The 2016 Gevrey Chambertin Cuvee Bertin, a blend of two vineyards, included 70% whole bunch this year. It has a tightly wound bouquet at first, then changes its mind and offers attractive rose petal and wilted violet scents. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grain tannin, slightly savory in style and meatier than its peers with a pleasant, gourmand finish. Drink over the next eight to ten years.

The 2015 Gevrey-Chambertin Cuvee Bertin saw 30% whole bunch and 30% new oak. It has a perfumed and floral bouquet that is an absolute joy - so fresh and well defined, so exuberant. The palate is very well balanced with fine tannin, vivacious red cherry and strawberry fruit, superb tension and real mineralité that leaves the tongue tingling on the finish. This comes highly recommended.

The 2014 Gevrey Chambertin Cuvée Bertin includes 40% whole cluster fruit this year. Lovely transparency on the nose here, whereby cold stone/granite scents suffuse that black pastille-like fruit. The palate is supple on the entry, rounded in the mouth with fleshy red cherries and strawberry, although it is missing just a little backbone on the finish. Let's see in bottle.

The 2013 Gevrey Chambertin Cuvee Bertin, named after Virgile’s son, tends to excel in cooler seasons according to Virgile himself. It has a fresh, ripe strawberry and raspberry-scented bouquet, uncomplicated but pure and vivacious. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red fruit, a gentle grip – solid in the mouth but just a little “blocky” on the finish at the moment. This will drink earlier than the domaine’s other 2013s, though I would still afford this two years in bottle.

The 2012 Gevrey-Chambertin Cuvee Bertin is a blend of two parcels and named after Virgile’s son. It has a light, floral bouquet that gains vigor with aeration, offering touches of violet with time. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, sappy blackberry and raspberry fruit, hints of sous-bois that dovetail into a delicate, refined, easy-drinking finish. My second visit to see Virgile Lignier, cousin of Laurent Lignier at Domaine Hubert Lignier, did not go to plan. With the winery seemingly empty, I wondered whether he had forgotten our rendezvous. I soon discovered that the original domaine is tucked away within the village of Morey Saint Denis, and that like many, expansion has meant that they had to move elsewhere to make their wines. Virgile finally appeared driving a forklift truck loading wines destined for my homeland (incidentally I wonder how many Bordeaux proprietors have such a license?) Still, we eventually sat down to taste his 2012s that had been racked mid-September and were now in tank. I have to admit, having heard so many bon mots about Lignier-Michelot, the 2011s had not swept me off my feet back last July, though I could see the potential. However, the 2012s are a different matter and showed more complexity and nuance. The harvest here commenced a little later than others on 27 September, though not as tardy as Laurent Ponsot up the road.