Ladoix Rouge, 2023

Wild and light on its feet rather than polished: Burgundy Pinot Noir made the way Beaujolais's natural-wine pioneers taught, whole bunches and barely any sulphur.

Philippe Pacalet learned his trade beside his uncle Marcel Lapierre, the Beaujolais natural-wine pioneer, and spent about a decade at Prieuré Roch before setting up in Beaune in 2001. He owns no vines; he rents or contracts plots and runs the work himself. Ladoix sits at the foot of the Corton hill on clay and limestone. Whole bunches, wild yeast, open wooden vats, used barrels, very little sulphur. Red fruit with a wild, fresh edge and a fluid, delicate feel.