2019 Domaine Henri Latour et Fils Vieilles Vignes Auxey-Duresses 750 ml

For years, the cool-climate village of Volnay has produced some of Burgundy's most graceful, ethereal Pinot Noirs—and eclipsed many of its lesser-known neighbors. Now, rising temperatures are turning previously undersung areas into treasure troves of Burgundy value.

Few are shining brighter than Auxey-Duresses, just southwest and uphill from Volnay. 

We hit the jackpot with François and Sylvan Latour’s Vieilles Vignes Auxey-Duresses. Thanks to their 50- to 70-year-old vines and a historic vintage—Wine Advocate rated it 96 points and called it “spectacularly successful”—they’ve landed a knockout.

Auxey-Duresses is a village that Burgundy lovers are turning to increasingly for value. The additional altitude makes for lighter, more refreshing, more elegant styles of Burgundy, but thanks to warmer harvests, there’s more stuffing to their reds than they had 20 years ago. The wines are, according to Jasper Morris MW, "not dissimilar to neighbouring Volnay and Meursault."

The Auxey valley is one of the first places—if not the first place—where grapevines were planted in Burgundy, in the second century BCE. Auxey-le-Petit, the cradle of the village, was an important center of worship for the Druids. 

François and Sylvan Latour are the seventh generation in their family to cultivate their 15 hectares of vines. Farming here follows the lutte raisonnée philosophy, avoiding pesticides and other chemicals in favor of natural treatments as much as possible.

Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier told Wine Advocate that he had never before encountered “a vintage that tasted so good, so young.” That fits this old-vine Auxey-Duresses perfectly. This bottle is drinking beautifully in a sappy, graceful style right now, with a structure that will serve it well for years to come.