Bourgogne Pinot Noir
Nature d'Ursulines 2020
This wine is made from selected plots, with no sulfur used during vinification to capture its true nature as closely as possible, with nothing added and nothing taken away.
This results in a natural, pure Burgundy, dense and elegant, its character underscored by a powerful structure with good volume. The unbridled expression of a free wine.
Origin
This wine has the noblest pedigree imaginable, coming as it does from the Côte de Nuits. The grapes were grown on Nuits-Saint-Georges village on the plot “Petit Chaillot” (GPS:47°07'23.8"N 4°56'41.6"E) which is located on the Premeaux-Prissey side, over the D974 road. The vine, selected by our vinicultarist come from a visual selection of the most robust vines of the parcel. It produces very small bunches of Pinot Noir grapes with very thick skins; a sign that the wine will have great concentration.
Viticulture
Grape variety: Pinot Noir
Soils: clay-limestone, very stony
Orientation: South-East
Surface area under vine: 1.1706 ha
Pruning: Guyot system
Yield: 28 hL/ha
Average age of the vines: 61 years old
Vinification
Harvest date: 7 & 8 September 2020.
The grapes were handpicked First sorting in the vineyard, second on the sorting table at the reception of the harvest.
At the winery: the grapes were completely destemmed but not crushed and were gravity-fed into tanks. Maceration lasted a total of 16 days including 4 days of cold maceration (12°C). Fermentation used indigenous yeasts only. 4 punchings of the cap. Vinification without sulfur.
Ageing
Maturation: aged on the lees for 169 months with no racking using a proportion of 50% new French oak.
Barrels: French oak barrels that had been toasted at low temperatures for a long time for very delicate oaking.
Bottling
Bottling: in February 2022.
Number of bottle: 4,360.
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: from 7 to 12 years.
Tasting notes
With a beautiful ruby color, this wine reveals intense aromas of small red and black fruits that blend with peppery and smoky notes. A bouquet that recalls its noble origin! The mouth is on the fruit, powerful with a beautiful length.
