Maison Champy Beaune Aux Cras Premier Cru 2005
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Maison Champy is the oldest wine company in Burgundy boasting a history dating back to 1720. The winery, which has been declared a historic monument by UNESCO, was designed by the famed architect, Gustave Eiffel and sits above an ancient 15th-century Jacobian monk cellar, where the wines are aged in the heart of Beaune. It was at Maison Champy where renowned scientist, Louis Pasteur set up a laboratory and developed the pasteurization method. When Pasteur published his findings, he gave special thanks to fourth-generation Beaune wine merchant, Claude Champy. Pasteur’s laboratory equipment can still be seen today when visiting the Maison. Maison Champy owns 52 acres of vineyards, including holdings in Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru, Clos de Bully in Pernand-Vergelessess, and Beaune 1er Cru Aux Cras. These prized vineyards, among others owned by Champy, are farmed organically in order to showcase the true character of the terroir in the wines. The winegrowing team at Champy has worked together for many years with the goal of crafting the best possible expression of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from each unique terroir. Winemaking is led by Dimitri Bazas who, as Technical Director and Oenologist, has been custodian of the wine styles for more than 20 years. Vineyard management is under the watch of Francis Simon, also with two decades of experience with the Maison, and Cellar Master José Ramalho is Champy’s longest-tenured employee, having tended the barrel program for 35 years. Together the team brings their passion, experience, and expertise to each vintage, from vine to bottle.
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.”
A source of some of the most delightful Pinot Noir in Beaune, Chorey-les-Beaune is a great place to start exploring red Burgundies that do not command a great deal of cellar time. In style, they are akin to the reds of Aloxe-Corton but more fruit forward and approachable in their youth.