Winemaker Notes
Brilliant ruby color. On the nose, fully ripe wild berries with a spicy undertone, slightly roasted from the ageing which also brings out a complex bouquet of red flower floral notes. Fruit forward at the beginning with a balanced tannic structure showing later. Fresh and consistently aromatic finish.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
From vines in Corgoloin, the 2017 Côte de Nuits-Villages unfurls in the glass with a lovely bouquet of cherries, dark berries, rose petals, orange rind and cedar. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated for the vintage, with a fleshy core of fruit, finer-grained tannins than those found in the domaine's bottlings from the Hautes Côtes, and juicy balancing acids, concluding with an elegantly chalky finish. This is showing very well and is worth seeking out.
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.