Domaine Étienne Delarche Pernand-Vergelesses Ile des Vergelesses Rouge Premier Cru 2023

Pernand-Vergelesses hides in plain sight, tucked behind the noble bulk of the Corton hill, and that anonymity is very much the wine lover’s gain. The village sits at the western edge of the Côte de Beaune, sharing the Corton hillside with Aloxe-Corton and producing premier cru Pinot Noir from iron-rich limestone, clay marls, and pebbles that consistently earn it the compliment of “poor man’s Corton,” though that undersells just how serious these wines can be. Domaine Étienne Delarche is among the most quietly essential addresses in the appellation, a deeply artisanal estate farming organically, harvesting by hand, and letting the site do the talking with indigenous yeast ferments and minimal new oak, never exceeding 30% and often significantly less.

Île des Vergelesses is the most prized of Pernand’s five premier crus, a long, thin walled vineyard that winds its way along the Savigny hillside at over 800 feet, wedged so snugly between the two appellations that the boundary feels almost arbitrary. The pure limestone and clay soils at this elevation produce a wine that is more light-footed and refined than its neighbor Les Vergelesses, with an extra lift of acidity and a fleshier, more layered mid-palate. Delarche’s version is fermented naturally and aged in older barrels to keep the fruit pure and the terroir front and center. The 2023 shows all of it: blackberry, black cherry, and plum on the nose with chocolate dust, crushed stone, and violets, a charming yet robust palate with fine tannins and the rusticity that is very much the hallmark of Pinot from this corner of the Côte de Beaune. It is brilliant right now for its precocious aromatics, and has the structure to age beautifully for a decade or more. This is exactly the kind of Burgundy we love finding. Grab it while we have it.