From the Heart of Burgundy

Domaine Dandelion

France, Burgundy, Hautes Côtes de Beaune

 
Morgane and Christian farm a couple of hectares of old-vine Aligote, Pinot Noir and Gamay on various small parcels around the village of Meloisey - just over the hill from St Romain.

The harvest in Haut Cotes de Beaune is nearly a month later than the rest of Burgundy. There is no mechanisation in the vineyards, only horses are used or – when the vineyards are too steep – worked by hand. They choose to spray raw milk on the vines instead of sulfur and no pumping or filtration is used.

They produce just two wines - but what wines they are. Pure, bright and full of personality and the growers' vision. A real find considering how difficult it can be for small scale vignerons to exist in this part of France with the price of land being so high.

We were very lucky to get our hands on a handful of the Pinot Noir 2018 vintage:

2018 (Hautes-Côtes-de Beaune) Pinot Noir - Pinot Noir - £42.30
Biodynamically farmed Pinot Noir. Fruity, a hint of spices and soft tannins. Fresh, elegant, fine. A rare gem. 


Morgane says:

"2018 has overall been a good year. Not so much disease and no need to light any fires to prevent frost. There was a lot of rain in March, we thought it would be disastrous but in the end it wasn’t. The main problem ended up being drought during the summer months. We have harvested on the 15th of September, which was a quick and spontaneous decision: I was on my way back from Chandon (winery where Christian works) and drove past one of the vineyards. I stopped, tasted the grapes and realised it was time to go.

"In general, 2018 wasn't a typical year for Burgundy, the wines ended up with a much higher alcohol content than normal. What saved us were the colder nights, which helped to keep the balance and good acidity. All fermentations went well. The old tank struggled a bit at the end, so we added the lees from the other tank to help. As a result, the wine is rich, balanced and round. Less green than the more immediate 2017 vintage. The alcohol will integrate with time.

"Also, in 2018 we've had a lower yield than in 2017 for two reasons: 1) drought, the old vines suffered and 2) it was the second year of ploughing, therefore surface roots were cut (not intentionally), and the vines were not used to it. You could see the low vigour during pruning. This year during pruning we've noticed the vines look a lot stronger. It is satisfying to see the change with cover crops and ploughing, it took two years to get to this result."

 

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