Cote de Nuits Villages, Domaine Didier Fornerol 2018

Richer and chunkier, the 2018 Côte de Nuits-Villages delivers notes of raspberries, plums, sweet spices and petals, followed by a medium to full-bodied, concentrated and youthfully chewy palate. This will be very good, but it will demand a little patience. Since Fornerol is in no hurry to sell his wines young, that won't be a problem.

I'm mortified that it has taken me so long to report to the Wine Advocate's readers on the impressive wines of Didier Fornerol. But better late than never. After over a decade at Domaine d'Arlot, Fornerol returned to his six-hectare family domaine in Corgoloin in 1999, and ever since—based on older bottles that I've recently had the occasion to drink—he has been turning out terrific wines. There's no smoke or mirrors at this address, just thoughtful viticulture, vinification with a considerable percentage of whole clusters and careful élevage in barrel with minimal percentages of new oak. The results are striking wines that would embarrass, nay humiliate, plenty of winemakers' grander appellations in a blind tasting—and not just out of the gates, but with bottle age too. Complex, perfumed and elegant, the wines merit a place in any serious Burgundy lover's cellar, and the modest tariff they command proves that great Burgundy remains, for the time being, accessible to all.

Pale ruby colour. Sweet and succulent on the nose, there is a real fragrance here. Cherry blossom, plums and white pepper offer an alluring bouquet. The palate follows in the same tone, with silky and ripe red fruit matched by fine tannins. Plump and rounded, this is already gorgeous but it has the persistence and intensity to age nicely over a decade. Smooth, refined and incredibly moreish, this offers immense pleasure and balance at an excellent price point.