👃 Flavour: Opens with a reductive note that fades; intense fruity notes of black cherries, redcurrants, wild strawberries; framed by earth, spice, lilac, elderberry juice and liquorice
👅 Flavour: Power and depth; complex fruitiness and flavour; distinctive tannin; mineral, lively acidity and salty notes right into the long finish
🎭 Character: Rich in finesse with great freshness; gripping intensity despite its youth; potentially great wine with a need for development
🍽️ Food recommendations: London duck with hoisin sauce, grilled prime rib with porcini mushroom tartare, roasted black pudding with potato and celeriac puree and glazed apple slices
✨ Special features: Excellent terroir at Grand Cru level; average 40-year-old vines; influence of siliceous and calcareous red marl with a high iron content
Tasting note from from 31.05.2017, Copyright Christoph Raffelt
Wine information
The Pinot Noir comes from the 9.41 hectare Premier Cru site Ile de Vergelesses in Pernand-Vergelesses. The site is framed by Savigny's Les Vergelesses as well as Pernand's Les Vergelesses. The quality of the terroir is higher than that of all other Premier Cru sites in the village and is actually at Grand Cru level. The terroir of Pernand-Vergelesses, similar to that at Corton Hill, is characterized by siliceous and calcareous red marl that has a high iron content. The domaine has 13.31 hectares of vines that are on average 40 years old, but partly 80 years old, facing east.
In 2014, François de Nicolay had to deal with hail again after the devastating 2013 hail, however, with much less. Instead, the cherry vinegar fly came, similar as in German vineyards, and caused crop failures. Yet, despite the adversities, the 2014 vintage turned out to be a beautiful, fruity vintage. The harvest took place between September 18 and 26, and the grapes were meticulously sorted out. The wine was fermented with a proportion of 40 to 50 % whole grapes.
Color
medium cherry-red
Nose
The Ile de Vergelesses opens with a slight reductive note, but this fades with air and should disappear with age. After that, it becomes directly intense. The fruit of black cherries, blackcurrants and wild strawberries is concentrated and juicy. It is framed by plenty of earth and spice, lilac, elderberry sap and licorice. At the same time, the Pinot always stays on the fine, finesse-rich side and shows great freshness already in the nose.
Mouth
The exorbitantly good location in the middle of the hill below Bois Noël gives the Pinot great power and depth, which is expressed in complex fruit and spice, pressure on the palate and a striking tannin. All of this is infused with a mineral, vibrant acidity and saline notes through to the long finish. Due to its gripping intensity, this still very young Burgundy already has all the makings of a truly great wine, but it still needs a few years of development and should be opened the evening before drinking.
Food recommendations by Christoph Raffelt
London Duck with Hoisin Sauce, Five Spices and Lee-Kum-Kee Pancakes
Grilled prime rib with porcini tartar
Roasted black pudding with mashed potatoes and celery and glazed apple slices
