Once in a great while, you stumble on a hidden gem, even one that has been in plain sight for decades. Those familiar with Richoux order as much as they can year after year in anticipation of the moment—like any moment with a bottle of great Burgundy some seven or eight years after bottling—when it begins to whisper the potential of its greatness. That moment has arrived for today’s 2015, which is just now entering its perfect drinking window yet promises to drink beautifully into the next decade-plus.

The gorgeous village of Irancy is tucked in at the bottom of an amphitheatre covered in Pinot Noir vines about a 20-minute drive west from the centre of Chablis. It shares the same basic geology as Chablis: Portlandian limestone on the upper, flat sections and Kimmerigean limestone marls not so far down the slope and going all the way to the bottom. Irancy has a special climate for Pinot Noir because of its horseshoe shape that faces south, west and north, with another face that wraps outside the southwest corner with more south and west expositions, the location of La Palotte and Veaupessiot. Les Cailles is inside the amphitheatre on a soft slope of old vines. It’s notably more firm, mineral and straight than Veaupessiot and by comparison usually needs even another year or two for the charm to emerge.

Thierry Richoux's family have been growing grapes and producing wine in the picturesque village of Irancy since 1610. This wine is made using biodynamic practices. For more than thirty years Thierry and Corine have always strived to respect both the original and particular terroir of Irancy as well as the spirit of each vintage which must be returned as faithfully as possible even in the bottle. Harvest sorted and 100% destemmed.