The 2012 Savigny-les-Beaune 1er Cru La Dominode has an elegant, almost ethereal bouquet with floral notes, more rose petal than violets infusing the exceptionally pure mixture of red and black fruit. The palate is crisp and pointed on the entry: dark cherries, citrus lemon and blood orange all vying for attention, with an assertive grip on the focused, mineral-rich finish. Stunning. Sometimes it can be a hindrance when wines are uniformly good. As I quipped to Hugues Pavelot, a writer prefers to use a sliding rule of adjectives rather than synonyms for “excellent”. But I had no other recourse tasting through a scintillating set of Savigny-les-Beaune wines from quite possibly the village’s finest producer. The harvest here commenced on September 20 with low yields hovering around 20-25 hectoliters per hectare, bunches fully de-stemmed. Furthermore, the domaine’s portfolio has been curtailed, as some parcels leased from their aunt in Pernand-Vergelesses have had to be relinquished. Their 2012s, which were taken directly from barrels that had just been racked, were surfeit with energy, vivacity, purity and terroir expression, to the point where I had to ask, what more could you want from such wines? Chapeau Hugues et Pierre-Yves Pavelot! Importer: Becky Wasserman Selection (various importers), Le Serbet, Beaune; fax 011-33-3-80-24-29-70