Winemaker Notes
Hoffmann-Jayer owns 1.3 hectares of 60-year-old Pinot Noir in the village of Corgoloin, planted in three different lieux-dits: En Fontenelle, Le Clos de Magny, and La Montagne. This Côte de Nuits-Villages is aged entirely in 228-liter barrels, one-third of which are new, and Alexandre’s preference for low-toast wood allows the fruit to shine through beautifully. Juicy, kirsch-like red fruits ride on a ridge of gorgeously articulated, fresh tannins, and a looming but understated sense of structure implies a great deal of upside potential.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
A concentrated, delicious wine, with dark plum and spice aromas, touched with earth and mineral. The location high on the slopes means the wine conserves a rewarding tension and tannic structure. Alexandre Vernet has crafted an outstanding wine from this modest appellation. The vines are in the commune of Corgoloin at the top of the slope in the lieux-dits of Le Clos de Magny, En Fontenelle and La Montage, totalling 1.3ha. Winemaking includes a cold soak, with a good proportion of whole clusters followed by three weeks of cuvaison and regular punching down.
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James Suckling
If you are looking for an elegant but well-structured red Burgundy for a modest price, this could be a good bet. The interplay of velvety tannins and harmonious acidity with red fruit and a touch of forest floor character is already very appealing. Drink or hold.
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.