Domaine Pierre Naigeon Bourgogne Grands Champs 2018

The grapes come from the lieu-dit of ‘Grand Champs’, just to the southeast of Gevrey Chambertin, which covers 41 hectares. The 50-year-old vines are low-yielding, producing concentrated fruit with excellent balance. The climate is semi-continental, with warm, sunny days during the ripening period and cooler evenings which help to retain natural, balancing acidity. The Guyot-trained vines face the rising sun in the east and are planted in pebbly soils, on Bresse marl subsoils, which offer the vines good drainage properties. The vines are cultivated sustainably and organically, without the use of herbicides or insecticides; biodiversity in the vineyard is encouraged. The vineyard is in conversion to organic certification.

The Pinot Noir grapes were carefully hand-harvested at optimal maturity into 6kg cases to preserve the integrity of the bunches. Selection took place to ensure only the highest quality fruit was vinified. Fermentation took place with indigenous yeasts, which express the nuances of the Grand Champs plot. Vinification took place with minimal intervention; the wine was not pumped over, instead more gentle extraction techniques were used. Maturation lasted for 10 months in French oak barriques, of which 15% were new. The wine was bottled without fining or filtration.