Philippe Leclerc, Bourgogne Rouge “Les Bons Bâtons”

The few high-profile names (Leclerc, Barthod, Rion, Geantet-Pansiot) crafting Pinot Noir from today’s treasured, .6-hectare site are among the most fortunate in Burgundy because “Le Bons Bâtons is the best Bourgogne vineyard, period.” That’s what Remoissenet GM and longtime Burgundy insider Pierre Rovani told us when we sat down with him for dinner in 2019, and he even went so far as to pull out a map and explain why. If you can even find it, this infinitesimal vineyard is wedged between Chambolle-Musigny and Vougeot, shares nearly identical soil, and produces wines that have the breathtaking aromatic perfume of Chambolle and the generous layers of Vougeot. There’s a reason insiders don’t simply limit “Bons Bâtons” comparisons to Bourgogne and village-level wines—matching it against exalted Premier Crus is not out of the question!