Domaine Henri Magnien, Aloxe-Corton 1er Cru 'La Coutière', 2018

There's a reason why Aloxe-Corton wines come with an eye-watering price tag. The reds here are powerful, and intensify with age.

The deep soil begets a vigorous, full-bodied Pinot Noir, robust yet refined. Tender and fruity, this wine reaches its peak after 3 to 5 years in the cellar, but can go much further.

This small Premier Cru vineyard has extraordinary holdings on the Côte Saint-Jacques. This is a hillside of Gevrey-Chambertin First Growths, above the village, which narrowly missed classification as Grands Crus, in the 1930s.

Since taking over the reins, Charles has been determinedly bringing it back up to the level which made his grand-father’s wines exceptional. Charles makes a point of preserving and propagating the “Pinot Noir Magnien”, whose existence dates from 1850, giving grapes with thick skins, and only small amounts of juice.

Working closely with his cooper, he has developed his own, lightly-fired but long-time-toasted oak barrels, with the object of eliminating the vanilla or coffee aromas which may come with heavier toasting. “I search to produce fine wine, not tannic wine – wine you can drink young, and keep if you want,” says Charles.