Remoissenet Père et Fils - Beaune 1er Cru Teurons 2016

Remoissenet Père et Fils is a reference point for refined Burgundy wines. This ancient estate, connected by mortar and stone to the medieval walls of Beaune, is for serious collectors linked by vine and bottle to Burgundy’s hallowed past and its exciting future. 

Wandering through the 150-year-old estate’s hand-carved cellars is to travel back in time, each cool bottle telling a story of vintages past, wars won, anniversaries celebrated. Yet among these bottled memories are barrels of stories to come: older vines tended according to biodynamic methods, unique terroirs selected with the utmost care and in micro-quantities.

In 2005, Remoissenet started the next chapter in its generations-long history. With new owners and renewed leadership under Pierre-Antoine Rovani (formerly of the Wine Advocate) and Bernard Repolt (Maison Louis Jadot), the estate is bringing more vineyards under its own roof and importantly, raising the qualitative bar for itself and its vine-growing partners across the board.

The proof, of course, is in each bottle. Whether “basic” Bourgogne to hallowed grand cru, Remoissenet wines show a suave elegance in perfume and texture, with a finish made of silk.

Winemaking is philosophically non-interventionist, with winemaker Claudie Jobard preferring to “let the grapes speak” as clearly as possible. Reds are fermented on indigenous yeasts in open-top fermenters and aged in larger French oak barrels (350L). The percentage of new French oak barrels depends on the cru and the vintage, with up to 30 percent new wood for villages wines; from 30 to 70 percent for premier crus; and from 70 to 100 percent for grand cru wines. Reds are neither fined nor filtered.

Whites are pressed gently in a pneumatic press and fermented on indigenous yeasts. Barrel aging, depending on vintage and cru, ranges from 30 percent new wood for villages wines to 100 percent for grand cru wines.

state-owned vines, farmed biodynamically, form a large, five-acre parcel that was acquired in 2011 from Château de Chorey. The parcel can be divided into three sectors: one with 50-year-old vines, one with 75-year-old vines, and one with 95- to 100-year-old vines

"This is a domaine parcel at the top of the slope in Beaune. Claudie Jobard farms it using biodynamic practices, then ferments the wine spontaneously in open-top vats and ages it in barrels (50 percent new). It has a lot of substance, a contrast of savory and jammy, of gaminess and brisk, plummy suppleness. The flavors last with intriguing complexity, smoky and heady with spice. It should age with grace, though the wine is approachable now." - 93 points, Wine & Spirits

"A serious Beaune wine with very attractive aromas of black fruit and a hint of fresh herbs. Rather fine tannins and a long, elegant finish. Drink or hold." - 93 points, James Suckling

Producer: Remoissenet Père et Fils

Country: France

Region: Burgundy

Varietal: Pinot Noir

Appellation: Beaune 1er Cru

Vintage: 2016

Size: 750ml