Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jasper Morris
A glowing purple. The Vignes Franches offers notably more noble fruit with a suggestion of an extra degree of texture. Fully ripe cherries and some raspberry. The layer of velvet which covers the bones, and extends the fruit further to the back. Good acidity as well. Drink from 2029-2035.
Barrel Sample: 91-93 -
Decanter
Shows a lovely fruit expression with an admirable concentration of pomegranate, cherry and hints of peony and pepper. The structure is supple and rich yet not lacking energy. The grapes are from a half-hectare of 50-year-old vines planted in clay soils with a high iron content; they are entirely destemmed and fermented with native yeasts before ageing one year in cask, 30% new.
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.