Pinot Noir VdF 2021

A vin de soif of a kind that has become rare in Burgundy: clear, fresh juiciness, silky texture, 11.5% ABV. Yet it remains demanding, as it grows darker and more serious with air, without ever losing its lightness.

The grapes grow in a vineyard right in front of the estate in Auxey-Duresses, in the heart of the Côte de Beaune. Clos du Moulin aux Moines was founded in 962 by monks of the Abbey of Cluny and is one of the oldest estates in Burgundy. Since 2008, Willy Roulendes has run the domaine and converted all 16 hectares to biodynamic farming; the vineyard is worked by hand and horse, with chemicals and heavy machinery kept out.

Pinot Noir, selectively hand-harvested and sorted. The whole clusters ferment slowly and spontaneously, after which the wine rests for ten months in steel tank. It is bottled unfined, unfiltered and unsulfured.

The nose opens with wild strawberry and raspberry, fresh yet soft at the same time, joined by braided brioche and a touch of undergrowth; with air, blueberry with a slightly lactic edge emerges, along with foliage, warm forest floor and, above it, mint. On the palate, a touch of fruit sweetness sits within the juiciness of ripe red berries, the tannin seeming round and silky at first, then turning darker and a little rougher, offering a pleasant resistance to the drink.

With Charolais beef tartare with oyster mushrooms and fennel salad, with red mullet fillet with piquillo spice, artichoke barigoule and caramelized olives, or with faux-filet with leek, anchovies and Taggiasca olives.

No wood, no sulfur, no filtration. The estate holds four monopole vineyards, its cellars date back to the 11th and 15th centuries. The label notes the biodynamic farming.