Winemaker Notes
The 2018 vintage is, at Domaine de Bellene, an unexpected vintage. After a succession of low yield vintages due to climatic problems such as hail storms and frost, this new vintage is opulent in every sense of the word. The wine is definitely of the highest quality, they are very aromatic with silky tannins, and show a complex structure. These wines may be drunk young but also have an important ageing potential.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Nicolas Potel rates 2018 as a 'classic vintage', pointing to the quality of his domaine reds as evidence. This comes from one of Beaune's best Premiers Crus located in the middle of the Montagne de Beaune. Spicy, floral and enticing, with 50% whole bunches and 10% new wood, it's a very well-judged Pinot with considerable finesse and ageing potential.
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.