Jean-Luc & Eric Burguet, Gevrey-Chambertin, Mes Favorites Vieilles Vignes 2016 - 75cl

Mes Favorites — "my favourites" — is where Alain Burguet made his name. This is the cuvée that put the domaine on the map in the 1980s, drawn from the oldest vines he owned, and his sons Jean-Luc and Eric still treat it as the heart of the house. Some of these vines were planted before the First World War.

The fruit comes from a patchwork of parcels across several Gevrey lieux-dits, vines running from seventy to a hundred years of age. Old wood like this gives tiny yields and intense, complex fruit — the wine is triple-sorted, fermented with wild yeasts, then aged around twenty months in roughly a third new oak. It is village Gevrey with the depth of something well above its rank.

The 2016 vintage is the reason to pay attention here. A brutal April frost slashed yields across Burgundy, and while Gevrey escaped the worst, the survivors ripened into wines of real concentration and tension. This bottle shows it — a deep nose of black cherry, damson and warm spice, with the forest-floor and liquorice notes that mark mature Gevrey. The palate is rich and powerful yet keeps that 2016 chalky, driving structure, velvety across the middle before a long, savoury close.

Ten years on, it is drinking beautifully now and has more to give. Save it for an occasion that earns it.

How to Serve

Serve at 16-17°C. Decant an hour before drinking to let the old-vine depth unfurl. Large Burgundy stems, and no rush.

Where to Drink It

Scott's in Mayfair, for a mature Gevrey worth a proper night out. J Sheekey, if the meal leans toward richer fish and game. Bentley's, where the old-school room suits a wine with this much history.

Food Pairings

Roast venison with a rich jus and celeriac is where I would take this — the wine has the weight to stand up to it. A well-aged Époisses at the end would be no bad thing either.