Winemaker Notes
This vineyard is situated on a slope in Cruzille that was known historically for its reds. La Myotte is quite a cold terroir where the flowering period is often difficult, and the grapes ripen late. This leads to excellent wines in warmer years. La Myotte is on the same terroir as Beaumont (planted with Gamay), but planted with Pinot Noir. It is very interesting to be able to compare the two.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
From a parcel planted in 1954, the 2019 Bourgogne Pinot Noir La Myotte mingleS aromas of plums, raw cocoa, spices, orange rind and peony in a complex mélange. Medium to full-bodied, lively and concentrated, it's built around lively acids and fine, powdery tannins, concluding with chalky grip on the finish. This is another Pinot Noir bottling from what is generally Gamay territory.
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.”
These are the fun, fruit-driven and lively Chardonnays of white Burgundy, often offering some fantastic values and options that you don’t have to cellar. Flavors range from fresh green apple and lemon to melon or pineapple; some of the best are fleshy and mineral driven or balanced by a light touch of oak.
Mâconnais Chardonnay may have the weight of their more serious Côte de Beaune sisters, but not quite the refinement. Still, this appellation is one of the best ways to jump from California Chardonnay to something new and begin to understand white Burgundy.
The Mâconnais region is warmer and drier than the rest of Burgundy to its north (Côte d’Or) and has a landscape of rolling hills and farmland interspersed among vineyards. The region produces a lot of Chardonnay—Viré-Clessé and Pouilly-Fuisse are among the best—and a very small amount of red wine from Gamay and Pinot Noir. The soils of Mâconnais remain limestone dominant like in the Côte d’Or, making it a wonderful spot for Chardonnay to thrive. Gamay's home of Beaujolais lies just to the south.