2013 Auxey Duresses 1er Cru

Medium red. Musky red fruits and earth on the nose. The palate offers an attractive balance of fruit and saline elements, with sweet redcurrant and red cherry flavors joined on the back end by a suggestion of purple fruits. Essentially a supple wine but has solid underlying spine. The Duresses fruit brings structure, while the Bréterins element contributes elegance to the blend, notes Zinetti. (The estate's village Auxey-Duresses was in an awkward stage and in need of a racking at the time of my visit.)

Mid ruby. Lightish but with savoury substance and some real depth. Well done! GV (JR)

The 2013 Auxey-Duresses 1er Cru had finished its malolactic, a blend of "Les Duresses" and "Breterins" raised in 20% new oak, has a rather "mulchy," slightly dusty bouquet that does not quite possess the clarity of the village cru. The palate is medium-bodied with pointed, quite angular tannin, that give this a little hardness at the moment and then it cuts away rather abruptly. The saline aftertaste is pleasant, but is just seems out of sorts at the moment, and clearly surpassed by the village cru. This was a perplexing showing.