Like the village wine above, this comes from within Clos de Tart and could, therefore, be labelled Grand Cru. The domaine declassifies it to 1er Cru status in order to distinguish it from the Grand Vin. It ultimately comes from young vines (though older than the village bottling) and parcels that don’t quite fit in the Grand Cru blend. Keep in mind that the batches must still be exceptional to make the cut for this wine—any that do not meet the domaine’s exacting standards are sold off as bulk wine to a négociant. In fact, this wine is often better than many a Grand Cru from the Côte. This is certainly the case with the 2021. In addition to the three parcels used for the 2020 La Forge (namely the eponymous La Forge parcel, Ballonge 2, and Plantation 2011), the 2021 release also includes declassified fruit from Jeanniard and Plantation 2005, both mid-slope on the Bonnes Mares side of the clos. Noli said these parcels came within a hair’s breadth of making it into the Grand Cru, but he ultimately erred on the side of caution. Traditionally, this cuvée would be fully destemmed and raised with a high percentage of new oak; however, searching for complexity and purer fruit expression, Noli has introduced a portion of whole bunches—25% in all—and dialled back the use of new oak to 45% (from 80% under the previous regime). As the notes below suggest, 2021 Forge de Tart is outstanding. It’s a super fine, ultra-pure example of this wine that nonetheless has excellent depth and even a twist of reduction. It gets better with air (suggesting a long life ahead in the bottle). Great length, too.