100% Pinot Noir.
Colour: attractive dark ruby with garnet highlights.
Bouquet: fruity (blueberry, raspberry and blackcurrant), with spicy and violet notes and well-balanced oak.
Palate: full-bodied and well-structured, with silky tannins, fruity and finely woody flavours and a long finish.
This wine goes well with strong-flavoured meats such as roast veal, braised veal or veal in sauce, leg of lamb, game birds and grilled pork. Roast beef will also succumb to its character. On the cheese platter: Mont d'Or, Tomme de Savoie, Reblochon, Cîteaux.
Ideally served at 15-16°C. (59-61°F.).
Ready to drink, it can be kept for 3 to 5 years, or even longer in good storage conditions.
Situated in the north of the Côte de Beaune, Pernand-Vergelesses is nestled against the western face of the Corton mountain. This local appellation is home to part of the Corton and Corton-Charlemagne Grands Crus, shared with neighbouring Aloxe-Corton and Ladoix-Serrigny. Pernand-Vergelesses produces almost as much white wine as red (82 ha of red; 53 ha of white) and has 8 Premier Cru climats.
The soil of the Pernand-Vergelesses appellation is stony, chalky and marly in the upper part of the appellation, while the lower part is more clayey with residues of flinty limestone. The vineyards face south and east, with a few plots facing north-east, at an altitude of 250 to 300 metres.
Hand-picked, the grapes undergo pre-fermentation cold maceration for 4 to 5 days, at a temperature maintained between 10 and 14°C. Then comes the alcoholic fermentation with selected yeasts, punching of the cap and daily pumping over.
The wine is aged 100% in oak barrels, with around 25% new barrels, for around 14 months.
Nature certainly set a challenge for the winegrower and the winemaker with this vintage.
It began with very warm temperatures at the end of February which led to an early bud break. The historic frost in April then destroyed young shoots that had emerged too early, significantly affecting the future harvest. Changing weather continued to characterize the vintage through to the harvests. There were spells of rain from May to mid-August, obliging winegrowers to be constantly on the alert.
The only periods of relative calm were during flowering, which took place in good conditions for the formation of the future fruit, and the "véraison" (colour change), which benefited from the return of the sun from mid-August. The vagaries of the weather contributed to the development of outbreaks of disease, which were contained thanks to the tireless efforts of our winegrowers. In spite of this, considerable sacrifices had to be made to ensure a high level of quality, and rigorous sorting of the fruit in the vineyard and on arrival at the winery was necessary.
This vintage also required a major technical effort. The vinification had to be carried out with meticulous attention and precision. We took particular care over the extraction of coloring matter, the balance of the structure and the aromatic expression of our red wines, and of the freshness, balance of acidity and aromatic potential of our white wines.
From the first tastings, this vintage presented excellent flavour and aroma potential, and the balance of acidity was contained. The wines are less sunny, revealing a more moderate character, lighter in terms of alcohol and in tannic structure. These are wines that will assert their personalities by offering a diverse palette of flavours and textures, like the growing season.