The 2018 Auxey-Duresses Village is showing well, revealing a lovely bouquet of red cherries and plums, framed by a deft touch of oak. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, fleshy and ripe, with lovely purity of fruit, succulent acids and fine, powdery tannins.

The 2017 Auxey-Duresses Village offers up aromas of earthy red fruits, espresso roast and recently used wood, followed by a medium-bodied, firm and tangy palate. The wine had just been racked when I tasted it, so I suspect it will have fleshed out by the time it's bottled, but Paul Zinetti told me it might be fined.

The 2015 Auxey-Duresses Village, a blend of 35- and 65-year-old vines, had finished its malolactic a week prior to my visit. It has an ebullient nose with blackberry, bilberry and dried violet scents, well defined and almost Volnaysian in style thanks to its richness. The 14 degrees natural alcohol on the palate is neatly disguised by the 3.33 pH. It feels generous and deep, cut with a sorbet-like freshness, whilst the finish has an attractive grainy texture and good backbone for a village cru.

The 2014 Auxey-Duresses, which comes from "Les Argillats," had been racked a week ago and will be bottled at the end of the year; it has a crisp, light but lively blackberry and blueberry-scented bouquet. The palate is nicely balanced, easy going with crisp, tart cherry fruit with a short but detailed finish. Six barrels made. Enjoy this over the next 3-5 years.

The malolactic fermentation on the 2013 Auxey-Duresses Village had not finished, so Paul had transferred it into a small tank in order to "get it going," but as a consequence the bottling will be delayed. It has a pretty nose in the making with lifted cassis and blackberry scents, hints of violet blossoming in the glass. The palate is nicely balanced with crisp acidity, light but pretty, with a delicate floral finish. What you might call a “l(fā)ittle cutie,” and I find it superior to the premier cru this year.