Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Frost and mildew destroyed 80-90% of the de Nicolay’s holdings in Pernand and Savigny, so the surviving grapes were fermented together to produce six barrels of Gelée Royale from 11 hectares. Notes of creamy cherry, dark spice and mossy soil introduce a supple, full-bodied wine. Its rich tannins are beautifully cloaked in ripe fruit, which is cut by cool acids and abundant savoury nuance.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
After the year's frosts, fully 11 hectares of vineyards produced a mere seven barrels of wine, which de Nicolay bottled as the 2016 Bourgogne "Gelée Royale." Given the higher appellations that inform its blend, it's unsurprising that this cuvée punches far above the level expected for a generic wine, unfurling in the glass with notes of raspberries, plums, grilled meat, dark chocolate and spices. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, velvety and concentrated with considerable substance and concentration. Given its structure and depth, it will reward a decade's bottle age.
Rating: 92+
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.”
A classic source of exceptional Chardonnay as well as Pinot Noir, the Côte de Beaune makes up the southern half of the Côte d’Or. Its principal wine-producing villages are Pernand-Vergelesses, Aloxe-Corton, Beaune, Pommard, Volnay, Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet.
The area is named for its own important town of Beaune, which is essentially the center of the Burgundy wine business and where many negociants center their work. Hospices de Beaune, the annual wine auction, is based here as well.