Placeholder Image
SommSelect

Domaine Dominique Gruhier, Pinot Noir, Bourgogne Épineuil, Côte de Grisey

Burgundy, France 2014 (750mL)
$32.00
/
Shipping calculated at checkout.
Your cart is empty.
  • In stock, ready to ship
  • Inventory on the way
Fruit
Earth
Body
Tannin
Acid
Alcohol
SommSelect

Domaine Dominique Gruhier, Pinot Noir, Bourgogne Épineuil, Côte de Grisey


Although Bourgogne Rouge is an all-encompassing, regional AOC that covers the basic level of Pinot Noir, there are a very few high-quality sub-appellations that are granted the favor of attaching their name to the label. Such is the case with Bourgogne-Epineiul Rouge. A tiny commune situated just outside Chablis in northern Burgundy, Epineiul boasts Kimmeridgian limestone soils, incredible history, and the ideally situated Langres Plateau, which shields these cold-weather vineyards from harsher winds. This special corner of Burgundy has a rich winemaking history that reaches back to the middle ages. A favorite of Parisians and King Henri IV, the tiny appellation thrived until the vineyards were devastated by phylloxera in the 1850’s. The area did not enjoy as quick a comeback as the Côte d’Or, but their Bourgogne Rouge was granted the right to include the commune’s name in 1993 due to the unique terroir and the serious local winemakers. When crafted by quality-driven producers like Domaine Gruhier this sub-appellation is capable of creating riveting examples of Pinot Noir that every Burgundy lover should experience - at a price that is hard to come by in the rest of the region.
 
Dominique Gruhier took the reins of this historic, 804-year-old estate in 1990. Incredibly passionate and motivated, Dominique converted the vineyards to organic production and was granted certification in 2010. One of the brightest stars of the appellation, Dominique has elevated the commune during his tenure and has bolstered a name that is now synonymous with quality and with classic expressions of Burgundy, along with a voice of his unique terroir. His Côte de Grisey rests on a south/southeast-facing slope in shallow Kimmeridgian soil, which promotes a beautiful and focused limestone and oyster shell minerality more akin to Chablis than the Côte de Nuits. The pristine fruit is macerated for twenty days in tank then pneumatic pressed into older French oak where it ages for fifteen months before bottling. The resulting wine is a snapshot of the best northern Burgundy has to offer at a price point that is well worth the gamble if you are new to this special pocket of the region.
 
The 2014 Bourgogne Epineuil Rouge Côte de Grisey displays a pale, highly reflective ruby red core with light garnet on the rim. After 45 minutes in a decanter the fragrant, floral nose boasts aromas of freshly picked, bright strawberry, sour cherry and pomegranate over an array of cherry blossoms, wet roses, violets, hibiscus, tea leaf, mushroom and crushed white rock. The medium-bodied palate delivers snappy freshness, and the elegance you would expect from Vosne-Romanee with flavors of sour cherry, red plum, a bouquet of wildflowers, wild herbs, grape stems, mushrooms, umami characteristics, and white rock minerality. If you plan to drink this wine young, give it plenty of air. In the first 20-30 minutes it will remain fairly closed, but after 45 minutes it will blossom into a wine full of life, energy and floral complexity that encapsulates everything we search for in a young red Burgundy, and then some. Decades-old examples from this special vineyard are currently stunning, and this wine will be even more beautiful in its maturity thanks to the now organic farming practices. I recommend trying a couple of bottles young and allowing the remainder of your purchase to age for at least 2-3 years; a decade in the cellar will make you wish you could go back in time to buy more. As with most great wines, this bottle shows at its best with food and is marvelous with this roast duck with plums.
Placeholder Image
Country
France
Region
Burgundy
Sub-Region
FranceBourgogne Épineuil
Soil
Limestone
Farming
Organic
Blend
Pinot Noir
Alcohol
12.5
OAK
10% New French

France

Bourgogne

Beaujolais

Enjoying the greatest wines of Beaujolais starts, as it usually does, with the lay of the land. In Beaujolais, 10 localities have been given their own AOC (Appellation of Controlled Origin) designation. They are: Saint Amour; Juliénas; Chénas; Moulin-à Vent; Fleurie; Chiroubles; Morgon; Régnié; Côte de Brouilly; and Brouilly.

Southwestern France

Bordeaux

Bordeaux surrounds two rivers, the Dordogne and Garonne, which intersect north of the city of Bordeaux to form the Gironde Estuary, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The region is at the 45th parallel (California’s Napa Valley is at the38th), with a mild, Atlantic-influenced climate enabling the maturation of late-ripening varieties.

Central France

Loire Valley

The Loire is France’s longest river (634 miles), originating in the southerly Cévennes Mountains, flowing north towards Paris, then curving westward and emptying into the Atlantic Ocean near Nantes. The Loire and its tributaries cover a huge swath of central France, with most of the wine appellations on an east-west stretch at47 degrees north (the same latitude as Burgundy).

Northeastern France

Alsace

Alsace, in Northeastern France, is one of the most geologically diverse wine regions in the world, with vineyards running from the foothills of theVosges Mountains down to the Rhine River Valley below.

Others We Love