The 2016 Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Les Vergelesses comes from three parcels, with the one closest to the treeline at the top of the slope severely affected by the frost. It has a fragrant bouquet that unfurls nicely in the glass: redcurrant, crushed strawberry and crushed rose petals. The palate is medium-bodied with firm, slightly rigid tannin at the moment. This is quite structured, a little withdrawn toward the finish, but there is a fine line of acidity, quite spicy on the aftertaste.

The 2015 Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Les Vergelesses has a pretty raspberry and cranberry-scented bouquet with subtle floral scents. The palate is a little sinewy on the entry, quite masculine with good depth, although I find it cuts off a little swiftly on the finish and leaves me wanting a bit more. Perhaps too ephemeral at the moment? Hopefully it will gain substance by the time of bottling.

The 2014 Savigny les Beaune 1er Cru les Vergelesses has a simple but nicely focused bouquet with scents of raspberry, cranberry leaf and just a faint iodine touch. The palate is medium-bodied with quite firm, stocky tannin, and is very saline in the mouth with just a little attenuation towards the finish. This should fill out once in bottle.

The 2013 Savigny-les-Beaune 1er Cru les Vergelesses has a light blackcurrant and bilberry-scented bouquet with satisfying vigor, if not the complexity of the 2012. The palate is medium-bodied with light tannins, dark berry fruit and a slightly hard finish that needs 8-12 months to soften. This feels denuded of its usual elegance, but it still offers pleasure.

The 2012 Savigny-les-Beaune 1er Cru Les Vergelesses comes from three parcels of vine just above Ile de Vergelesses. It has a lively, pure red cherry and wild strawberry bouquet that opens nicely in the glass. The palate is smooth on the entry with tensile tannins, notes of blackberry and strawberry and just a slight tapering on the finish. My first visit of my fortnight stint in Burgundy was to a grower whose wines I have frequently enjoyed in recent years, but whose Pernand-Vergelesses winery I had never visited: Dubreuil-Fontaine. Most people have probably driven past in on their way up to Bonneau du Martray, but my advice is to take time and visit, because the wines make it all worthwhile. Christine Gruere Dubreuil started working with her father Bernard in 1991, tending holdings in Pommard, Volnay and Beaune that were handed down from her mother’s side of the family. The winery itself was built in 1985. She took sole responsibility for the winemaking in 2000, the fifth generation to do so. She currently looks after around 20-hectares of vine tended under lutte raisonnee principles scattered over 20 lieux-dits around Pernand-Vergelesses and Corton, plus nearby appellations. “It was a difficult vintage with the weather,” she told me in her superb English learned from her time in California. “We got hail in Volnay, Pommard and Beaune but in Pernand-Vergelesses it was fine. However yields were not high because of the cold weather during flowering, but finally the grapes looked good and there was no grey rot. We started the harvest around the 20 September and we did not need much sorting. We are happy with the vintage. The whites were just bottled just before crush and the reds will be bottled between December and March. We made pigeage twice daily during fermentation with some remontage towards the end depending on cru. I don’t like to extract too much.” I tasted most of the wines with Christine. I had wanted to return to finish them off but I ran out of time that day. But I thoroughly enjoyed what I did taste. These wines are clean and fresh, adept at expressing their unique terroirs, making the use of their old vine parcels. The use of oak here is nicely judged, around 25% for the village crus and around 30 to 35% for the grand cru. Prices look very reasonable compared to others and I certainly would be stocking up with Christine’s whites and reds in 2012. Importer: APS Wine & Spirits, 9401 San Leandro St, Oakland, CA 94603 Tel; 510 638 5200 and DB Wines in Boston. Also available through Avery’s and Laithwaites/Direct Wines in UK.