There is no greater expression of the sensuousness of the Pinot Noir grape than fine Red Burgundy. Drinking it is a privilege, for Red Burgundy is all about perfume and style. Almost all the great vineyards of the Cote d’Or – unlike, say, Bordeaux – are a patchwork of vines with many different owners and many different wine-making skills. It is essential, then, to buy from a merchant who knows each grower personally, his wine-making abilities, and, above all, his skill at capturing the subtle nuances that differentiate one vineyard from another – terroir.

A rustic wine now the good, developed fruit and game aromas with a full and generous palate and chunky finish.

Ripe aromas and flavours of cherries with hints of game and some spice, generous on the palate and full in the finish. Excellent traditional Beaujolais.

Grown in the granite rich soils of Ronameche Thorins, this is a full and vigorous style of Beaujolais with bright fruit aromas and flavours with notes of cigar box. Big in the aftertaste, it is drinking well at the moment but will develop in bottle over the coming 5 years to approach the style of the Cote d'Or.

With good colour, this is a wine of surprising finesse for 2003. Loaded with aromas and flavours of red fruits with floral hints balanced by soft ripe tannins.

Bright ripe open Pinot Noir with red fruit flavours and hints of liquorice on the palate. Terrific with duck, game, poultry and lamb.

If somebody asked us “what should Pinot Noir taste like?” without doubt we would direct them to a bottle from Tollot-Beaut. The gloriously ripe fruit combines with a spice on the palate with liquorice overtones that finish with a long and complex aftertaste. Simply perfect!

Tollot-Beaut is a family domaine, based in Chorey-les-Beaune, which has been making wines since the 1880's. Today they offer a full range, from simple AOC up to Grand Cru and at every level their wines offer consistently good value for money. Traditional Burgundian vinification ensures red wines of a good colour and bouquet, and with an admirable capacity for ageing.

This is a delicious bottle of Pinot from the Cote Chalonnaise with a typical hint of rusticity making it a great partner to casseroles and roast meats. Great value for money.

This is a delicious bottle of Pinot from the Cote Chalonnaise with a typical hint of rusticity making it a great partner to casseroles and roast meats. Great value for money.

Hidden away around the back of the hills of Meursault, Monthelie is an unsung hero of the Cote de Beaune. A wine not always charming in its youth Monthelie benefits from 2 or 3 years in bottle and this particular example is spot on for drinking at present with oodles of ripe fruit balanced by a solid structure and a firm velvety finish.

Aloxe Corton is quite a rustic appellation that always benefits from time in bottle. This wine is now perfect for drinking and the tannins have softened to melt in with the wonderful developed fruit aromas along with the notes of undergrowth and wet dog!

Although this is not a 1er Cru vineyard it consistently makes delicious wines under the direction of this Domaine. Deliciously fruity with a fine spice and now more complex secondary flavours coming from its ageing in bottle. Ideal to drink now and especially good with strong soft cheeses.

Typical Vosne Romanee with those tell-tale sweet aromas of Pinot Noir leading to a full and rich palate with undertones of undergrowth and raw meat that lead to a full and lasting aftertaste. Sensational with red and white meats and capable of lasting for some years yet in bottle.

This monopole (solely owned) of the Tollot-Beaut Domaine is consistently one of our favourite red Burgundies. From its open red fruit nose in youth it will develop superbly over the coming years to be a bottle that will always grace any table. Fantastic value for its quality.

An exemplary glass of Nuits St Georges showing very much the style of the domaine. Although light in colour, it lacks nothing in concentration and fruit and is perfect for drinking at the moment.

Full and ripe with hints of purple at the edges. The nose and palate still has those primary fruit qualities that make Burgundy so easy to drink in youth but with a structure that will see it through for several more years.

Benchmark Nuits St Georges just oozing blackcurrant fruit together with soft ripe tannins. Enjoy it now or wait a couple of years for the terroir to show itself in full.

The ‘Clos St Jean’ is perhaps the best terroir of Chassagne Montrachet for Pinot Noir where the fruit develops wonderful red-berry aromas combined with a delicious spice to give complexity and style on the palate with hints of rare meat. Simply superb!

The terrior of Chambolle Musigny would seem to be perfectly suited to the Roumier style giving wines full of elegance and finesse whilst giving no corner to a lack of power. Another of our favourite bottles full of silky ripe fruit and delicious, yet more complex, notes. A truly stunning bottle.

Lying just to the North of the town of Nuits St Georges the vineyard of Aux Thorey does not enjoy the great reputation of some of the other 1er Crus yet it produces some truly delicious wines. This is no exception and David’s wine-making skills gives pure black fruit on the palate balanced by the minerality of the terroir. Delicious wine capable of holding in bottle for many years to come.

Fine dark ruby colour. Good intensity of aroma of cherry and blackcurrant against a background of roasted aromas. Straightforward attack, finesse and power at the same time. Good substance and very pleasing balance.

Fine ruby colour with violet highlights. Powerful aromas of blackcurrant and blackberry. A slightly tannic wine. Rich and full at the finish with hints of oak. A wine for keeping. This well-constitutedNuits-Saint-Georges is powerful enough to accompany any marinated meat, jugged hare and various cheeses.

Given that this village is home to 5 Grand Cru vineyards it is surprisingly little-known in the UK. The vineyard of Clos de la Bussiere is a monopole (solely owned) of the Roumier family and borders onto the neighbouring appellation of Chambolle Musigny. This in turn gives a touch of elegance in this powerful and full flavoured wine. Ideal for current consumption it will benefit from a further 4 –5 years cellaring it,s possible for you to keep your hands off it for that length of time!

One of the two 1er Crus of this Domaine and generally the most sought after. A generous bouquet of red berries with touches of vanilla from the cask maturation leads to a full and balanced palate with hints of spice. The generous finish with notes of rare meat give the tell-tale sign that this is a bottle that will age gracefully.

One of the earliest ripening vineyards of Chambertin, Latricieres may lack the depth of Clos de Beze but what is lacking in structure is more than made up for in the pure fruit and spice achieved. An excellent example of this lesser known Grand Cru.

Much underrated as a Grand Cru, Clos St Denis is capable of producing some of Burgandy’s finest wines. A great concentration of plum and berry fruit with a silky texture on the palate and fine ripe tannins to give structure. This wine is just starting out on its drinking plateau but has many more years of life left in bottle to develop into something truly extraordinary.

Being the largest Grand Cru of Chambertin, Charmes is perhaps the best known. This wine is silky and supple with a richness and complexity that give way to a velvety finish. Now well developed and ideal for drinking, the wine still has many more years of life to go.

The most feminine of the Grand Crus at this Domaine. The fruit displays an elegant character and the wine is one of the first to mature. Delicious at present, but will continue to hold in bottle for a further 5 – 10 years.

On the first visit to Phillipe’s cellar we were amazed to find a wall of barrels of Bonnes Mares! The 1997 vintage is now at perfection and displays elegance and finesse together with power and developed fruit, making this a wonderful bottle for lovers of fine mature Burgundy.

A big chunky wine from this wonderful parcel of vines in a perfect vineyard situation. It displays full and ripe fruit, complex and rich undertones and an impressive structure capable of imparting great age. A wonderful example of what is oftern, from other producers, a dilute wine.