Côtes de Nuits-Villages 2020
The connoisseur of authentic Burgundy wines is absolutely right to be interested in this appellation.
Origin
This recent appellation, introduced in 1964, covers 163 ha of which only 6 ha produce white wines. This wine is therefore highly original!! In the northern part of the appellation, some of the terroirs in the villages of Brochon and Fixin are able to bear this appellation, but it is in the southern part, beginning in Corgoloin (the frontier between the Côte de Beaune and the Côte de Nuits) that most of the vineyards are located.
Viticulture
Grape variety: chardonnay
Soils: very limestone and hard from the Upper Balthonian.
Orientation: South/East
Surface area under vine: 0.46 ha
Pruning: Guyot system
Yield: 41 hL/ha
Average age of the vine: 37 years old.
Vinification
Harvest date: 21 August 2020.
The grapes were handpicked.
At the winery: the whole bunches of grapes were gently pressed for 2½ hours. The temperature of the must was brought down to 12°C then was immediately transferred to barrels (450L) with no settling to preserve a maximum of lees. Long fermentation using indigenous yeasts for added complexity and freshness.
Ageing
Maturation: aged for 17 months with no racking or stirring to bring out all of this wine’s minerality. A proportion of 36% new French oak barrels.
Barrels: French oak barrels that had been toasted at low temperatures for a long time to impart a subtle, delicate touch of oak were used.
Bottling
Bottling: the wine was bentonite fined and very gently filtered before being bottled using gravity in March 2022.
Number of bottles: 2,520.
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 5 to 10 years.
Awards
Bourgogne Aujourd'hui Magazine - 15 / 20
Tasting notes
With its pretty pale yellow color, this wine develops intense aromas of white fruits, fresh hazelnuts associated with some touches of lime blossom. The palate is slightly lemony with a touch of vivacity and a very nice length.
