Pierre Fenals makes terroirs sing

It's no longer a secret. Pierre Fenals and his little Maison en Belle Lies, which has been in Saint-Aubin for a decade, are one of our favorites every year. Pierre is discretion and mastery. It's knowledge and modesty. At over 70 years of age, this confirmed neo-winemaker continues to surprise us year after year.

No, Pierre Fenals hasn’t retired. No, he hasn’t put away his pruning shears or abandoned his vats. He has simply chosen to do less, but better.

In recent years, he has scaled back, selling off certain plots (notably in Margaux and Lothar de Chaume des Lies) to focus on what matters most. The vines that built his reputation, the ones he knows by heart, the ones he can almost hear breathing.

And above all, Pierre has taken his time.

The time to let the grapes ripen as he sees fit. Time to guide the aging process without haste. Time, quite simply, to make wine at his own pace, with the serenity of an old sage from the Côte de Beaune who has nothing left to prove.

And you can tell.

The 2023s are magnificent. Wines that are balanced, composed, and precise. The Pinots offer depth, balance, and an almost vibrant energy. The Chardonnays, meanwhile, stand out for their tension, their brilliance, and their mouth-watering richness.

You can sense wines that have been thoughtfully crafted, respected, and left undisturbed until the right moment.

So yes, we had to wait. But what a pleasure it is today to rediscover these vintages. Sincere, soulful wines that are uniquely his own.