The 2015 Auxey-Duresses 1er Cru Les Ecusseaux, which sees around 25% new oak, has a satisfying redcurrant and strawberry nose that feels rustic, but has its own individual bucolic charm. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannin, but I find this rather disjointed towards the second half and it needs more flesh to cloak those brusque tannin.

The 2013 Auxey-Duresses les Ecusseaux has a slightly austere bouquet that needs a little more fruit. It seems just a little herbaceous at the moment. The palate is medium-bodied with angular tannins and a pointed finish. A little tinny perhaps, I would afford this a year in bottle to sort itself out.

The 2012 Auxey-Duresses Les Ecusseaux is a blend of the village and premier cru fruit. It has a light red currant and hedgerow nose, while the palate is pointed and sharp with a brisk, stony finish that lacks a little cohesion. Maybe I would afford this wine another year to coalesce. Drink 2015-2021. It was my first time visiting this domaine and young winemaker Vincent Boyer. Their winery is situated in the lower reaches of the hilly Meursault village. Their set up is one whereby tourists are welcomed to visit the cellars and purchase bottles directly. That is often interpreted as a sign of more commercial wines for less discerning tourists, after all, you never see Aubert de Villaine beckoning visitors inside. Do not make that mistake here. I was impressed by both the estate’s enviable portfolio of holdings scattered over 10 hectares in Meursault, Puligny, Auxey-Duresses and Pommard, and Vincent’s assiduous approach to winemaking. If anything, his 2012 whites are so vibrant and surfeit with minerality that it exaggerated what I found lacking in the small number his reds, even if they are peripheral within Yves’ portfolio. The holdings were accumulated by Vincent’s ancestors on both his paternal and maternal lineages, hence the hyphenated name. It was the marriage of Andre Boyer to Juliette Deveze that linked Meursault with Puligny respectively. Then their son Yves was married to Marie Cecile Martenot in 1976. Between 1997 and 2007 the domaine has discretely acquired further holdings. Yves has a simple approach to winemaking. He uses new oak thoughtfully, so that it is embedded and frequently barely noticeable within his wines, thereby allowing the terroir to be articulated. He bottles relatively early. His 2012 whites had all been bottled when I tasted them in October, 2013, though Vincent expressed a desire to extend the barrel aging if space permits. Then again, judging by the performance of these wines, I am not totally convinced that is entirely necessary. Vincent Boyer’s premier crus are all matured in a judicious one-third new oak. The reds are not exported to the United States. Importer: Michael Skurnik, Peter Vezan.