2022 Hautes Côtes de Nuits

Sometimes when an opportunity presents itself you have to take it. This is exactly the case with Les Jardiniers Vignerons, who with their very first vintage have convinced us that we are dealing with an extremely serious and talented winemaker couple with great things to come.

Behind Les Jardiniers Vignerons are Benjamin Lopez and his long-time friend Renaud Buret, who is Bruno Clavelier’s right-hand man, where the two worked together before Benjamin got the chance to work in the vineyard and cellar of none other than Prieuré Roch. They continue to work at the two iconic producers, but the desire to make their own wine has resulted in a side project as a micro-négociant with plans for starting their own domaine later on. All the grapes come from either organic or biodynamic farmers and in the cellar, located in Reulle-Vergy in the Hautes Côtes de Nuits, they vinify the wines with as little intervention as possible, without however leaving anything to chance. The whole operation is admittedly extremely small and low-tech, but the goal is to produce pure and precise wines that fully allow the terroir to shine through.

The style is both serious and free – these are lively wines with depth and concentration, but at the same time with an enormous drinkability. You sense where the two gentlemen have learned to make wine, although they are in no way trying to attempt to copy this style. And yes, so far, we are dealing with a completely microscopic production with just a few hundred bottles of each cuvée. In other words, strike when the opportunity presents itself.