Aromas of pear, hazelnuts, orange oil, white flowers and lime introduce the 2018 Auxey-Duresses Blanc Les Clous, a medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated wine that's chalky and intense, concluding with a long, saline finish. Textural but taut, Les Clous is the most giving of the domaine's three Auxey whites this year.

The 2016 Auxey-Duresses Blanc Les Clous wafts from the glass with notes of lemon oil, smoke, dried white flowers and praline. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, extraordinarily layered and satiny, with fabulous depth and length. Only in the context of the d'Auvenay portfolio can this be described as a relatively humble wine, as it would embarrass many producers' Meursault premiers crus.

The 2015 Auxey-Duresses Blanc Les Clous offers up pretty aromas of apples, ripe citrus fruit and white flowers, followed by a medium to full-bodied palate with an ample attack that rapidly segues into a deep, controlled mid-palate and a precise, stony finish. The vines here are younger than those in Les Boutonniers, since this parcel was formerly planted with Pinot Noir and converted to Chardonnay on the Domaine d'Auvenay's inception.

There is a fantastic 2011 Auxey-Duresses Les Clous from Lalou Bize-Leroy this year, robed in a wonderful bouquet with outstanding delineation and focus. The palate has a vibrant captivating entry with a slightly waxy texture and a very complex walnut-centered finish reminiscent of a fine Meursault. This is absolutely divine. Drink 2014-2020. Having tasted the complete range of Domaine Leroy-s wines in Vosne, Lalou Bize-Leroy hopped in her Toyota with her constantly quarreling canines and we follow her down to the back and beyond of Saint Romain to taste her complete range of Domaine d-Auvenay 2011s: two reds outnumbered by the whites. Most of us have more chance of spotting a yeti dining with a dodo at Ma Cuisine than drinking a wine from Domaine d-Auvenay, since the wines are produced in microscopic quantities and only fools would choose to resell them. To put that into perspective, when I visited the picturesque estate tucked away behind a leafy glade, Lalou pointed to what looked like a tin bucket and explained that I was looking at the entire production of last year-s Criots-Batard-Montrachet, all 75-litres of it. But there is something magical that shrouds Domaine d-Auvenay and my few encounters have been memorable. Just last year, her Meursault Narvaux 1999 had the hubris to outshine a Corton-Charlemagne from Coche-Dury, and it remains the greatest white village cru that is likely to ever pass my lips. The 2011s were extremely good, but you probably know that already. What I appreciated was that they are very honest wines, respective of their terroirs, not all implicitly the greatest whites you will ever taste, but each adorned with individuality. I have few experiences of mature wines from Domaine d-Auvenay, but they do have an extraordinary propensity to age. Having said that, if my cellar was stocked with these wines, I would find it extraordinarily difficult to resist temptation. Importer: Martine-s Wines, Novato, CA; tel. (415) 883-0400

Layers of round, supple fruit make the 2010 Auxey-Duresses Les Clous relatively accessible in this vintage by the domaine’s standards. Smoke, slate and citrus are some of the many notes that flesh out in the glass. This is a relatively immediate style for the year. Anticipated maturity: 2014+. Do you want the good news or the bad news? Lalou Bize-Leroy’s 2010s at Domaine D’Auvenay – both white and red – are off the charts. That is the good news. The bad news is that the wines won’t be released for at least a few more years. Aging white Burgundy these days requires a strong stomach but D’Auvenay is one of the few domaines where the wines actually need a few years in bottle to show well. With time, the D’Auvenay whites often blossom into extraordinary wines with few peers anywhere in the world. I also include notes on the 2010 reds, which are equally, if not more, impressive than the whites. I find the D’Auvenay 2010 reds just a bit more refined than Bize-Leroy’s 2010 reds at Domaine Leroy. In any event, these remain some of the most riveting wines on the planet. The only problem is finding them. Importer: Martine’s Wines, Novato, CA; tel. (415) 883-040