2018 Bourgogne Rouge

Roumier produced eight barrels of the 2018 Bourgogne Pinot Noir, amounting to a yield of some 35 hectoliters per hectare, and he observes with some justice that these 60-year-old vines in Gilly-lès-Cîteaux produce an "haute couture" example of generic Bourgogne. Bursting with aromas of cherries, red berries, dried flowers and sweet soil tones, the wine is medium to full-bodied, pure and racy, with a generous core of fruit, powdery tannins, and an elegantly chalky finish. Expect it to land at the upper end of my bracketed score.

One new barrel out of eight. Destemmed. Lower slopes of Chambolle. Barrel sample. Deep crimson with purple cast. Rich in deep cherry fruit, ripe but perfectly fresh. Chewy and generous yet super-fresh with lots of matière . The wine is at a lovely moment now, thinks Christophe Roumier, so he wants to ‘catch it’ by bottling it soon. Intense and deep fruited but so, so generous, crunchy fruit. Terrific Bourgogne. (JH)