The 2016 Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaut Saint Jacques includes around 30% whole bunch fruit and 40% new oak. It has a very sophisticated bouquet, cool as a cucumber at first, nonchalant but very harmonious. The palate is medium-bodied with filigreed tannin, wonderful mineralité, feminine and poised with a killer line of acidity. There is a lot of energy contained in this Lavaut, and it is going to be a wonderful wine, the best that the domaine has ever produced (at least in my tasting experience).

The 2015 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaut Saint-Jacques has an intense bouquet of blackberry, boysenberry and hints of blueberry fruit. There is fine mineralité here. The palate is medium-bodied with bold and firm tannin, the 60% new oak perhaps just a little conspicuous towards the second half, although there is clearly sufficient fruit soak that up. There is good body and matière here, although it will need 5-6 years to reach its drinking plateau.

The 2014 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaut St Jacques comes from a single parcel of around 72-year-old vines. It has a tightly wound, taciturn nose...cool like this vineyard, reserved at the moment but nicely defined. Aeration allows you to eke out subtle crushed strawberry and kirsch scents but they remain contained. The palate is medium-bodied with fine, supple tannin. It is nicely balanced. What is needs is a little more complexity towards the finish that is stubborn and linear, and more mineralité to shine through. Maybe that will develop during the remainder of its élevage.

The 2013 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaux St Jacques has a well-defined but a rather conservative bouquet that does not really “l(fā)et go." The palate is crisp and taut with fine tannins, crisp brambly red fruit and citrus notes gathering pace toward the finish that is pointed and direct. There is plenty of freshness and energy here, but it is lopsided and focused on the palate rather than shared with the aromatics.

The 2012 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaut Saint Jacques (yes – it is spelled with a “t” here) offers pleasant raspberry leaf and forest floor scents on the “correct” nose. The palate is medium-bodied with ripe, plump tannins. There is plenty of raspberry and redcurrant fruit, candied orange peel with a hint of mushroom on the finish that needs a touch more nervosite that would beg another sip. This domaine must possess one of the most enviable portfolios in the Cote de Nuits, with several grand crus to their name scattered across 11.5-hectares of prime vineyard. So I guess one must ask the question why Drouhin-Laroze is not better known? I suppose you could argue that in the past, the wines had an air of commerciality about them, wines that were commendable and enjoyable, yet rarely approached the profundity of say Rousseau or Bachelet. Their intrinsic quality was not in doubt. The trouble is that when you have such a roll call of iconic grand crus to your name, the bar is simply raised. Personally, I have found much pleasure in previous vintages that always seem to show well in barrel. I have always found winemaker Philippe Drouhin to be a conscientious vigneron, usually with his wife Christine by his side, either in the office or pouring wines at tastings. And there is now a gradual changing over to the sixth generation as their son Nicolas and daughter Caroline, gain more involvement in the running of the estate that now includes a negociant arm overseen by Caroline. Tasting through their 2012s, there does remain a slight “heaviness” to the wines that you could align with say, Bernard Dugat, and that does not mean they are inherently inferior – just that it is a perceptible leitmotif that means they rarely contain the finesse or effortlessness of those aforementioned growers. I always come away thinking if that if they just tweaked their practices a little, they could suddenly see their wines capture that sense of magic – perhaps pick a little earlier, extract less and moderate the level of new wood that has always made an impression e.g. reconsider using 100% new oak for all the grand crus. This is an estate to watch. They have always quietly gone about creating very good wines, but it would not take much with those grand crus to see them suddenly elevated to the top league. Importer: available through Diva Beaune in the United States, also Atherton Wine Imports (www.awiwine.com) in California and through Fields, Morris & Verdin in the UK.