Winemaker Notes
A great wine, one of the most representative of Beaune, the capital of Burgundy. Intense and bright red color. The nose displays aromas of red currant with some spicy notes. With age and in some vintages, the aromas become even more marked by spicy and smoky touches, such as tobacco. On the palate, the tannins are refined and create a seductive harmony. In the aftertaste there is a marked flavor of "crème de cassis" (cream of black currant) and delicate touches of wood
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
You'd expect one of the best Beaune-based négociants to make an impressive red from what is generally regarded as the appellation's best premier cru, and you'd be correct. Made with 25% whole bunches and 30% new wood, this shows the aristocratic class of the site, with an appealing amalgam of perfumed oak, stemmy complexity, tangy acidity and smooth plum and raspberry fruit.
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James Suckling
This is very open and spicy with white pepper, dried strawberries and hints of cherries. Full-bodied and dense with gorgeous ripe fruit and intensity. Layered and flavorful. Needs a year or two to come completely together. Drink after 2022.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Beaune 1er Cru Les Grèves offers up a sweet bouquet of cassis, cherries, forest floor and spices. On the palate, it's medium-bodied, with a deep core of succulent fruit that displays excellent concentration, largely concealing its fine structuring tannins before concluding with a chalky finish.
Barrel Sample: 90-92
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.