2015 Delarche Pernand-Vergelesses Les Boutieres Vieilles Vignes 750 ml

A Stone’s Throw from Corton

From a 2015 vintage that Decanter calls “the best… since 2005 and 2010,” this is delicious, deep, and pure Côte de Beaune Pinot that will surely be promoted to Premier Cru status before long. Wedged between four Premier Cru vineyards just south of the legendary tree-topped hill of Corton is Les Boutières, from whence comes this overachieving Domaine Marius Delarche Vieille Vignes Bourgogne. These 70-year-old-plus vines, planted in clay-rich soil, bask in the same southeasterly exposure as the Grand Cru sites just a stone’s throw away, yielding Pinot Noir of the same startling depth and complexity you’d expect from a Premier Cru site. Just 30 cases — snap it up now, before the price soars.

“Les Boutières” enjoys the southeasterly exposure common to Burgundy’s finest vineyards. Marius Delarche’s 22 acres are arrayed like a horseshoe around the famed hill of Corton, are now worked by grandson Etienne and his team: 30 pickers at harvest, and the occasional horse to plow where no machine can reach.

2015 was a fantastic vintage that lifted all levels of Burgundy: Jancis Robinson acknowledges those “whispering comparisons with the outstanding 2005 vintage.” Antonio Galloni’s Vinous was less cryptic: “(I)n terms of their consistent quality and broad appeal, 2015 will be hard to top.” Les Boutières, situated shoulder-to-shoulder with Premier Cru vineyards, stands shoulder-to-shoulder in quality. Like the 2015 vintage writ large, this value will be hard to top.