We are excited and priviledged to be offering the Domaine Robert Groffier wines for the first time. Young Nicolas Groffier, grandson of Robert, has at his disposal some of the Côte’s finest holdings, including a large swathe of Amoureuses. Nicolas joined his father Serge in 2006 and over the last decade has been fine-tuning the style of the wines whilst remaining loyally faithful to tradition and family know-how. Whole bunch fermentations have gradually increased and new oak percentages decreased. Rarely using more between 15% to 25% for his Crus except the Clos de Bèze, which is a small cuvée and is aged in new barrels only. Employing whole bunch fermentation can be tricky to get right, in lesser examples wines can show evident rusticity, but such is Nicolas’ rigour, precison and know-how that his wines show nothing but purity and vibrancy. Ageing is rarely more than 12 months in oak with finishing and natural clarification in tank, a process designed to avoid fining and filtration but minimise oak impact. 2016 was a successful vintage for Groffier, both in terms of quantity and quality. Picking started on the 27th when berries and bunches were both fully ripe. As for the healthy-sized crop, Nicolas puts this down to his late-pruning and old Cordon de Royat-trained vines, meaning that budding was later, missing the 26th April frost by a week. Nicolas himself considers 2016 a very classic balanced vintage “that reminds me of 2013, with a touch of the generosity of 2014.” A brilliant array of intense, refined, energy-filled