The 2013 Beaune Villages Blanc has pretty white flowers and orange peel on the nose. The palate is fresh and vibrant on the entry, a fine line of acidity and citrus peel and a smudge of tangy marmalade on the finish. This will do nicely over the next couple of years.

The 2012 Beaune Village (white) comes from Les Montee Rouge this year. It has a crisp apricot and peach-scented bouquet that is well-defined and vibrant. The palate is smooth and harmonious on the entry with melon and lemon sorbet notes, the oak lending an attractive creaminess towards the finish. Very fine and this will doubtless be good value. Domaine de la Vougeraie was founded in 1998 when the domaines of Claudine Deschamps, Pierre Ponnelle, Louis Voilland and L’Heritier-Guyot were merged. I remember it well because at the time I was exporting L’Heritier-Guyot’s wines to Japan (to be frank, they were quite ordinary back then.) The man behind the venture was Jean-Claude Boisset, whose own considerable holdings meant that Domaine de la Vougeraie became a significant player in the Cote d’Or, with 37 hectares of prime vineyard including seven grand crus to their name. I have to be honest and say that like many others, I liked the first few vintages of their wine, but found them a little predictable and seemed to struggle for charm and personality. Perhaps that was a reflection of former winemaker Pascal Marchand applying the practices he had learned at Comte Armand: a lot of new oak with 100% de-stemmed fruit – not really my bag. When he departed for pastures new, incoming winemaker Pierre Vincent seemed to apply a gentler touch. The new oak is still part of the wines’ character, but there is certainly a more considered approach, plus he is more open to using whole cluster fruit. Managing such an array of wines with a relatively small team cannot be easy in challenging vintages such as 2012, or for that matter 2013. Pierre told me that his average yields were 22 hectoliters per hectare, though for the grand crus, they were down to 17 hectoliters per hectare. Importer: Boisset Family Estates, St. Helena, CA; tel. (800) 878-1123

The 2010 Beaune is rounder and softer than the Cotes de Beaune but with plenty of the trademark 2010 acidity and minerality to back things up. Lemon, crushed rocks and spices wrap around the rich, generous finish. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2018. This is stunning set of wines from Pierre Vincent and Domaine de la Vougeraie. It is impossible to miss the attention to detail at this impeccably run domaine. No expense is spared. It takes 80 people to work the vineyards during harvest and another 20 in the cellar to take it from there. Production in 2010 was of course down significantly as it was everywhere else. Yields came in at 24 hectoliters per hectare for the Pinot and 29 for the Chardonnay. Vincent used between 30-80% whole bunches, depending on the wine. Readers who want to learn more might want to check out my video interview with Pierre Vincent on www.erobertparker.com. I will report on the domaine’s 2009s in the April issue. For now let me just say the 2009 Musigny is one of the wines of the vintage. Importer: Boisset Family Estates, St. Helena, CA; tel. (800) 878-1123 1

A blend from a number of small parcels, this is a deliciously crafted wine, its creamy texture bringing richness over fresh pear fruits. There is weight here as well from the rich soil of the vineyards, but the crisp acidity is never far away. Imported by Boisset America. ——R.V.(10/1/2009)—— 90

With its 25% new wood, this wine has hints of toast flavor. What is more evident is ripe, juicy fruit flavors of white peaches. A touch of acidity gives the wine shape. Imported by Boisset America. ——R.V.(9/1/2005)—— 88