Caroline Drouhin greets me at the estate's winery in the heart of Gevrey Village, replete with a newly-built tasting room and offices. "We had some hail on 9 June in the north of Gevrey in Lavaut-Saint-Jacques, and En Champs suffered some damage," she tells me. "But the real damage came from the rain during the storm. The torrent of water made the wall collapse." The team picked from 20 September, though the secateurs were sheathed almost immediately as the heavens opened. They restarted the following day, and the must underwent a cool maceration. "We were a little worried at first, but I think the wines came out good. Now the job is to transfer this energy into bottle."

As I have reported in previous articles, the style of Drouhin-Laroze's wines is entirely different from those of Drouhin's father, Philippe, which tended to be a little over-oaked. The change in style is perhaps not quite as 180° as Domaine Dugat's, but it's not far off. Given the growing season, this is a commendable portfolio, some of the grander cuvées maybe just missing some substance, though fresh and terroir-driven. They really excel with the Clos de Vougeot and a splendid Chambertin-Clos de Bèze, though keep your eyes peeled for a very fine Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Prieur and an overperforming Craipillot.

Caroline Drouhin guided me through the Domaine's 2022s, which were picked between September 1 and 10. Their vintage report highlights the violent storms of June 22 that saw 100mm of rain within 45 minutes and reiterates that it was, overall, the warmest summer since 1947 after 2003.

Nevertheless, alcohol levels all come in between 12.5% and 13.5%. One addition to their portfolio is Gevrey-Chambertin Vignes Belles, which had previously been blended into their "Dix Climats" cuvée. My picks here include a very fine Clos de Vougeot, their Chambolle-Musigny Village and Gevrey-Chambertin Craipillot.

Domaine Drouhin-Laroze

2022 Morey-Saint-Denis 'Très Girard'                           (85-87)

Color - Red

Drinking Window - 2024 - 2034

Neal Martin, November 2023

The 2022 Morey-Saint-Denis Très Girard, which contains 50% whole bunches, has a feisty bouquet that needs to forage a little refinement. A bit of heat here. The palate is medium-bodied with a sweet entry, quite fleshy and perhaps more Chambolle-like in style. It needs a few more ideas on the finish.

2022 Gevrey-Chambertin 'Dix Climats'                  (87-89)

Color - Red

Drinking Window - 2025 - 2035

Neal Martin, November 2023

The 2022 Gevrey-Chambetin "Dix Climats," which included 25% whole bunches, offers crushed strawberry and redcurrant fruit on the nose - quite floral with hints of lavender and incense. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red fruit, fine depth and acidity, and a pinch of black pepper towards the finish. This should be ready to go after a couple of years in bottle. Fine.

2022 Gevrey-Chambertin Vignes Belles                    (87-89)

Color - Red

Drinking Window - 2026 - 2036

Neal Martin, November 2023

The 2022 Gevrey-Chambertin Vignes Belles was previously part of the "Dix Climats" cuvée (though it is not renamed "Neuf Climats" as that parcel was divided!) Blended with 25% whole bunches, this has another perfumed nose, hints of white flowers and potpourri suffusing the mainly red fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins. It's quite smooth in texture, with fine tannins and good substance, even if it doesn't possess the grip and density of Drouhin-Laroze's top cuvées.

2022 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos de Combes           (90-92)

Color - Red

Drinking Window - 2026 - 2043

Neal Martin, November 2023

The 2022 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos de Combes includes 30% whole bunches. There is a little jamminess on the nose here - perhaps needing a little more delineation, though it does gain more precision with aeration. The palate is well-balanced with sweet red berry fruit and a light touch of white pepper and bay leaf. With fine cohesion and a harmonious, refined finish, I can see this improving with continued bottle age.

2022 Gevrey-Chambertin En Champs                (88-90)

Color - Red

Drinking Window - 2025 - 2035

Neal Martin, November 2023

The 2022 Gevrey-Chambertin En Champs includes 31% whole bunches (exactly). This shows a bit of reduction on the nose at the moment, more black fruit than the Clos de Combes with just a little warmth. The palate is medium-bodied with powdery tannins. There's quite fleshy black fruit here with gentle grip, though it needs a tad more tension to come through on the finish. Solid.

2022 Gevrey-Chambertin Craipillot 1er Cru         (90-92 )

Color - Red

Drinking Window : 2026 - 2038

Neal Martin, November 2023

Blended with 30% whole bunches, the 2022 Gevrey-Chambertin Craipillot 1er Cru is a step up in complexity from the Village Crus with bright red fruit laced with sous-bois and clove. The medium-bodied palate offers fleshy, ripe red fruit, gentle grip, and slightly chalky tannins towards the finish, suggesting that it will require 2-3 years in bottle.

