2021 Bourgogne Côte d'Or, Pinot Noir, Domaine Jean-Marc Bouley

Jean-Marc Bouley

Jean-Marc Bouley was born into a family of vignerons and began working with his father at the domaine when he was 14.

He now has 12 hectares of vines in Pommard and Volnay and the majority of his production is red. However, he also produces a small quantity of exceptionally well defined and well-structured White Burgundy which he sells under the Hautes Côtes de Beaune appellation. They represent remarkable value for money and are the equal of many White Burgundies selling at twice the price.

Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir is probably the most frustrating, and at times infuriating, wine grape in the world. However when it is successful, it can produce some of the most sublime wines known to man. This thin-skinned grape which grows in small, tight bunches performs well on well-drained, deepish limestone based subsoils as are found on Burgundy's Côte d'Or.

Pinot Noir is more susceptible than other varieties to over cropping - concentration and varietal character disappear rapidly if yields are excessive and yields as little as 25hl/ha are the norm for some climats of the Côte d`Or.

Because of the thinness of the skins, Pinot Noir wines are lighter in colour, body and tannins. However the best wines have grip, complexity and an intensity of fruit seldom found in wine from other grapes. Young Pinot Noir can smell almost sweet, redolent with freshly crushed raspberries, cherries and redcurrants. When mature, the best wines develop a sensuous, silky mouth feel with the fruit flavours deepening and gamey "sous-bois" nuances emerging.

The best examples are still found in Burgundy, although Pinot Noir`s key role in Champagne should not be forgotten. It is grown throughout the world with notable success in the Carneros and Russian River Valley districts of California, and the Martinborough and Central Otago regions of New Zealand.