2022 Domaine Lucien Muzard Pommard Les Cras Vieilles Vignes, Burgundy

Made from 90 year old vines. Medium purple with a lighter rim. A little touch of new wood. The ripeness of the fruit and the age of the vines carries this over the structure of a Pommard, though that is still visible at the back. The energy is impressive. Thoroughly enjoyable even in the medium term. Drink from 2027-2032.

89-91 points Jasper Morris insideburgundy.com

Nine generations of Muzards precede Claude and Hervé, who today control Domaine Lucien Muzard across 16 ha of vineyards in Santenay, Chassagne-Montrachet and Pommard. The family can trace its roots back to 1645, but it was not until the two sons took over the domaine in 1995 that it began bottling at the estate rather than selling to négociants. Today 95% of the production is red wine but the white wines are gaining in stature with each passing vintage.

Reducing vine yields and adoption of some modern wine-making techniques has resulted in spotlessly pure, great value Burgundy. They started using small bins for harvesting, a vibrating sorting table and conveyor belts rather than pumps to keep crushing to an absolute minimum as well as acquiring a new temperature controlled fermentation facility with new wooden vats and a new precision controlled press. In 2005 they began managing the vineyard organically and ultimately gained certification for biodynamic farming in 2011. Following the incessant rains of spring 2012 however they relinquished this certification and today follow a lutte raisonée, or sustainable farming path.

They continue to plough their rows and shun any use of herbicides or pesticides, let alone chemical fertilizers. In the winery these days, more whole bunches are included, typically about a third, while there are no additions of yeast or enzymes. In tandem with the move to more whole-bunch, the extraction regime has moved away from punch-downs towards a gentler remontage (pump-over) approach, while elevage is moving towards both larger oak and a subtler new-oak influence.