Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Aromas of bing cherry, blackberry and high tones of pomegranate entwined with roses and thyme delve into notes of black plum tossed in potting soil and mint. The palate is dry and harmonious, with fresh cherries, rose and thyme leaves traversing back and forth. Fine dark tannins lead to a delicious finish of red plums.
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Wine Spectator
Round and fleshy for the vintage, offering cherry, raspberry, menthol and iron flavors. Framed in toasty oak, with fine balance in its youthful way and an exuberant finish evoking spices.
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Jasper Morris
First to be picked, as every year. Mid crimson purple. A slightly sombre nose. A bit of spice here but there is a fair volume of red berry fruit alongside to make a sound wine. Sensible oak levels Drink from 2025-2030.
Barrel Sample: 89-91
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.”
While the city represents the epicenter of wine production in Burgundy, the term, “Beaune” also refers to the specific sub-appellation of the greater Côte de Beaune, whose vineyards climb up the pastoral slopes that border the city to its west. Originally founded as a Roman camp by Julius Caesar, the city of Beaune eventually became the seat of the dukes of Burgundy until the 13th century. Today it is home to top négociants such as Louis Jadot, Joseph Drouhin, Louis Latour, and Bouchard Père et Fils.
The appellation, dominated by Pinot Noir plantings, represents a lovely and charming place to begin to understand red Burgundy. Its sandy soils create light and supple, floral driven Pinot Noir. These wines are designed to be enjoyed within five to 10 years. The vineyards of Beaune span a broad swath of Premier Crus from Savigny-lès-Beaune to its border with Pommard.
Chardonnay acreage here has been increasing here in the more recent years.