Ladoix 'Vin de France Pinot Noir' Rouge, Domaine Prieuré Roch 2022

There is a story behind this label worth knowing. Domaine Prieuré Roch farm some of the most compelling Pinot Noir in the Côte de Nuits, yet this wine carries a 'Vin de France' designation rather than its rightful Ladoix appellation — because the domaine farms biodynamically and refuses to chaptalise or acidify, which occasionally puts them outside the technical rules. The classification is a protest, not a demotion. What you are getting is Ladoix Pinot Noir in all but name, grown on the limestone slopes at the northern tip of the Côte de Beaune, made with the same uncompromising hands-off approach as their celebrated village and premier cru bottlings. The 2022 vintage brought generous warmth to Burgundy, and you can feel it here — the fruit is riper and rounder than a cooler year, but the domaine's whole-bunch fermentation and native yeast approach keeps things alive and almost wild. Red cherry, forest floor, and a whiff of something almost gamey give way to a palate that is more precise than the vintage's reputation suggests. Drink it from now until 2034, though it will reward another year or two of patience.