The Gavignet domaine, based in Nuits-St-Georges, dates to the 1930s and still boasts some vineyards planted way back then. Current proprietor Philippe farms roughly 10 hectares as sustainably as possible, eschewing chemical herbicides and pesticides and harvesting only by hand. His range of wines is focused more or less exclusively on Nuits-St-Georges and includes bottlings from several top Premier Crus; this Bourgogne Pinot Noir, meanwhile, is sourced from three estate vineyards located in and around Nuits, all of which lay just outside the line of demarcation between the Nuits-St-George ‘village’ designation and the ‘Bourgogne’ catchall. The soils contain a higher percentage of clay and silt, delivering a bass note of fruit to the wine. In a category known more for violins than cellos, this one definitely stands out.

Gavignet fermented this bold-yet-elegant Pinot Noir on indigenous yeasts and aged it one year in used French oak. It is generous and supple right out of the gate, and yet there’s elegance and balance as well—which would suggest that old vines also serve as ripeness regulators in hot years like 2015. In the glass it’s a deep ruby-red with garnet highlights at the rim, with an explosive nose of black cherry, black raspberry, damp violets, forest floor, and a hint of black pepper. At first blush, its sappy fruit hints at New World Pinots from Oregon, but there’s a shimmering, mineral energy that lands you squarely back in the Côte de Nuits. The tannins are smooth but sandy, lending grip, and the acidity is remarkably bright given the ripeness of the fruit. It is eminently enjoyable now after about 30 minutes in a decanter—serve it at 60-65 degrees in Burgundy stems—but I think this will be a real showpiece after a few more years in the bottle; lay a few down and revisit them in 2020, as I suspect they will blow you away (especially when you recall what you paid for them). The wine’s woodsy savor has me thinking about game birds and Autumn on the horizon. Try the attached recipe for an appropriately seasonal pairing. Enjoy!