2021 Domaine des Croix Beaune 1er Cru Les Bressandes, Burgundy

The 2021 Beaune Les Bressandes 1er Cru, which is fully de-stemmed, has a little more concentration on the nose with raspberry and wild strawberry notes. There's fine definition and attack here. The palate is bright, lively and quite citrus-driven, with a little more structure and seriousness toward the finish. With good persistence here, the 2021 is vibrant and sprightly.

90-92 points Neal Martin vinous.com

The 2021 Beaune 1er Cru Bressandes is a success for this high-altitude, steeply sloping site characterized by fine, calcium-rich soils (it's so steep that Croix is obliged to cultivate part of it by horse, as tractors are liable to topple over). Mingling aromas of cherries and red berries with scents of orange zest and forest floor, it's medium to full-bodied, ample and satiny, with a layered, tensile profile and a long, mineral finish.

91-93 points William Kelley robertparker.com

Along with Grèves, this vineyard shares its name with a more famous Grand Cru of Corton. Incidentally, this site—named after the vineyard’s historic landholder, Jean Bressand—also lies very close to Corton, high on the slopes above Les Cent-Vignes. David Croix farms 0.89-hectares in this Cru, spread across three parcels planted in 1983, 1987 and 1991. These vines face east on thin, gravelly soil—a mixture of limestone and clay—and have been farmed organically for over a decade. Croix has coaxed something really special from this cool, steep site in 2017. The wine was aged for 15 months in (mostly) old barrels, and was one of only a few cuvées that was 100% de-stemmed this year. It’s compact and racy with layers of pure, sweet forest fruits, loads of flesh, and a twist of very fine tannin to keep everything in superb balance. Outstanding, and scores very high on the ODC (Official Deliciousness Scale).

This is the first wine to display any appreciable reduction and it's enough to dominate the fruit today. Otherwise there is excellent volume in the context of the vintage to the racy and nicely concentrated medium-bodied flavors that evidence a taut muscularity on the lingering finish that also flashes a bit of youthful austerity.