Winemaker Notes
Beautiful ruby red colour. The nose displays aromas of blackcurrant and blackberry combined with some notes of vanilla. With age and in some vintages, touches of leather will mingle with truffle and spices. On the palate, the tannins are refined and create a seductive harmony. The aftertaste reveals delicate touches of wood.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Drouhin's négociant bottling of Beaune Cras is a contrast to its flagship Clos des Mouches. The fruit is a bit leaner here, more currant aromas touched with black tea and Havana cigar leaf than the slightly plumper Clos des Mouches. The texture is stricter, with more tannin and tension, and less of a supple, velvety character. Although not as forward, the edges will soften with time, which should provide a wine of impressive length and elegance.
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.”
While the city represents the epicenter of wine production in Burgundy, the term, “Beaune” also refers to the specific sub-appellation of the greater Côte de Beaune, whose vineyards climb up the pastoral slopes that border the city to its west. Originally founded as a Roman camp by Julius Caesar, the city of Beaune eventually became the seat of the dukes of Burgundy until the 13th century. Today it is home to top négociants such as Louis Jadot, Joseph Drouhin, Louis Latour, and Bouchard Père et Fils.
The appellation, dominated by Pinot Noir plantings, represents a lovely and charming place to begin to understand red Burgundy. Its sandy soils create light and supple, floral driven Pinot Noir. These wines are designed to be enjoyed within five to 10 years. The vineyards of Beaune span a broad swath of Premier Crus from Savigny-lès-Beaune to its border with Pommard.
Chardonnay acreage here has been increasing here in the more recent years.