Domaine Maurice Charleux & Fils Maranges Le Clos des Rois Premier Cru 2017
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A 0.30-hectare parcel in this cru, which sits at the bottom of the hill and includes just over 7 hectares of vines that face south and southwest. The altitude is between 260 and 290 meters. The soil is quite complex but, in general, contains more limestone than La Fussière. Wines from this climat have both structure and complexity, and usually show red fruit aromas along with floral and spicy notes, and this wine is no exception—it has enticing aromas of peony and violet, red fruits and spices, and on the palate it is round and complex.
When young, it is suitable with red meats in sauce or a rib of Charolais beef. Let it age, and it becomes perfect with a hare stew, a partridge or any other game.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
Forming a transition between the Côte d’Or and the Saône-et-Loire of the Côte Chalonnaise, Maranges is the southernmost village of the Côte de Beaune district of Burgundy and includes seven Premiers Crus. Wines grown in Maranges may claim the names of their respective communes, Cheilly-lès-Maranges, Dezize-lès-Maranges or Sampigny-lès-Maranges, or Côte de Beaune-Villages. Confusingly they may also be called Maranges or Maranges Côte de Beaune. Nevertheless, the village’s vineyards, primarily composed of limestone and pebbly soils, produce charming, medium-bodied, fleshy Pinot Noir, laden with red or purple fruit and a touch of spice. A small percentage of admirable and fresh whites come from Maranges, made of Chardonnay.