Winemaker Notes
This wine is bursting with aromas of rainier cherry laced with violets and red berries. The palate is explosive, with an expressive core of lush red fruit, orange zest and red currant. This Burgundy effortlessly harmonizes sumptuous fruit with a crisp, fresh minerality.
Professional Ratings
-
Vinous
The 2024 Maranges La Fussières 1er Cru Rouge, which comes from limestone soils, has a charming floral nose that is very pure, with scents of crushed strawberry and tayberry, more fruit-forward compared to the Vieilles Vignes. The palate is framed by pliant tannins and quite a vibrant line of acidity that keeps this on its toes. The mineral core is more apparent towards the finish as it lingers tenderly in the mouth. This is a benchmark Maranges that sets the standard for others to follow.
Barrel Sample: 92-94
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.