Aromas of white flowers, blanched almonds, mint, citrus oil, orchard fruit and buttery pastry introduce the 2018 Meursault 1er Cru Les Gouttes d'Or, a full-bodied, layered and concentrated wine that's deep and structured, with racy acids and chalky grip. Seamless and complete, this is the most reserved of Domaine d'Auvenay's Meursault bottlings this year.

The 2016 Meursault 1er Cru Les Gouttes d'Or is one of the finest bottlings in Domaine d'Auvenay's portfolio this year, and evidently one of the wines of the vintage too. Notes of Anjou pear, apples and white flowers mingle with nuances of almond paste, sesame and praline in a complex bouquet, introducing a full-bodied, ample and broad-shouldered wine of immense concentration, dimension and length, that attains almost unthinkable textural finesse and effortless equilibrium despite its massive scale and formidable endowment of dry extract.

Opening in the glass with notes of pear, peach, oatmeal and hazelnut cream, the 2015 Meursault 1er Cru Les Gouttes d'Or is still youthfully reserved, but it's another wine with extraordinary depth and aging potential. On the palate, it's full-bodied, textural and complete, with immense concentration and chewy extract, with the kind of structure and stony grip that one would more habitually associate with a red wine. The finish is very long indeed.

The 2011 Meursault Les Gouttes d'Or has a very seductive, sensual bouquet with hints of almond, wilted white flowers and sea shells. The palate is medium-bodied with a tense opening, the acidity slightly more lifted than the Narvaux. It is blessed with a focused, elegant finish infused with hints of hazelnut and smoke. This is a refined Meursault even if personally I prefer the Narvaux. Drink now-2022. 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. (415) 883-0400

A much bigger Meursault than the Narvaux, the 2010 Meursault Gouttes d’Or is another of the more immediate wines in this lineup. Here the fruit is rich, creamy and generous, while the texture is expansive. There is more than enough intensity to fill out the wine’s broad-shouldered frame nicely. The Gouttes d’Or is going to be a fascinating wine to follow, although I don’t see it ever being as finessed as the Narvaux. Ultimately, though, time will tell. Anticipated maturity: 2016+. 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