2017 Domaine Lafouge Auxey-Duresses 1er Cru Les Duresses

Wateford Wine & Spirits Notes:

Auxey-Duresses is on the rise and here is an under the radar producer making great Preimer Cru wine that competes with Premier Crus from any other appellation.

Critical Acclaim:

“One of my favorite insider domaines in Burgundy, Domaine Jean et Gilles Lafouge produces a range of impressively consistent and compelling wines. Old vines, cultivated soils and classical winemaking are the rudiments of Gilles Lafouge’s recipe for success. The clean and organized cuverie and cellar immediately communicate a sense of dedication and attention to detail that comes across just as strongly in the glass.

This estate is a source of superb Meursault and Pommard, but don’t neglect the range of Auxey-Duresses red and white, wines that demonstrate what these terroirs can deliver when given the same treatment as more glamorous appellations.

That these wines age beautifully, I can personally testify, having enjoyed a lovely 1969 Auxey-Duresses 1er Cru La Chapelle last summer—an unexpected but happy encounter on a local wine list.”

“93 points. Lafouge’s 2017 Auxey-Duresses 1er Cru Les Duresses is showing very well from bottle, wafting from the glass with a pretty bouquet of cherries, cassis, licorice and dried flowers that’s richer and riper than it seemed from barrel. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, supple and satiny, with a fleshy core of fruit framed by ripe acids and supple tannins that belie this premier cru’s name. While this is unlikely to prove among the most long-lived reds of Lafouge’s career, it will offer immense pleasure for the better part of a decade.”