The Dominode from Bruno Clair is up to its usual impeccable standard in the 2023 vintage. It has an impressive density of plummy fruit with notes of violets and liquorice spice, with remarkable complexity and depth of flavour. The texture has admirable density, but there is nothing heavy here, just concentrated fruit aromas, a plump mouthfeel and a superbly long finish. The wine should be approachable young but will easily last 20 or 30 years in a proper cellar.(CC)

The finely detailed nose starts with hyper-pure aromas of blueberries and loganberries. Toasted spices, anise and pencil shavings swirl on the palate. The complexity is as compelling as the cellar-worthy structure. Acidic crunch binds with strapping tannins—all wrapped around a firm, aristocratic fruit core. There is just over one hectare here, planted in 1902.

Aromas of raspberries, violets, rose petals and spices introduce the 2023 Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru La Dominode, a medium to full-bodied, supple and succulent wine that's deep, seamless and suave, with ripe tannins, lively acids and a long, expansive finish. It's worth a special effort to seek out. This is another terrific vintage for Domaine Bruno Clair, delivering wines of striking purity and transparency. As I wrote last year, farming is now very close to organic across the 24-hectare estate; yields are being limited more strictly in the younger parcels; superior vine genetics are being T-budded onto existing plantings; cover crops are the order of the day, with the frequency of cultivation reduced; trees are being incorporated within all new plantings; and now, in the winery, whole clusters are being systematically retained in significant percentages, while the frequency of punching down has reduced. What are the results? The pure-fruited style of the domaine, which doesn't push ripeness or percentages of new oak, remains very much intact, but it's actualized with more intensity of flavor and more expressive, vibrant fruit. That this holds true even with a comparatively abundant Pinot Noir crop is a validation of the work being done.(WK)