The 2016 Corton Bressandes Grand Cru was more backward than the Corton-Perrières on the nose, with sultry red berry fruit mixed with undergrowth and shale-like scents. The palate is medium-bodied, rounded in texture with blackberry and raspberry fruit, a pinch of sea salt and spice toward the finish that is more generous and expressive than the aromatics at the moment. Very fine.

The 2015 Corton-Bressandes Grand Cru was sultry and backward on the nose, well defined however, but it did not respond to coaxing from the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin, a crisp line of acidity, a dash of white pepper but not quite the sophistication of the Corton-Perrieres on the finish, at least at the moment. This needs to catch up with the Corton Clos du Roi and Perrières.

The 2014 Corton Bressandes Grand Cru has a rounded, quite dense bouquet with blackberry, raspberry and almost meaty scents -- very focused with good vigor. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, quite saline in the mouth with a real mineral-driven nose that lingers long in the mouth. This is a very fine Grand Cru.

The 2013 Corton-Bressandes Grand Cru has a refined, slightly tertiary bouquet with hints of wild herbs and mint permeating the black fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with a gentle grip on the entry, the acidity nicely judged with decent structure. There is focus here with a welcome touch of salinity on the finish. This should drink well over the next 8 to 10 years.

The 2012 Corton-Bressandes Grand Cru comes from a 0.73-hectare parcel of 35-year old vines that is raised in around 30% new oak. It has a lovely, rather regal bouquet with broody black fruit that open nicely in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, lively black fruit, a lovely citric seam and great nervosite towards the finish. This is a very fine grand cru. 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.