemmed and underwent a cold maceration for 48 hours to extract colour, aroma and tannin. Fermentation took place using indigenous yeasts, with a punch down performed daily. The wine was then transferred to French oak barrels, 30-50% of which were new. The wine underwent malolactic fermentation and was then further aged for a period of 14-16 months, before being bottled without filtering.