Lafouge, Jean et Gilles 2023 Auxey-Duresses Blanc Les Hautés

The Lafouge Auxey-Duresses "Les Hautés" is from a north-facing parcel fairly high on the slope next to Meursault "Les Vireuils." "The 2023 Auxey-Duresses “les Hautés” Blanc from Gilles Lafouge is also outstanding, but it is a tad more racy and structured out of the blocks than the les Boutonniers and will deserve a couple of years in the cellar to soften up a bit more. The bouquet offers up a lovely combination of apple, pear, fresh almond, a lovely base of limestone minerality, apple blossoms and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is focused, full-bodied and quite snappy for a 2023 white, with a great core of fruit, lovely soil inflection, excellent balance and a long, nascently complex and impeccably balanced finish. Give this a couple of years’ worth of bottle age to let it completely come into its own."