BEAUNE PREMIER CRU "PERTUISOTS" 2016
BEAUNE PREMIER CRU "PERTUISOTS" 2016
Grape variety
Wine and food pairing
Drink on its own, as an aperitif, or with elaborate cold starters, a creamed poultry, a veal blanquette or a nice river fish.
Serving temperature
Ageing potential
History
Beaune is the winegrowing capital of the region and has played an important role in Burgundian history.
Profits from the annual “Hospices de Beaune” wine auction continue to provide support to hospice residents.
The vineyards of Beaune are unique in that out of approximately 400 ha of vines under production, over 300 ha are classified as Premier Cru.
“Les Pertuisots” is located in the southern part of the appellation just near the famous “Clos des Mouches”. In Old French, pertuisot was a Burgundian diminutive form of pertuis meaning “a hole, an opening, a hollow”.
Vinification and maturing
The grapes were handpicked and collected in 20-kg perforated crates. The grapes were sorted a first time in the vineyard and a second time when they arrived 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. (53°F.) and then was immediately transferred to barrels with no settling to preserve a maximum of lees. Long fermentation using indigenous yeasts for added complexity and freshness.
Aged for 14 months with no racking or stirring to bring out all of this wine's minerality. A proportion of 25% new French oak barrels, toasted at low temperatures for a long time to impart a subtle, delicate touch of oak were used. The wine was bentonite fined and very gently filtered before being bottled using gravity.
Vintage : 2016
As the saying goes, nothing is a foregone conclusion, and the climate in Burgundy for this vintage comes as a proof of its accuracy.
A rather mild winter made us think we would have an early vintage. But even if we knew we would go through the now traditional climatic hazards, we were far from the truth! Actually, the whims of the weather were so important that we worried a lot. Indeed, spring played havoc with our nerves with a rollercoaster of frost, rainfalls and cold, bringing its share of diseases in the vineyards. We had to fight hard against the threat of mildew, botrytis and even oïdium in the end.
Luckily for us, summer was quite sunny and made up for the hard times. Another evidence that patience and perseverance are the keys which solve everything, and that a bad start is in no case an indication of the final result. Finally, this vintage was exhausting with a late harvest but the low yields and a sunny summer helped getting beautiful ripe grapes with a great aromatic potential.
Harvest started with the sun on September, 22nd and lasted until October, 7th. Grapes were ripe and healthy, in variable amounts depending on the plots, as some of them suffered from the frosting that occurred in spring.
White grapes had good natural degrees when harvested; the wines are still ageing but already show great fruitiness and elegance.
Vinifying the red grapes was finally a real pleasure, as quality was good. The wines already bear beautiful colors and good tannins that promise a full-bodied seductive result.