From the part of this climat classified in premier cru, where the vines are also older and the soils shallower, Rapet's 2022 Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Aux Fourneaux exhibits aromas of dark berries, cherries, orange zest and petals, followed by a medium to full-bodied, velvety palate that's suave and lively.

The unassuming Vincent Rapet, whose family can trace its roots in Pernand back to 1795, is now joined by his son Robin at the helm of this historic 20-hectare domaine. There's a long track record here, and I can extol the merits of the domaine's older wines from personal experience: the 1979 is among the best mature examples of Corton-Charlemagne I've tasted. As I've written before, vinification is pretty classical, with the whites whole-cluster pressed and fermented in barrels (some 20% of which are new), including larger formats, as well as a few concrete eggs for some cuvées; Rapet believes them to give a more tensile, fresher profile to the wine. The reds, which have improved in recent years, see a brief cold soak, followed by some 15 days of maceration, maturing in around 30% new wood from carefully chosen sources, including Chassin and Taransaud.- William Kelley Wine Advocate

91/100 Wine Advocate

Biodynamic