Winemaker Notes
Very pretty with nice density and complexity.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Deeply coloured, with a lovely concentration of plum and pomegranate fruit, with hints of black tea and earth. The texture is supple, fresh and elegant, mainly due to meticulous sorting – Claude de Nicolay relates that her team left 10%–15% on the sorting table due to shrivelled grapes. These come from a sizeable 2ha site, but half is located in the section classified as village, and a quarter-hectare is young vines; this is made only from the old-vine premier cru fruit.
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Jasper Morris
Bottled last week. A ripe bright deep purple. The first thing that comes across is the amazing sensuality of the nose, super-ripe fruit which is nonetheless tamed by the stem effect. Natural acidity from the earlier picked young vines. The most sensual ripe cherries and strawberries. The stems also give structure to the mid palate, and refresh the finish which does not have very high acidity. Lovely aftertaste.
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.”
Savigny-lès-Beaune is a small village near Beaune that produces delightful red and white wines under its own appellation name. Cut by a river, the vineyards on its southern side have sandy soils that result in charming, floral reds. Premiers Crus vineyards on this side include Les Peuillets, Les Narbantons, Les Rouvrettes and Les Marconnets.
On Savigny’s northern side, bordering Pernand-Vergelles, vineyards are planted on rocky soils and produce juicy and spicy Pinot Noir. The village’s best whites, all made of Chardonnay, are full on the palate and abound in texture, complexity and freshness.