The 2012 Savigny-les-Beaune 1er Cru Aux Guettes has a refined, very feminine bouquet with laser-like precision, cut from the similar fine cloth as the Serpentieres. The palate errs towards the red fruit spectrum. The acidity is just perfectly judged lending this Savigny entrancing precision and focus. This is simply outstanding. Sometimes it can be a hindrance when wines are uniformly good. As I quipped to Hugues Pavelot, a writer prefers to use a sliding rule of adjectives rather than synonyms for “excellent”. But I had no other recourse tasting through a scintillating set of Savigny-les-Beaune wines from quite possibly the village’s finest producer. The harvest here commenced on September 20 with low yields hovering around 20-25 hectoliters per hectare, bunches fully de-stemmed. Furthermore, the domaine’s portfolio has been curtailed, as some parcels leased from their aunt in Pernand-Vergelesses have had to be relinquished. Their 2012s, which were taken directly from barrels that had just been racked, were surfeit with energy, vivacity, purity and terroir expression, to the point where I had to ask, what more could you want from such wines? Chapeau Hugues et Pierre-Yves Pavelot! Importer: Becky Wasserman Selection (various importers), Le Serbet, Beaune; fax 011-33-3-80-24-29-70