Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune Rouge Clou 377 AOP 2023

A finely spiced, juicy-feeling Pinot Noir with a highly refined bouquet: cherries, dark strawberries and raspberries, along with brown spices such as cinnamon and clove, a touch of vanilla and peony. In the glass, a medium-density ruby red.

The Le Clou parcel lies in Nantoux at 377 metres above sea level. The soil is characterised by white clay with a high proportion of limestone marl, and the vineyard as a whole is very stony. Parts of the planting date back to the 1980s, planted at a density of over 10,000 vines per hectare and trained in Guyot. Boris Champy took over the domaine in 2019 from Didier Montchovet; the twelve hectares in the Hautes-Côtes de Beaune include parcels ranging from 377 metres at Le Clou to 421 metres at Le Bignon.

Single-varietal Pinot Noir. Only a small portion of the grapes were destemmed, with 90% going into fermentation as whole clusters, starting spontaneously with the natural yeasts. After gentle extraction, the wine matured for twelve months in foudre, 30% of it in new oak.

Juiciness comes first, followed by a light aromatic veil of yeast and brioche, then cherry, raspberry and strawberry. The tannin is still young and slightly drying, integrating over time into a slightly creamy texture. Crisp, fresh and spicy, with backbone; with air and a little warmth, the wine turns elegant while staying firm and taut. It still deserves some time.

In 1984, the domaine became the first winery in Burgundy to be Demeter-certified and has worked biodynamically ever since, with a self-built herb-drying room for the preparations, along with hedges, stone walls, orchards and sheep around Nantoux. The Demeter logo appears on the label.