Domaine de Villaine is located in Bouzeron, nestled in the Côte Chalonnaise region between Chassagne-Montrachet and Santenay to the north and Rully and Mercurey to the south. Planted with vines by the monks of Cluny in the Middle Ages, this small, sunny valley has a rich and lengthy tradition of producing quality wines which reflect their exceptional terroir.

When Aubert de Villaine came to Burgundy to take charge of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti in 1971, he set up home in the village of Bouzeron and began to put together a private domaine independent of DRC. Initially, all the vineyards were added in the 1990s. The domaine began conversion to organic farming in 1986, becoming certified in 1997.

From one of the village's finest sites comes the 2017 Rully 1er Cru Les Margotés, a lovely wine that unwinds to reveal notions of pear, orange rind and almond paste. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and inciive, it's elegant and chalky, with a penetrating, mineral finish. This is well worth seeking out, and it will evidently be a bottling to follow particularly attentively in future vintages. Tasted: Jun 2020; Drink: 2020-2035; Rating: 92 Points; William Kelley; Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate