The 2010 Beaune Clos des Mouches, one of the Drouhin’s flagships, is impossibly young. It needs several years, at a minimum, to shed some of its baby fat. Clos des Mouches has a great track record of aging, and while I rarely take the risk of cellaring white Burgundy these days, if I were to cellar a handful of 2010 whites, Clos des Mouches would be one of my choices. Today, it is the wine’s exceptional textural elegance and precise, saline minerality that make the deepest impression. Anticipated maturity: 2014+. This is a striking set of wines from Drouhin. Veronique Drouhin describes 2010 as a year with cool temperatures in July and August, but much better weather in September. As is the case throughout the region, I found the Pulignys especially ripe and exotic. I also tasted a range of the 2011s. Drouhin told me she thought the wines would need a little extra time in barrel to give them more body and volume. Importer: Dreyfus Ashby & Co., New York, NY; tel. (212) 818-0770

The 2010 Beaune Clos des Mouches Blanc has a seductive bouquet with copious almond, coconut and vanilla scents. The palate has a slightly smudged entry: quite spicy toward the back of the mouth while displaying impressive depth on the finish. This is very fine, although side by side, I err toward the 2011. Drink 2014-2025. It is always a pleasure to meet Veronique Drouhin, although this was actually the first time that I had visited their winery on the southern fringe of Beaune. “All the estate has been under biodynamic practices since the mid-1990s (including Chablis) and organic since 1988,” she said to me as we commenced the tasting. “We have been ECOCERT certified since 2009.” I asked her what tangible difference biodynamics have made. “The estate wines have a lot of depth and energy but what is really better is the pH,” she said. She also cited the arrival of head winemaker Jerome Faure-Brac in 2005 as another reason for the improvement in quality. Now their approach is for no compromise on the fruit and to exact precise viticulture for each vineyard. Veronique told me that their entry level Laforet aims to encapsulate the whole picture of Bourgogne. “We know the wine is consumed young so it is not heavily extracted,” she told me. “We look for a lovely fruity, round, elegant Bourgogne. You know, it is easier to make an Amoureuses than a Burgundy Rouge because of the quantity. It is aged in older barrels and it is bottled sooner than in the past.” Importer: Dreyfus Ashby & Co., New York, NY; tel. (212) 818-0770

Oaky spice dominates the nose, for now at least. Rich and more scented on the palate, though again the oak is to the fore. Underneath, there's pure, crisp lemon freshness. Bags of potential and finely balanced. Drink: 2017 to 2030
- Julia Harding, www.jancisrobinson.com. Tasted: 11 Jan 2012