Winemaker Notes
Production Area
Wine taking the name Vin de Pays d'Oc may come from any of the four departments of what is known as Le Midi: the Gard, the Aude, the Herault and the Pyrenees-Orientales. As a wine region the area, also referred to as the Languedoc-Roussillon, is one of the oldest in France, having been planted by the Romans. For most of the 20th century the region produced vast quantities of very common wine, and it was only with the creation of the Vins de Pays in 1973, an appelation that encouraged the promotion of the good regional wine from all parts of France, that the area began to attract investment both in vineyards and wineries. By the mid-80's, the success of varietally labelled wines from the New World persuaded growers to plant the noble grape varieties of Bordeaux, Burgundy, the Loire and Rhone Valleys in the Midi with increasing recognition. The Vins de Pays d'Oc represent around three-quarters of the total of all French Vins de Pays, with an average annual production of one billion bottles. Production of Pinot Noir is still under 0.5% of this. Laboure Roi's production averages 11,000 cases of Pinot Noir produced from grapes grown in Aude.
Grape Varieties
100% Pinot Noir
Vinification
Grapes are machine harvested in the early morning to avoid the heat of the dry, transported to the winery, de-stemmed and ferment for 6-8 days under controlled temperatures with daily pumping over of the juice. The malolactic, or secondary fermentation follows and the wines mature for a further 6 months in tank before bottling.
Color
Ruby red
Bouquet
Black cherry / raspberry aromas and rounded fruit flavors lifted by an attractive acidity. The wine is best drunk in the first two years to appreciate the fruity character of the Pinot.
Taste
Attractively lively fruit, generous finish.
Alcohol
12
Serving Suggestions
Serve at around 65 Farenheit, even a little cooler on a warm day. Drink with cold cuts, pasta, sausages, grilled steak or pork chops, mild cheeses.
Celebrated as some of the best wine in the universe, red wine from Burgundy, otherwise known as red Burgundy, is Pinot noir. In fact Burgundy is the birthplace of Pinot noir and the source of the planet’s most sensual, delicate, valuable and sought-after Pinot noir wines.
Understanding and enjoying red Burgundy can stay simple, with a basic knowledge of its subregions, become more intricate by dialing down to the villages and vineyards or become a life-long passion, exploring climats (plots of vines), vintages and the post French Revolution land ownership laws. In any case, a fine red Burgundy will display refined nuances of black currant, red fruit, earth, spice, alluring floral aromatics and have great elegance, complexity and longevity.
Most famous, praised and collected of Burgunday are those from the Côte d'Or. Hundreds of millions of years ago, the area now called Côte d'Or was under a warm ocean whose sea floor has, over time, shifted and decomposed into various layers of limestone, sandstone and clay interspersed with ancient fossilized sea creatures. This is what is referred to as the famous escarpment upon which all of the highly sought-after Grands Crus and Premiers Crus vineyards can be found. In other words, from north to south, the best vineyards of Gevrey-Chambertin, Morey-St-Denis, Chambolle-Musigny, Vougeot, Vosne-Romanée, Flagey-Echezeaux, Nuits-St-Georges, Aloxe-Corton, Pommard and Volnay follow the path of this ancient sea bed.