A good basic Burgundy Pinot Noir, this wine is fruity and balanced. Ready to drink now, it will mellow further with a year of cellaring.

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  Colin Talcroft

  Offers simple, clean, straightforward fruit on the nose tending toward strawberries but also with a hint of spice and mushrooms and a little oaky toast. Not a powerful wine, but with good body, excellent poise, and a very appealing delicate, ethereal quality hard to articulate. Ready to drink, but attractive, fruity sweetness on a moderately long finish suggests there may be a little further development. Solid. An excellent value.

  Food pairing: Duck; lamb; roasted chicken; earthy, mushroom-scented dishes

Grown just a dirt-road across from Grand Cru Corton Hautes Mourottes, this Ladoix Premier Cru is a refined Pinot Noir with an excellent balance of tannins, fruit, and acidity. Drinkable now, will keep a few more years.

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  Cheryl Bringuez

  Light, but intense with great backbone and balance. Offers earthy notes, white mushrooms, raspberry, cranberry, and something a bit dusty on the finish. The solid structure suggests this wine will improve at least through 2017.

  Food pairing: Risotto

Grown on South-facing slopes at the Northern edge of the Côte de Beaune, this Premier Cru Pinot Noir combines the richness and complexity of the Côte de Nuits with the finesse of the Côte de Beaune. Drinkable now, but may benefit from another year of cellaring.

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  Deborah Adeyanju

  Complex, evolving nose suggesting iron, meat, blood, black pepper, and cherries, with slightly nutty, oaky notes. Prominent floral suggestions. Good concentration on the palate, which offers red licorice, black pepper, and brambles. Medium body with an ample frame, while prominent acidity lends a lingering zestiness. Still young. A wine to try again around 2016.

  Food pairing: Meat tart

Good for cellaring. This Grand Cru Pinot Noir, grown on the east side of Corton Hill, is intense in both color and flavor, with a stout yet harmonious body. Although best aged for 8-10 years, we find it more approachable when young than the Hautes Mourottes. For a ready-to-drink version, we recommend the 2002 vintage.

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  Cheryl Bringuez

  Beautiful, elegant, and expressive. Gorgeous cherry and exotic spice scents on the nose (anise). Bright fruit shows on the mid-palate and there’s a delicious dollop of spicy cherry on the finish. Open this bottle for a California Pinot lover—it showcases rich fruit and good balance.

  Food pairing: Duck

This Grand Cru Pinot Noir is grown on the limestone of Corton Hill’s upper eastern slopes. Upon aging, it becomes rich and vibrant, complex and ever-changing on the palate — but it is less approachable when young. The 2010 vintage can’t be beat, but it requires cellaring. For a vintage that is ready to drink now, try our 1999 or 2003.

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  Deborah Adeyanju

  A somewhat closed nose exhibits mostly floral aromas. Medium body on the palate. Elegant, with well-integrated tannins and juicy red fruit flavors. Also evident are violets, chalky mineral suggestions, and spice flavors. Superbly balanced. Likely to be seductive when mature, but will need until around 2020 to be easily approachable.

  Food pairing: venison and other game meats; strong cheeses

A rare opportunity to taste a Grand Cru Pinot Noir after years of aging — without the wait! Bressandes comes from the east side of Corton Hill, and is intense in both color and flavor, with a stout yet harmonious body. Drink now, or wait a few more years! Note: older vintages can be fragile. See our recommendations for how to open and serve older wines.

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  Deborah Adeyanju

  A complex nose with nutmeg, sweet spice, cedar, oak, black truffles, earth, and a little barnyard. Also a very faint iodine aroma, floral notes, woodsy scents and nutty suggestions. Substantial body. Tart, with bright, concentrated, red fruit flavors as well as dark, brambly fruit and licorice. Lively acidity nicely complements a chewy, viscous mouthfeel. Nuts, wet earth, spice, and herbal notes. Sinewy tannins support an ample yet elegant structure. Good balance. Lengthy finish. Still developing. Likely to drink well through around 2019. Recommended for people who like their wines full-flavored and robust.

  Food pairing: Hearty tomato-based pasta dishes or game meats.

A rare opportunity to taste a Grand Cru Pinot Noir after years of aging — without the wait! Hautes Mourottes comes from the limestone of Corton Hill’s upper eastern slopes. Aging makes it rich and vibrant, complex and ever-changing on the palate. This vintage and 2003 are ready to drink now. Note: older vintages can be fragile. See our recommendations for how to open and serve older wines.

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  Cheryl Bringuez

  A reddish bronze tint reveals this wine’s age, but it still has plenty of life. A deep, rich nose suggests ripe black cherries, clove, and cassis. After the wine has had time to breathe, it begins to reveal even more spice and fruit. Drinking beautifully now but likely to remain attractive through at least 2017.

  Food pairing: Beef stew

This Grand Cru Pinot Noir, born from the limestone slopes of Corton Hill, will grow rich and vibrant with age, complex and ever-changing on the palate — but it’s less approachable when young. This vintage (2003) and the 1999 are both ready to drink now. Note: older vintages can be fragile. See our recommendations for how to open and serve older wines.

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  Colin Talcroft

  Intriguing, slightly funky nose with meaty, animal scents mingling with plums, prunes, and a toasty component. Has real presence. Still youthful but with good acidity and a core of solid, concentrated black cherry fruit nicely balanced by acid and with light but persistent tannins on a long, plummy, pruney, slightly musky finish. Silky, seductive, and eminently drinkable now, but still evolving. Likely to keep and improve a little longer.

  Food pairing: Duck; lamb; roasted chicken; earthy, mushroom-scented dishes