Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
The pretty and pure fruit comes through nicely, showing crunchy strawberries, wild cherries and hints of flower stems. Medium-bodied, tight and focused, with firm, silky tannins and an energized finish, where the quality of the tannins is impressive for the vintage. Hints of matchstick and spice at the end.
-
Wine Spectator
Well-marked by sweet, spicy oak, this red also displays blackberry, chocolate and bitter almond flavors. Tips toward the tannins, leaving the finish lightly astringent. A bit jumbled today, yet theres ripeness and an elegant feel. Best from 2028 through 2042. 525 cases made, 210 cases imported.
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.