Winemaker Notes
Wines are aged in barrels of varying age and toast and then blended in order to achieve optimum balance and complexity. The domaine ages its wines in wooden casks for between 14 to 17 months. Critics agree that it is the balance and complexity that make Domaine Frédéric Esmonin stand out.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Laced with black cherry, blackberry, violet and earth flavors, this red is firmly structured, with a compact finish. Just a tad dry, yet juicy and spicy, so give this time to integrate. Best from 2025 through 2033. 68 cases imported.
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.”
Bordering the most famous villages of the Côte de Nuits are the vineyards captured by the Côte de Nuits Villages name, which are essentially the vineyards within the commune appellation status. Wines from Fixin, Brochon, Prémeaux, Comblanchien and Corgoloin may be sold as Côte de Nuits-Villages. Typically these are red wines but whites can also hold the name.
Reds, exclusively of Pinot Noir, veer towards an intense garnet hue with characteristics of cherry, gooseberry or blackcurrant with notes of underbrush, wet earth and baking spices. Whites, made from Chardonnay, are fragrant, lively and fresh on the palate with apple, pear, fig or quince flavors.