Beaune 1er Cru Vignes Franches AOP 2022

The Beaune 1er Cru Vignes Franches 2022 is a powerfully built Pinot Noir from a minuscule plot within the Beaune appellation. Extraction and barrel ageing shape it distinctly, without masking its open-hearted fruit. It drinks well already now, but is built for years in the cellar.

The Vignes Franches plot measures just 21 ares and enjoys a perfect south-facing exposure within the Beaune appellation, whose climats tend to ripen fairly early. The vines root in lean clay-limestone soils. Boris Champy took over the estate in 2019, founded in 1984 by Didier Montchovet, which today spans twelve hectares in the once-cooler Hautes-Côtes de Beaune — an area he sees, given climate change, as the future of Burgundy.

Pinot Noir, hand-harvested at optimal ripeness. Extraction is gentle and largely whole-cluster in wooden vats, with spontaneous fermentation using natural yeasts. Ageing lasts an average of 15 months, 80% of it in new barrels from Tonnellerie Eric Millard, whose proportion Champy adjusts to each individual plot.

The nose opens floral, with violet and purple lilac, followed by stone fruit and berries, along with a darker note of black cardamom and liquorice. The palate carries the mark of ageing and extraction, yet the fruit remains open-hearted. The tannins are taut and fine-grained, feeling almost sweet on the tip of the tongue, while ripe acidity keeps the wine in tension.

Parmigiana, eel braised in red wine with prunes, or crispy duck with five-spice and plum sauce.

The estate was the first Demeter-certified winery in Burgundy and has farmed biodynamically since 1984; the Demeter logo appears on the label. The preparations come from a self-built tisanière, while hedges, stone walls, orchards and sheep shape the surroundings of Nantoux. Champy previously ran estates such as Dominus in California, Louis Latour and Clos des Lambrays.