SAVIGNY-LÈS-BEAUNE PREMIER CRU LES HAUTS MARCONNETS

Colour: The red is a deep cherry color with garnet highlights.

Bouquet: Nose of red cherries, black fruit and delicately woody notes.

Palate: The body is ample and discreetly tannic and the fruit remains present. Roundness, volume, power and balance are all here, and in just the right proportions.

Food and wine pairing

Like all red Burgundies of this quality, it should be served with marinated meat dishes such as veal or pork ribs or spit-roasted chicken. It pairs also very well with “oeufs en meurette”, famous Burgundian dish (eggs cooked with red wine sauce).

Serving suggestions

Serving temperature: between 15°C and 16°C/60°F.

Ageing potential

This Premier Cru can be appreciated young or laid down in a cellar for 5 to 8 years.

Origins

Marconnets is situated right on the border with Beaune; there is a section which lies over that border and forms the Les Marconnets Beaune Premier Cru. Les Peuillets is on the slope below, and Les Hauts Marconnets' upper boundary is delimited by the highway that connects Paris and Lyon. The terroir in Les Hauts Marconnets is defined by the soils, which are shallow and made up of chalky marl. This is quite different to the sandier soils on the slopes below, and is more suitable for the Chardonnay which is planted here. These soils allow roots to easily reach the limestone below, and this root-to-rock contact is sometimes given as the reason for increased minerality in the wines. Les Hauts Marconnets is faces east at the top of the vineyard slope on the Mont Battois hill. This not only gives a view of the Corton Grand Cru hill to the north, but also exposure to the sun for a large part of the day. This makes for a warm macroclimate, which helps with the development of flavor in the grapes, but ripening happens slowly enough for the grapes to retain their acidity.

Vinification and maturing

The grapes were hand-harvested and sorted. 50% of the grapes were de-stemmed. Vinification then took place in open wooden vats with a long maceration period (about 3 weeks) suitable for getting the best extraction of all the components in the grapes. Punching down 2 times/day during the fermentation at a temperature of 30°C. Pumping over every 4 days. Around 16 months ageing in French oak barrels of 228 liters with 30% new oak.

History

Village Appellation of the Côte de Beaune district (dept. of Côte-d’Or) in Burgundy including 22 Premiers Crus « climats » (named plots) form the village of Savigny-lès-Beaune. On the label, the appellations SAVIGNY-LÈS-BEAUNE and SAVIGNY-LÈS-BEAUNE PREMIER CRU may be followed by the name of the « climat » of origin. Between the Hill of Corton and Beaune, the landscape opens up like a map unfolding. The hills of the Côte de Beaune recede a little on either side of the little river Rhoin. These vineyards are of ancient lineage. For much of their history, they belonged to the domaine of the Dukes of Burgundy, to neighbouring religious houses, or to the Knights of Malta. An imposing 14th century castle testifies to the appellation's aristocratic qualifications. The AOC status dates from 1937.

Varietal