Winemaker Notes
Intense and deep red. Aromas of ripe and fresh berries with a chalky note. Frank, ample attack, good volume in the middle of the mouth, vertical structure, nice length with a fresh finish.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
A wine of concentration and substance, with an attractive plummy fruit, hints of smoke, leather and cigar leaf, within a dense texture showing firm tannins and impressive length. Alexandre Vernet is doing nice work at Hoffmann-Jayer, as evinced by this admirable Hautes-Côtes de Nuits, produced from a selection of the best vines in and around Magny-lès-Villers. The grapes are partially destemmed and given a cold soak before fermentation, with punching down and ageing 18 months in cask (25% new).
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James Suckling
With its intense wild blackberry, elderberry and allspice aromas, this red Burgundy has a lot to say in spite of its humble origins. Quite sleek on the medium-bodied palate, the tannins soft and restrained, the finish supple and lively with a hint of salt. 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.”
The origin of perhaps the world’s very finest Pinot Noir, Côte de Nuits is the northern half of the Côte d'Or and includes the famous wine villages of Gevrey-Chambertin, Morey-St-Denis, Chambolle-Musigny, Vougeot, Vosne-Romanée, Flagey-Echezeaux and Nuits-St-Georges.
Fine whites from Chardonnay are certainly found in the Côte de Nuits, but with much less frequency than top-performing reds made of Pinot noir. The little village of Nuits-St-Georges in its southern end gave the region its name: Côte de Nuits. The city of Dijon marks its northern border.