2022 Gevrey-Chambertin Au Closeau 1er Cru                   (87-89)

Color - Red

Drinking Window - 2024 - 2034

Neal Martin, November 2023

The 2022 Gevrey-Chambertin Au Closeau 1er Cru is blended with 55% whole bunches. This has quite a high-toned nose, needing a touch more cohesion to develop during the barrel maturation. The palate is medium-bodied with grippy tannins, quite firm in the mouth. There's a bit of grittiness towards the finish, with mainly black fruit laced with a touch of menthol. Fine.

2022 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Prieur 1er Cru (89-91)

Color - Red

Drinking window - 2026-2038

Neal Martin, November 2023

The 2022 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Prieur 1er Cru, blended with 30% whole bunches, has a slightly backward bouquet with scents of potpourri infusing the red fruit, perhaps needing a little more mineralité to come through. The palate is medium-bodied with chewy tannins on the entry, hints of licorice developing towards the finish that will hopefully develop a little more nervosité during the remaining élevage.

2022 Chambolle-Musigny                            (90-92)

Color - Red

Drinking Window - 2026 - 2040

Neal Martin, November 2023

The 2022 Chambolle-Musigny Village comes from two lieux-dits in the appellation. Blended with 20% whole bunches, it has a harmonious bouquet with black cherries, wild strawberry and light iodine scents, the stems neatly enmeshed. The medium-bodied palate has gentle grip, fine tannins, and good purity with a bright, sensual, slightly minty finish. Just four barrels produced. Very fine.

2022 Chapelle-Chambertin Grand Cru                (90-92)  

Color - Red

Drinking Window - 2027 - 2042

Neal Martin, November 2023

The 2022 Chapelle-Chambertin Grand Cru has quite a perfumed bouquet, very floral, with incense aromas percolating through the red berry fruit. It just needs a little more mineralité. The medium-bodied palate has firm and slightly obdurate tannins, somewhat lactic in style, with hints of mocha towards the finish. Moderate length. Fine.

2022 Bonnes Mares Grand Cru           (92-94)

Color - Red

Drinking Window - 2026-2044

Neal Martin, November 2023

The 2022 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru, blended with 25% whole bunches, has quite a perfumed and aromatic bouquet: white flowers and potpourri infusing the black cherry and red plummy fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins. It offers much more composure than the Latricières, with a poised, persistent finish. Excellent.

2022 Clos de Vougeot Grand cru     (95-97)

Color - Red

Drinking Window - 2027 - 2049

Neal Martin, November 2023

The 2022 Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru has a refined bouquet that blossoms in the glass with very fine delineation and purity of fruit. The medium-bodied palate with fine tannins, well-judged acidity, and crisp fruit shows more brightness on the finish than other cuvées. This is one of Drouhin-Laroze's best wines in 2022.

2022 Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand cru     (94-96)  

Color - Red

Drinking Window - 2028 - 2050

Neal Martin, November 2023

Blended with 25% whole bunches, the 2022 Chambetin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru takes time to unfurl on the nose. It's quite backward but well-defined with raspberry, wild strawberry, sous-bois and crushed stone. The palate is well-balanced with fine-grain tannins, fresh and lightly spiced, gaining depth towards the finish. Good vigor and persistence - this is a classy Clos-de-Bèze.

2022 Musigny Grand cru         (94-96)

Color - Red

Drinking Window - 2025 - 2047

Neal Martin, November 2023

The 2022 Musigny Grand Cru was showing a lot of reduction on the nose that slightly occluded the fruit (although it had been racked in July). The medium-bodied palate with supple tannins is quite deep with fine grip, offering lightly-spiced black fruit laced with truffle and a hint of licorice. A multifaceted Musigny this, mercurial in the glass. This will be fascinating to revisit in bottle.

2022 Bourgogne Côte d'Or Pinot Noir       (84-86)

Color - Red

Drinking Window - 2023 - 2027

Neal Martin, November 2023

The 2022 Bourgogne Côte d'Or, which was taken from barrel, has a floral nose, quite reductive at the moment. The palate is medium-bodied with soft mulberry fruit, perhaps missing a little nerve and clarity on the finish.

2022 Bourgogne Côte d'Or Chardonnay                  (87)

Color - White

Drinking Window - 2023 - 2027

Neal Martin, November 2023

Bottled in June, the 2022 Bourgogne Côte d'Or Blanc offers light grapefruit and melon aromas, quite lively in the glass, almost Alsace-like. The well-balanced, fresh palate has lively entry with a hint of chamomile infusing the citrus fruit with a simple but quite delicious finish.

2022 Fixin 'En Coton'                            (87-89)

Color - Red

Drinking Window - 2026 - 2034

Neal Martin, November 2023

The 2022 Fixin En Coton has more delineation than the Bourgogne Côte d'Or, with bright red cherry and blackberry aromas and a touch of antique furniture. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins. It is not complex per se but well-balanced, with a judicious pinch of white pepper on the finish. Give this 12 to 18 months in bottle.