2021 Bourgogne Rouge, Domaine Camus-Bruchon & Fils
Critics reviews
A cool and pure very pinot-like nose precedes sleek, delicious and vibrant middleweight flavours that possess reasonable density and detail before terminating in a bitter pit fruit-inflected finish. This is actually quite refined for its level and is a Bourgogne that will age; indeed it will need at least a year or two to unwind.
Drink from 2025 ownard
Allen Meadows, Burghound.com (April 2023)
The 2021 Bourgogne Pinot Noir, racked three weeks before my visit, has a light granular bouquet. It is quite stony and needs more fruité. The palate offers sharp, rather tart red fruit. It is a bit "skinny" at the moment after racking, though it will fill out by the time of bottling.
Drink 2023 - 2026
Neal Martin, Vinous.com (January 2023)
About this WINE
Domaine Camus-Bruchon
Domaine Camus-Bruchon is a small, family-owned winery located in Savigny-lès-Beaune, in the Côte de Beaune region of Burgundy. The estate was founded in 1910 by Charles Camus and has been passed down through the generations. Today, it is run by the fourth generation of the Camus family, brothers Laurent and Dominique Camus.
The estate consists of approximately 15 hectares (37 acres) of vineyards, primarily in the Savigny-lès-Beaune appellation but also in the neighbouring appellations of Pernand Vergelesses and Aloxe Corton.
The estate produces a range of wines from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, including red and white Savigny-lès-Beaune, and Premier Cru and Grand Cru wines from the neighbouring appellations. Traditional winemaking techniques are favoured, including hand-harvesting, natural fermentation, and ageing in French oak barrels.
Savigny-lès-Beaune
Savigny-lès-Beaune is situated within France’s larger Burgundy wine region, celebrated for its intricate terroir-driven winemaking traditions. The village lies just north of the town of Beaune and is known for producing red and white wines, although red wines dominate in quantity.
The reds are primarily made from Pinot Noir grapes, which thrive in the region’s limestone and clay-rich soils. These wines often balance ripe fruit flavours like red cherries and raspberries, earthy forest floor notes, and a refined structure of moderate tannins and vibrant acidity.
The whites from Chardonnay grapes display a refreshing acidity and diverse flavours, from zesty citrus and green apple to more complex hints of hazelnuts, white flowers, and mineral nuances.
Due to its hilly landscape, Savigny-lès-Beaune benefits from a mosaic of microclimates and various soil types, allowing for subtle variations in the wines produced across its multiple vineyards or “climats.” These climatic and soil distinctions contribute to the unique character of each wine, emphasizing the concept of terroir – the idea that a wine’s flavour and personality are intricately tied to its specific place of origin.
The winemakers in Savigny-lès-Beaune are deeply committed to traditional winemaking methods, paying meticulous attention to detail during vineyard management and the winemaking process. Hand-harvesting, careful sorting of grapes, and gentle extraction methods are standard practices, ensuring that the wines reflect the essence of the terroir while maintaining a sense of finesse and elegance.
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.
When is a wine ready to drink?
We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.
Not ready
These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.
Ready - youthful
These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.
Ready - at best
These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.
Ready - mature
These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.
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Description
The fruit for this wine comes from two well-located vineyards in Savigny-lès-Beaune; les Boutières and Préveaux. The vines are mostly 60 years old, giving low yields which provide a concentration not often found at this level. The nose has a lovely, delicate cherry and redcurrant character which flows through to the palate. Juicy, crunchy and very moreish, this is a bright, pretty Pinot Noir with real presence.
Adam Bruntlett, Senior Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd
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