Domaine Harmand-Geoffroy produces 10 separate single-vineyard bottlings each year in the village of Gevrey, but today’s Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru is the family’s top wine. The complexity and muscular fruit of this 2014 proves without question that the Côte de Nuits’ Grand Crus deserve their standing as the finest Pinot Noir vineyards in the world. Grape clusters come exclusively from the family’s .75-hectare parcel in this historic vineyard—one of the single most important vineyards in all of Burgundy—and were hand-harvested and destemmed before three weeks of fermentation. The wine was racked into mostly neutral French oak barrels, where it rested for a year and a half prior to bottling without fining or filtration. There is nothing flashy or modern about this cellar regimen, but it perfectly illustrates Harmand-Geoffroy’s steadfast commitment to tradition.

In the widely lauded 2014 vintage, Harmand-Geoffroy’s Mazis raises the bar even higher for this already elite property. It’s an exceptionally complex, terroir-driven masterpiece, with all the aromatic intrigue and detail one expects from a globally revered wine monument like Mazis. The succulent red and black cherry fruit, the vivid limestone-marl terroir character, and Harmand’s inimitable black truffle/grilled meat/rose petal thumbprint are all here in clear relief. More impressively, every small detail seems to fit perfectly with the next: This is a powerful AND extremely refined red. As with all elite Grand Cru Burgundies, this bottle deserves considerable time in the cellar before the cork is pulled. I’m reserving most of my personal purchase for 2022 and beyond. Still, I was pleased to discover that this 2014 vintage continues Harmand’s streak of Mazis-Chambertins that surprisingly are enjoyable in their youth. I recently shared this 2014 with friends and rest assured there was no discussion of the wine being closed or needing more time—only a chorus of pleas to open a second bottle! (Note: If you do open a bottle now, give it at least an hour in a decanter before serving at 60-65 degrees in Burgundy stems.) We savored both bottles in between bites of roast duck. The attached preparation was the perfect companion for today’s memorable wine. Give it a shot!