2016 Gevrey-Chambertin, Vieilles Vignes, Domaine Sylvie Esmonin, Burgundy

Pinot Noir is probably the most frustrating, and at times infuriating, wine grape in the world. However when it is successful, it can produce some of the most sublime wines known to man. This thin-skinned grape which grows in small, tight bunches performs well on well-drained, deepish limestone based subsoils as are found on Burgundy's Côte d'Or. Pinot Noir is more susceptible than other varieties to over cropping - concentration and varietal character disappear rapidly if yields are excessive and yields as little as 25hl/ha are the norm for some climats of the Côte d`Or.

Sylvie's grandfather worked for the Comte de Moucheron, former sole owners of the great Clos St Jacques vineyard. When the Comte had to sell up, he bought a portion of the vineyard along with his house. Michel Esmonin, Sylvie's father, helped to develop the domaine, but sold the wines mostly in bulk. Sylvie came back to help her father on the condition that everything was bottled at the domaine, and she is now in sole charge. No herbicides have been used since 1990 and the domaine is farmed more or less organically, though not systematically so. Sylvie now tends to pick later than her father did and with lower yields. This, combined with a different oak regime in the cellar has noticeably changed the style of wine here since the turn of the millennium. The juice is allowed to start fermenting quickly, with some punching down to break up the whole bunches which are now used for the top cuvees, encouraging the sugars to ferment. Total vatting time is around two weeks, before decanting the wine into barrel, including a high proportion of new wood especially from Dominique Laurent’s cooperage. The wines are extremely stylish with typical Gevrey firmness but displaying also a silky elegance. Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Wine Director and author of the award-winning Inside Burgundy comprehensive handbook.