La Dominode is one of Savigny’s most prestigious premier cru sites and this ripe, firmly structured Pinot is a fine example. Black-plum and cassis flavors are richly concentrated, anchored by peppery, spicy streaks of anise, clove and char plus a truffly, earthen perfume that’s seductive. While supple in tannin.

Perfumed, this red offers sandalwood, olive, floral, cherry and sweet spice aromas and flavors. Firms up on the finish, yet remains balanced and persistent.

Facing northeast at the middle of the slope, this vineyard is well positioned to resist some of the recent heat and drought in Burgundy (see Jasper Morris’s essay in this issue on how climate change is impacting the region). The wine is a fascinating connection of the sun and the earth as they meet in the ripeness of fruit: all the near-explosive intensity doesn’t diminish the detail of its sour-cherry flavors. Their tartness checks the sweetness, creating light within all the extract.