Intense aromas of hazelnut and citrus fruit on the nose with a backdrop of toast and spice from the oak. Has a lovely savoury quality on the palate, beautifully balanced and with a persistent finish. Benoit pointed out that, following the small harvest in 2021, he needed to buy in more new oak barrels than usual for the larger 2022 vintage. The Merucrey Village has benefited from this, with the oak giving impressive structure. RKL

This 9 hectare domaine in Mercurey has been family-owned since 1858, but has a new lease of life since Benoît Eschard took over from his uncle, six years ago. Benoît came into winemaking from engineering, an approach which shows in the meticulous overhaul he has given to his vineyard and winery practices. His uncle had been selling the domaine's wine to negociants. Nearly 8 of Benoît's 9 hectares are premier cru, so it was an obvious move to vinify and bottle the wines separately, focusing on terroir.

As you might expect from a former process engineer, the vineyard and winemaking procedures have been improved from end to end. Benoît is especially proud of his team's attention to detail when it comes to the sorting table. Like a number of great winemakers, this is where he positions himself at harvest time, overseeing every berry that comes into the winery.