Beaune Premier Cru Les Cents Vignes

A great Burgundy red wine from the Beaune commune. The grape variety used is Pinot Noir. This vine, planted 30 years ago, was purchased for the 2012 harvest.

Red wine vinification : We aim to obtain fruity wines, rich in blended tannins, which is the mark of well ripened grapes. We bring in the grapes in small crates for careful sorting in the winery; a conveyor belt is used for filling the tanks in order to respect the grapes. The fermentation lasts 15 days with pigeages, punching down of the cap, allowing the wine to soak up the richness and the colour from the grape-skins before pressing. Ageing takes place in barrels of which 20 % are new. Racking by the means of a bellow eliminates the need for a pump. All these precautions limit handling of the grapes and the wine as much as possible thus preserving all the richness.

Elaborating a great wine without vines is an impossible mission for a wine producer!! (In French the name "Sanvignes" sounds like "sans vignes" - without vines...) In fact the name comes from « EN SANVIGNES », small town close to the source of the Genêt, where Gallo-romanic ruins from the 4th century indicate the presence of ancient dwellings. The surrounding vines bore this name which was transformed into « CENTS VIGNES » - 100 vines.

This "climat"* on a gentle slope is characterized by a brown, very filtering limestone soil, mixed with clay and sand. The Pinot Noir expresses itself marvellously, blending the smoothness and roundness of the Beaunes with the force, richness and depth of the cellaring wines, the "vins de garde".

It is recommended with lamb, duck breast, red meat or a soft cheese. Serve at 15°C. It will keep for some ten years.

In Burgundy the word « climat » is used to describe a limited, precisely defined vine-« terroir » with specific geological and climatic conditions.