Just like that, 2022 is coming to an end, so I’ve got the benefit of hindsight when I say that this gorgeous and plush Pinot Noir from 330-year-old Domaine Félix may be the red Burgundy steal of the year. It’s from the Côtes d’Auxerre, west of Chablis, and it’s one of several Pinot Noirs we’ve tasted recently from this neck of the woods—the northernmost reaches of Burgundy. This may not have been considered red wine country in the past, but certainly seems to be now, with Domaine Félix delivering the concrete, fruit-saturated proof. 

Yes, the Côtes d’Auxerre is still a cool, more “marginal” climate for Pinot Noir, and yes, Domaine Félix’s importer purchased this 2018 over a year ago and held it in their warehouse until they felt it was ready, but what’s important is how magnificently this wine is drinking right now. This much red Burgundy for this little money is rarer than ever; that little extra bit of bottle age has worked wonders, putting this squarely in “value of the year” territory. It must not be missed!

The Côtes d’Auxerre is a good two hours northwest of Burgundy's heartland, the Côte d’Or. Located in the Yonne River valley, among a cluster of appellations that includes Chablis, Irancy, and Saint-Bris, Côtes d'Auxerre is a spotty patchwork running north-south along rolling hillsides and slopes at varying altitudes. Historically, these sites remained too cold and often produced wines lacking ripeness, with unforgiving acidity. However, these past two decades have witnessed warmer growing seasons year after year despite their long, icy winters. The soils contain the same Kimmeridgian limestone found in Chablis.

Domaine Félix, a family estate dating all the way back to 1692, is headquartered in the village of Saint Bris Le Vineux, about 16 kilometers west of Chablis. The estate’s dimensions remained essentially unchanged for centuries (about 11 hectares of vines), but in the ’90s and 2000s, new acquisitions grew the Félix family holdings to 32 hectares. Their farming methodology is described as lutte raisonnée (“reasoned fight”), which calls for organic practices except in emergency circumstances.

Grapes for this cuvée are hand-harvested and completely de-stemmed before fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats. Aging is carried out in new and used French oak barrels, and while it may have been austere when it was first released (evidently it was), it has blossomed into a beauty after some bottle age. Shining a bright, reflective ruby red in the glass, it is a perfumed and heady style, with aromas of black cherry, black raspberry, red currant, violet, warm spice, and underbrush. It is medium-bodied and thrumming with energy, its tannins subdued and its texture silky. Decant it 15 minutes for best results, and serve it at 60 degrees in Burgundy stems with an old-school recipe like coq au vin or boeuf bourguignon. Red Burgundy doesn’t get more classic—or more affordable—than this!