Bourgogne

Site: a famous vineyard, recognized as one of the best Premier Crus of Beaune, Grèves is at mid-slope, at the northern end of the appellation. Joseph Drouhin owns a large parcel on a steep slope dominating the city of Beaune. History & tradition: the name is derived from "graviers", small pebbles or gravel found on the soil of the vineyard. The Romans had already recognized the potential of the hillside overlooking Beaune and planted vines there. Some of the vineyards were separated by small walls and paths which are still extant today. Soil: small rocks mixed with brown earth. Drouhin estate: 0,81 ha. (2 acres). Average age of the vines: 24 years.

Harvesting: by hand, in small open crates in order to preserve the integrity of the fruit Sorting of the grapes: in the vineyard and at the cuverie (winery) if necessary. Maceration:

• maceration and vinification take 2 to 3 weeks
• indigenous yeasts
• maceration and fermentation temperatures under total control

Type: in barrels (20% in new oak). Length: 14 to 18 months. Origin of the wood: French oak forests (Tronçay in particular). Weathering of the wood: Joseph Drouhin insists on total control of the weathering for a period of 3 years, one of the contributing elements to the elegance of the wine. Follow-up: barrel by barrel. Fining ("collage", to clarify the wine): light, after careful tasting.

"A great wine, one of the most representative of Beaune, the capital of Burgundy. Intense and bright red colour. The nose displays aromas of red currant with some spicy notes. With age and in some vintages, the aromas become even more marked by spicy and smoky touches, such as tobacco. On the palate, the tannins are refined and create a seductive harmony. In the aftertaste there is a marked flavour of "crème de cassis" (cream of black currant) and delicate touches of wood".

As every year we sorted the grapes at once to select the most beautiful bunches that were to be kept in whole clusters and to remove berries that could present a lack of maturity. The sanitary state was very satisfactory with almost no rot. Very quickly at the beginning of the fermentations the colours were released and gradually the varietal character of Pinot Noir was expressed. We favoured this aromatic expression to look for balanced wines without too much power. The tannins are nicely melted, the acidity levels from normal to low. The fermentations and macerations lasted about 3 weeks. In the course of the winter, the malolactic fermentations were triggered and proceeded sometimes rather quickly. The Côte de Beaune has very nice wines with a good concentration.