ready-improve2017 Volnay, Taillepieds, 1er Cru, Domaine Bitouzet-Prieur, Burgundy

Arguably the most complex and age-worthy wine in the cellar, this is very tight in its youth, with a little floral character poking through a muted nose before some stony minerals emerge. The palate is tightly structured with densely packed, stony tannins a touch of oak spice and some rich red fruit. This needs time to open up, but will reward those with patience. Drink 2024-2032.

François is keen to highlight the importance of the solidarity shown by the Côte’s vignerons at the end of April, when everyone came together to burn dampened bales and create cloud cover to ward off the frost. Without such action this could well have been another catastrophic yield. Having avoided this threat, the rest of the season was fairly straightforward with careful vineyard management and harvest began on the 30th August. He feels the whites are a mix of 2015 and 2014, while the reds are pretty and will drink well from an early age.