Chiseled and tightly wound, the 2018 Auxey-Duresses La Macabrée unwinds in the glass with notes of pear, hazelnuts, citrus oil and white flowers. Medium to full-bodied, taut and incisive, it's deep and concentrated, with racy girdling acids and a long, chalky finish.

More unctuous and powerful than Les Clous, the 2016 Auxey-Duresses La Macabrée unfurls in the glass with aromas of dried white flowers, honeycomb, citrus pith and toasted nuts. On the palate, it's full-bodied, ample and satiny, with striking depth and dimension at the core and chalky structuring extract, concluding with a nobly bitter finish.

Domaine d'Auvenay's 2015 Auxey-Duresses La Macabrée is more dramatic than the Les Clous that preceded it, wafting from the glass with aromas of musky peach, citrus blossom, ripe pear, subtle hazelnut and a delicate top note of petrol. On the palate, the wine is more overtly textural, with a glossy attack and considerable mid-palate volume, balanced by superb cut and concluding with a saline, mineral finish.

The 2011 Auxey-Duresses La Macabree exhibits a little more refinement on the nose than the Les Clous, although it does not quite achieve the same degree of vibrancy and complexity. The palate is very well-balanced with seamless integrated oak, fine mineralite and a languid lime and shaved ginger tinged finish that will leave you smiling. Drink now-2020. Having tasted the complete range of Domaine Leroy's wines in Vosne, Lalou Bize-Leroy hopped in her Toyota with her constantly quarreling canines and we follow her down to the back and beyond of Saint Romain to taste her complete range of Domaine d'Auvenay 2011s: two reds outnumbered by the whites. Most of us have more chance of spotting a yeti dining with a dodo at Ma Cuisine than drinking a wine from Domaine d'Auvenay, since the wines are produced in microscopic quantities and only fools would choose to resell them. To put that into perspective, when I visited the picturesque estate tucked away behind a leafy glade, Lalou pointed to what looked like a tin bucket and explained that I was looking at the entire production of last year-s Criots-Batard-Montrachet, all 75-litres of it. But there is something magical that shrouds Domaine d-Auvenay and my few encounters have been memorable. Just last year, her Meursault Narvaux 1999 had the hubris to outshine a Corton-Charlemagne from Coche-Dury, and it remains the greatest white village cru that is likely to ever pass my lips. The 2011s were extremely good, but you probably know that already. What I appreciated was that they are very honest wines, respective of their terroirs, not all implicitly the greatest whites you will ever taste, but each adorned with individuality. I have few experiences of mature wines from Domaine d'Auvenay, but they do have an extraordinary propensity to age. Having said that, if my cellar was stocked with these wines, I would find it extraordinarily difficult to resist temptation. Importer: Martine-s Wines, Novato, CA; tel. (41

A new label for D’Auvenay, the 2010 Auxey-Duresses La Macabree is at first quite subtle, but then opens up beautifully with time in the glass. This powerful, broad-shouldered wine is endowed with considerable energy. The aromas and flavors are ample and expansive throughout. Sweet floral, honeyed notes give the wine much of its breadth and flashiness, especially on the deep, resonant finish. This is the first vintage Lalou Bize-Leroy has listed the Macabree lieu-dit on what was previously her straight Auxey-Duresses bottling. In 2010, the Macabree is magnificent. Anticipated maturity: 2014+. Do you want the good news or the bad news? Lalou Bize-Leroy’s 2010s at Domaine D’Auvenay – both white and red – are off the charts. That is the good news. The bad news is that the wines won’t be released for at least a few more years. Aging white Burgundy these days requires a strong stomach but D’Auvenay is one of the few domaines where the wines actually need a few years in bottle to show well. With time, the D’Auvenay whites often blossom into extraordinary wines with few peers anywhere in the world. I also include notes on the 2010 reds, which are equally, if not more, impressive than the whites. I find the D’Auvenay 2010 reds just a bit more refined than Bize-Leroy’s 2010 reds at Domaine Leroy. In any event, these remain some of the most riveting wines on the planet. The only problem is finding them. Importer: Martine’s Wines, Novato, CA; tel. (415) 883-040