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Agnès Paquet, Auxey-Duresses

Other, France 2014 (750mL)
Regular price$39.00
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Agnès Paquet, Auxey-Duresses

Today’s PSA is direct and simple: On the off chance you’re presented with an affordable 2014 Pinot Noir from Burgundy’s fabled Côte d’Or, drop whatever you’re doing and secure everything you can. For $39, red Burgundy of this pedigree and palate-expanding magnitude, from one of my favorite “classic” vintage of contemporary times, is rapidly becoming an extinct breed. Sure, if you want a sublime 2014 from a sustainably farmed lieu-dit that’s (1) aged in top-quality French oak and (2) produced in tiny quantities, others are still out there for the taking—just be prepared to start the bidding around $60, $70, $80+. 


That’s why we’re still taken aback by what Agnès Paquet managed to pack into today’s bottle, one still benefitting from six years of total maturation. Ultimately, you’re absconding with a deeply savory, delicious, and traditionally sculpted Pinot Noir from the Côte d’Or—the world’s most coveted slice of land for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Recognizing its ability to evolve, one of our Burgundy contacts has been quietly stashing this parcel away for years, and just recently, was generous enough to “unlock the vault” exclusively for us. Enjoy. 


Although coming from a wine-growing family, Agnès Paquet had no intentions to craft wine when her parents neared retirement in the 1990s and placed their Auxey-Duresses vineyard on the market. But, smartly so, Agnès had a change of heart and decided to carry on the patrimony. After all, these were old Pinot Noir vines on the idyllic fringes of Burgundy’s Côte d’Or, neighboring the famed village of Meursault. So, she assumed control of the three-hectare parcel, renovated an abandoned stone barn, studied winemaking in Beaune, and launched her small, one-woman operation in 2001.


Aside from acquiring a dozen more hectares of vines over the years, not much has changed in way of operations. She’s still out in the vines, present at harvest, and in control of the winemaking. Agnès has also dedicated the last two decades to organic farming, and 2021 will mark the first vintage she’s fully certified. Today’s 2014 was sourced from the “Les Hoz” lieu-dit, the family’s original parcel which lies off the spindly, rarely trafficked road between Meursault and Saint-Romain. After a manual harvest, grapes from the younger vines (~20 years) were 85% de-stemmed and grapes from older vines (~60 years) were fully de-stemmed. After a natural, ambient-yeast fermentation was completed in concrete tanks, the resulting wine was transferred into French barrels, 15% new, for one year. Prior to bottling, the Pinot Noir was sent into stainless steel for a four-month respite. 


No need to go into immense detail with this one: Simply put, Paquet’s 2014 Auxey-Duresses is as sublime, traditional, and savory as $39 Côte de Beaune Pinot Noir gets. Give it 30 minutes of air—this is crucial!—before serving in large Burgundy stems and you’ll experience a fine, delicately perfumed aromatic show consisting of black cherry, raspberry, wild plums, licorice, dried strawberry, goji berry, black tea, crushed herbs, baking spice, forest floor, damp moss, and crushed stone. The palate is delicate, supple, and wholly Burgundian in style: woodsy savor and intricate forest fruits dominate the core, with lingering minerals and spice rounding out the finish. It’s drinking in the prime of its life right now, but fear not—that window won’t be closing until 2024. At this price, you simply cannot afford to miss out on this sensational 2014 red Burgundy!

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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.

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