2018 Domaine Glantenay Bourgogne Pinot Noir Maison Dieu Bourgogne – buy online

WHO?

Guillaume Glantenay is the sixth generation of his family to manage this estate, which he inherited from his father in 2013. The head of the family still oversees the bulk of production, with 4 hectares dedicated to Volnay, while the rest Guillaume controls from his new winery. Guillaume’s greatest merit lies in refining his wines with an additional dose of elegance and adding an extra dimension of fruitiness and aromatic precision. He uses only 15-20% whole clusters in vinification to enhance the aromatics and, in combination with lightly toasted barrels, accentuate the inherent fruitiness of the variety.

WHERE?

The grapes for this, conditionally speaking, generic Pinot Noir come from seven different locations in the Côte d’Or. The vines are between 45 and 80 years old, providing exceptional concentration to the finished wine, rarely seen in this qualitative (but also price) class. The soil is a combination of clay and limestone, with the classic Guyot trellising system. The vineyards are carefully monitored to ensure maximum quality of the raw material and then the wine.

WHY?

Maison Dieu Bourgogne Pinot Noir is practically a declassified village wine as the grapes come from several vineyards in the Pommard and Volnay appellations. After spontaneous fermentation, the wine ages for 10 months in used French oak barrels. After a short aeration in the glass, it opens towards fresh red berries (raspberries, strawberries, cranberries), discreet woody notes (vanilla, cloves, smoke), and hints of tertiary elements (mushrooms, damp earth, tobacco, and meaty-animal notes). On the palate, it is medium-bodied, with noticeable concentration and extraordinary balance of finely grained (almost sweet) tannins and pervasive freshness supported by fine minerality in a fairly long finish.