Domaine de Bellene Les Perrières Beaune Premier Cru 2021

The 2021 Domaine de Bellene Perrières is the “open me now” bottle in the Bellene red lineup, a vintage of cool, crystalline purity and aromatic lift that makes for some of the most joyful near-term drinking the Côte de Beaune has produced in years. Les Perrières sits on the rocky, limestone-heavy upper slope of Beaune, where the shallow soils and excellent drainage produce wines of precision and finesse rather than weight. The 2021 vintage, with its frost-reduced yields and slow, gradual ripening, suits Perrières perfectly: bright and translucent in the glass, with crunchy red fruit (raspberry, red currant, fresh cherry), a savory earthy note, and the kind of vibrant, lifted acidity that makes you pour another glass without thinking about it. Drink now through 2028. It is genuinely brilliant right now. Grab it while you can.