From the middle part of the La Digoine vineyard on the slopes of the Montagne de l’Ermitage in Bouzeron, very old vines produced a wine of unparalleled finesse and a level of class rarely seen in the reds from Chalon. Richly fruited but still quite restrained, it leans towards cooler blue than to riper red, with a dense core of cinnamon, clove and dried mushroom-y umami. Not big, but not lean or overly crunchy either, it’s incredibly silky and beautifully long.

Red wine from Bouzeron has to carry a minor Côte Chalonnaise Rouge appellation, but clearly this belongs in a class of its own, evocative of a Santenay or even something more noble, at what we think is very fair price.

You won’t be able to keep your hands off yours now but it’ll probably be at its best in five or six years. So good!