Domaine d’Auvenay’s Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru 2012 is a Pinot Noir from Gevrey-Chambertin in the Côte de Nuits, made in extremely small quantity. The estate’s holding in Mazis is just 0.26 hectares, a parcel acquired in 1994 and reported to produce roughly 550 bottles per year at around 18 hl/ha. It’s one of the most scarce red grand crus in Burgundy, and it comes from Lalou Bize-Leroy’s tiny Domaine d’Auvenay, an address associated with meticulous, low-yield farming and biodynamic practice.

Critical reception for the 2012 is outstanding. Antonio Galloni rates it 97 points in Vinous, calling it “lifted, precise and silky,” and adding that it is “a model of precision and total class.” Galloni frames it as “classic Mazis,” emphasizing the cru’s signature tactile appeal: “the wine’s striking sweetness, perfume and silkiness…stand out above all else.” His tasting note sketches a high-toned aromatic set—“rose petal, mint, cinnamon, hard candy, pomegranate and sweet red cherry”—that suggests both fragrance and clarity rather than heaviness, and he signals clear confidence in its long-term development: “I can’t wait to see how the 2012 ages.”

Wine Spectator is close behind at 96 points, highlighting a more structural, mineral register. It notes “graphite, mineral, cherry, spice and tobacco,” and describes the wine as “more linear and focused…remaining very taut and long on the aftertaste.” The magazine’s drinking window—“Best from 2020 through 2045”—marks this as a cellar wine built for slow evolution.

Taken together, the reviews point to a grand cru that marries perfume and finesse with drive and length. The praise is emphatic, and the guidance is clear: this is a tightly composed 2012 with the stuffing to reward patience.