28.12.2011
Vintage 2010
Bouzeron, le 22 novembre 2011
It is fortunate that vintages in Burgundy follow along without resembling each other !
After 2009, the pre-eminent solar vintage, 2010 brings us back to earth, where the mineral energy gathers its force and gives to the wine its sought after integrity and vivacity.
It is in this type of vintage that we truly feel the effects of organic farming, practised in our vineyard since 1986 and adapted to our will to maintain the use of manual labor that characterises the works of a « vigneron ».
It was not easy to apprehend this vintage. One had, in particular, to succeed in preserving the fragile balance between the vine, the soil of our « terroirs » and human intervention which must never be too présent but is always indispensable in order to allow the vine to express itself.
Consequently, each season brought us its share of benefits and concerns.
The winter season, cold and snowy in 2010, left its imprint on certain of our vineyards such as la Fortune in the form of a winter frost. But these vineyards also benefitted from a natural breaking up of the soil when tha water contained in the soil froze and caused the clumps of earth formed by the traditional work in the vineyard to decompact.
In the spring, climatic vicissitudes such as alternating periods of cool, rainy or warm weather perturbed the flowering.
This resulted in important « millerandage » that not only considerably lessened the yield but also permitted a concentration of the berries in all their physiological elements (sugar,acidity, tannins, color) that is indispensable to their balance and to a good maturity.
From the beginning of the summer until the date of the harvest and inspite of the important climatic instability, the vineyards preceeded to have a good vegetative developpement and the grapes were able to find the correct rhythm in order to mature.
It is certainly thanks to the small yields (20 to 50% less than 2009) that we had the pleasant surprise to harvest, beginning on september 21st, grapes of beautiful quality and of optimal maturity where each cuvée is easily identified and its characteristics expressed with frankness and seduction.
Our White Wines
Bouzeron, has quite an exceptional quality of fruit and possesses a beautiful balance between the aromatic freshness and the roundness of fruit with delicacy in the mouth.
Les Clous exhales fresh perfumes that are fine and exhuberant.
Rully Les Saint Jacques, of which the yields are again very small this year, offers in the nose as well as in the mouth notes of intense white fruit, cherry, pear and butter.
Our Red Wines
La Fortune expresses fresh fruit notes with a beautiful body, ripe tannins. It is a happy expression of pinot noir. Drink it in the year.
La Digoine possesses a fine nose of red fruit with depth and freshness at the same time. The mouth is full with silky tannins but its minerality invites one to let it age a bit before drinking.
Lastly, concentration, mature tannins, freshness and acidity are the signatures this year of our Mercurey « Les Montots ».
With Best Wishes,
Pierre de Benoist
It is fortunate that vintages in Burgundy follow along without resembling each other !
After 2009, the pre-eminent solar vintage, 2010 brings us back to earth, where the mineral energy gathers its force and gives to the wine its sought after integrity and vivacity.
It is in this type of vintage that we truly feel the effects of organic farming, practised in our vineyard since 1986 and adapted to our will to maintain the use of manual labor that characterises the works of a « vigneron ».
It was not easy to apprehend this vintage. One had, in particular, to succeed in preserving the fragile balance between the vine, the soil of our « terroirs » and human intervention which must never be too présent but is always indispensable in order to allow the vine to express itself.
Consequently, each season brought us its share of benefits and concerns.
The winter season, cold and snowy in 2010, left its imprint on certain of our vineyards such as la Fortune in the form of a winter frost. But these vineyards also benefitted from a natural breaking up of the soil when tha water contained in the soil froze and caused the clumps of earth formed by the traditional work in the vineyard to decompact.
In the spring, climatic vicissitudes such as alternating periods of cool, rainy or warm weather perturbed the flowering.
This resulted in important « millerandage » that not only considerably lessened the yield but also permitted a concentration of the berries in all their physiological elements (sugar,acidity, tannins, color) that is indispensable to their balance and to a good maturity.
From the beginning of the summer until the date of the harvest and inspite of the important climatic instability, the vineyards preceeded to have a good vegetative developpement and the grapes were able to find the correct rhythm in order to mature.
It is certainly thanks to the small yields (20 to 50% less than 2009) that we had the pleasant surprise to harvest, beginning on september 21st, grapes of beautiful quality and of optimal maturity where each cuvée is easily identified and its characteristics expressed with frankness and seduction.
Our White Wines
Bouzeron, has quite an exceptional quality of fruit and possesses a beautiful balance between the aromatic freshness and the roundness of fruit with delicacy in the mouth.
Les Clous exhales fresh perfumes that are fine and exhuberant.
Rully Les Saint Jacques, of which the yields are again very small this year, offers in the nose as well as in the mouth notes of intense white fruit, cherry, pear and butter.
Our Red Wines
La Fortune expresses fresh fruit notes with a beautiful body, ripe tannins. It is a happy expression of pinot noir. Drink it in the year.
La Digoine possesses a fine nose of red fruit with depth and freshness at the same time. The mouth is full with silky tannins but its minerality invites one to let it age a bit before drinking.
Lastly, concentration, mature tannins, freshness and acidity are the signatures this year of our Mercurey « Les Montots ».
With Best Wishes,
Pierre de Benoist