Beaune Clos des Mouches Premier Cru Blanc 2019, Joseph Drouhin

It’s not hard to see why Clos des Mouches is one of the most-admired Premier Cru vineyards, since it produces wines with the presence, power and structure to rival the Grands Crus. The white should be treated almost like a red – serve cool, not cold, and you could even consider decanting to help bring out all it has to offer. It shows magnificent, concentrated aromas of honey, poached pear and candied peel, with subtly-integrated oak. It’s full-bodied and potently intense, and yet has outstanding balance. Savour it slowly for the flavours to unwind, and complex notes of beeswax and black truffle to emerge. In the words of Véronique Drouhin, this wine “allies remarkably the complexity and elegance of a Bâtard-Montrachet with the power of a Corton-Charlemagne.” It doesn’t demand keeping, but it should age gracefully over a decade or longer.