2021 Launay-Horiot - Chambertin (750ml)

Domaine Launay-Horiot is a small estate based in Pommard, though its most prized vines lie in Gevrey-Chambertin. The property passed to Xavier Horiot, a former fighter pilot, after an eleven-year inheritance dispute with his aunt left the domaine mothballed following his grandfather Raymond Launay's death in 2000. Once the courts ruled in his favor in 2011, Horiot left the Air Force to restore the cellar, releasing his first vintage in 2014.

The domaine's Chambertin parcel covers just 0.16 hectares, planted in the early 1950s, and sits directly beside vines farmed by Lalou Bize-Leroy. Yields are kept low and the grapes hand-harvested, with Horiot having moved toward fuller destemming after early experiments with whole clusters. The wine is aged in barrel for around eighteen months, with new oak used carefully to respect the vineyard's structure.

Fruit from this parcel typically shows dark berry and briary fruit, crushed stone, and a touch of dried rose, with the structure and depth typical of a Chambertin from this stretch of the hillside. The palate tends toward medium to full body, velvety tannins, and a long, mineral-driven finish that carries real power without losing finesse. Production from this tiny holding is minuscule, and the wine rewards patient cellaring.