Winemaker Notes
This is always one of the more muscular Beaune reds. Initial aromas include tobacco, mocha and black berry fruit. On the palate the structure is imposing, with both weight and chewy tannins. The finish is carried by subtle acidity and will lengthen and fill out with secondary flavor notes as the wine ages in bottle.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
This elegant red’s pleasing fleshiness adds to its cherry, blackberry and spice flavors. Harmonious, with a vibrant feel that intensifies midpalate. Ends with fine-grained, chalky tannins. Feels approachable now yet should be better in a year or two. Best from 2029 through 2046.
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Jasper Morris
An attractive ruby purple. While the nose remains unformed, in the mouth there is a sweetness to the fruit which is immediately engaging, especially as it is balanced by a freshness of structure. Maybe a touch more gas. Drink from 2029-2036.
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.