


Winemaker Notes


A source of some of the most delightful Pinot Noir in Beaune, Chorey-les-Beaune is a great place to start exploring red Burgundies that do not command a great deal of cellar time. In style, they are akin to the reds of Aloxe-Corton but more fruit forward and approachable in their youth.

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.”