Beaune
1er Cru Les Avaux Bio 2020
In Beaune, wine and pleasure are at the top of the agenda!
Pleasure on the eyes in the form of the Hospices, and pleasure of the senses with the superb mosaic of nature and humans formed by the vineyards of Beaune.
Origin
The vineyards of Beaune are unique in that out of approximately 400 ha of vines under production, over 300 ha are classified as Premier Cru. The appellation is divided into two parts, north and south, which are separated by a division marked by the road that goes from Beaune up to Bouze-Lès-Beaune.
'Les Avaux' is located on the gentle slope of La Montagne, below Champ Pimont.
This name can be compared to downstream and then means that this plot is on the "lower part of a valley".
The grapes selected from this cuvée are certified Ecocert.
Viticulture
Grape variety: pinot noir
Soils: clay-limestone, deep and well drained.
Orientation: East
Surface area under vine: 0,15 ha
Pruning: Guyot system
Yield: 30 hL/ha
Average age of the vines: 30 years old.
Vinification
Harvest date: 1 September 2020.
The grapes were sorted a first time in the vineyard and a second time on the sorting table when they arrived at the winery.
At the winery: the grapes were 100% destemmed but not crushed (they were left whole) and were gravity-fed into tanks. Maceration with whole bunches of 18 days including 3 days cold (12 ° C): Fermentation used indigenous yeasts only (no additives such as enzymes or tannins were used). 2 punchings of the cap.
Ageing
Maturation: aged on the lees for 16 months with no racking using a proportion of 50% new French oak barrels.
Barrels: French oak barrels that had been toasted at low temperatures for a long time to impart a very delicate touch of oak to the wine.
Bottling
Bottling in February 2022, the wine was very gently filtered before being bottled using gravity.
Number of bottles: 532.
Vintage
Balanced and concentrated
The harvests happened back-to-front! They began with the reds ripening before the whites. The harvest was very disease-free but we had to eliminate sunburnt berries, especially in the case of the Pinot Noir vines as the Chardonnays had coped better with the heat. Quality was definitely good, but relatively low juice yields has resulted in Pinot Noirs with high colour and aromatic intensity. On the other hand, the Chardonnay vines produced adequate yields with a good balance of sugar and acidity. This optimal ripeness enabled us to harvest the red grapes in certain plots according to the ‘vendange entière’ approach, where stalks are fermented along with the grapes.
'Lots of lovely colour in the reds, with very high polyphenol content, firm tannins and excellent levels of acidity. Looks set to be a year with great cellaring potential. Summer fruit coulis notes definitely have the upper hand in this year’s vintage! The whites are nicely-balanced, but it’s too early to be more precise. Watch this space…’ Grégory Patriat.
Ageing potential: 7 years and more.
Awards
Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France 2023 - 93/100
Tasting notes
With its beautiful carmine color, this wine reveals aromas of cherry, black currant and light vanilla notes. The palate is silky, quite fresh with melted tannins and intense flavors of red fruits.
