2020 Pernand-Vergelesses, Les Vergelesses, 1er Cru, Domaine Rapet Père & Fils, Burgundy

Domaine Rapet Pere et Fils

The long established Domaine Rapet (it makes much of a family tastevin dating back to 1765) covers 18 hectares in all, with grands crus Corton-Charlemagne, Corton and Corton Pougets, premiers crus Le Clos du Village, Sous Frétille and En Caradeux in white, along with red Les Vergelesses, Ile de Vergeleses and three from Beaune – Clos du Roi, Bressandes and Grèves. With Vincent, son of Roland, at the helm and a new cuverie to work in, quality is high at the moment. They are fortunate to own over two hectares of their flagship appellation, Corton-Charlemagne.

Pernand Vergelesses

Pernand-Vergelesses is a beautiful, small village tucked away behind the hill of Corton. Coming from Beaune, you have the Vergelesses and excellent Ile des Vergelesses vineyards on your left, facing due east, and the Corton-Charlemagne vineyards on the right, facing south-west. The red wines of Pernand (60 percent of production), excepting the two Vergelesses vineyards, can be on the austere side while the whites are racy and mineral.

Pernand-Vergelesses is an excellent source for fine Burgundy at a relatively affordable price. Jadot have registered their own name, Le Clos de la Croix de Pierre (The Stone Cross), in a vineyard which is shown on the maps as En Caradeux, facing the mighty hill of Corton. The lower part of the slope is an excellent site for Pinot Noir, while whites are grown on lighter soils higher up.

• 138 hectares of village Pernand-Vergelesses and 57 hectares of Premier Cru
• Recommended producers: Chandon de Briailles, Sylvain Loichet, Louis Jadot

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.