Beaune Clos des Mouches Blanc, Joseph Drouhin 2023 75cl

This is the wine that started it all for Joseph Drouhin. Maurice Drouhin's very first vineyard purchase, back in 1921, was here in the Clos des Mouches, and over the following years he assembled 41 separate parcels into the largest single holding in the cru. A century later it remains the house's most treasured white.

The name means "clos of the flies", a nod to the honey-bees that once kept hives in this sun-drenched, walled vineyard on the slopes of Beaune. Though officially a Premier Cru, Drouhin's Clos des Mouches Blanc trades at grand-cru prices, and drinkers who know it consider that fair. The 2023 is 100% Chardonnay from those old-established parcels.

Aromatically it's a beauty: white lilac and rose over yellow fruit, evolving towards grilled hazelnut and almond, with honeyed pear, buttery pastry, Meyer lemon and baking spice. The palate is ample and full-bodied, deeply textured yet held together by fine acidity, with a finish that goes on and on. This is white Burgundy at a serious level.

At £160 it's a special-occasion bottle, and one that justifies the outlay through provenance and sheer class. It's approachable now with decanting, but genuinely rewards five to ten years in the cellar, where it grows more complex still.

How to Serve

Serve at 12-13°C in a large Burgundy-style glass. A gentle decant an hour before serving lets this wine breathe; serving it too cold hides its depth.

Where to Drink It

Noble Rot, where great white Burgundy is the whole point. Wiltons on Jermyn Street for old-school occasion. Scott's in Mayfair with turbot.

Food Pairings

Made for turbot or Dover sole in a rich butter sauce. A roast Bresse chicken with morels would do it full justice.