Domaine Pierre Vincent

Domaine Pierre Vincent is a wine estate based in Auxey-Duresses in Burgundy’s Côte de Beaune. The domaine is named after and run by winemaker Pierre Vincent, who is well known for his work at Domaine de la Vougeraie and Domaine Leflaive. This project is a collaboration between Pierre and his friends, Hervé Kratiroff and Eric Versini. In 2023, they acquired the estate, previously known as Domaine des Terres de Velle; their inaugural vintage was 2023.

The estate spans 5.7 hectares of vines, covering 20 different appellations. Among the most notable holdings are 0.5 hectares in the Grand Cru of Corton-Charlemagne, along with vines in Chassagne-Montrachet, Puligny-Montrachet, Meursault and beyond. There are a further 1.3 hectares of rented vines (en fermage), taking the total area to seven hectares. The domaine boasts a significant number of old vines, the oldest plot dating back to 1929. The vineyards are in the process of organic and biodynamic conversion.

In the winery, Pierre uses whole-bunch fermentation for a good proportion of his red wines. He also ages part of his whites in amphorae, while keeping new oak to a minimum. Pierre’s approach is to produce delicate, linear wines with tension and purity.

Auxey-Duresses

A small village in a side valley off the Côte de Beaune, with a slightly cooler local climate making for a more austere style of Burgundy. Nonetheless this can be an excellent source of relatively inexpensive wine in warmer years, or from top producers. At the moment production is about 75:25 red to white. The reds can age well, while the whites can have a most attractive minerality.

• 138 hectares of village Auxey-Duresses
• 32 hectares of Premier Cru vineyards (nine in all), the best being Les Duresses
• Recommended producers:  Comte Armand (red), Fichet (white)

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.