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What We Say 2003 Savigny-lès-Beaune 'Les Marconnets' 1er Cru
SUPERIOR WINE ALERT:
Today’s Burgundian selection is not only a fantastic value, but is also a fantastic wine. It is rare to have a Premier Cru of such distinction at such an unbelievable price. If you haven’t yet experienced a Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru, then this one is perfect for you.
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Mission Codename: Holiday in Beaune – La partie deux
Operative: Agent White
Objective: Secure a delicious and representative 1er Cru Burgundy for our operatives.
Mission Status: Accomplished!
Current Winery: Domaine de la Vougeraie
Wine Subject: 2003 Savigny-lès-Beaune ‘Les Marconnets’ Premier Cru
Winemaker:
Backgrounder:
The commune of Savigny-lès-Beaune is located just north of the Beaune along the Rhoin river in the foothills above the Route de Grand Crus. With over 20 Premier Cru vineyards, and Les Marconnets being considered one of the top Crus, these wines are both elegant and representative of the Beaune style. This commune’s wines are known specifically for wines with aromas and flavors of red fruit (strawberry, cherry) and floral violets. These are well structured and age well. The 2003 vintage in the region was considered a very good year and these wines are just now starting to show off their finesse and elegance.
Wine Spies Tasting Profile:
Look – Deep but clear garnet with ruby highlights. Rudy-red along the edges and when swirled, thin legs race down the side of the glass.
Smell – Medium in intensity with soft aromas of fresh sweet red fruit including raspberry and strawberry that are well integrated with classic old-world sweet herbs, earthy notes, a touch of baking spice and a hint of oak.
Feel – If you take a sip immediately upon opening you’ll find an initially spicy attack, but give this wine some time to open up and the mouth-feel becomes elegant very quickly. With fine-firm tannins and well-balanced acidity your entire palate is greeted with a true Burgundy mouth-feel experience.
Taste – Flavors of ripe and fresh strawberry, raspberry and black-cherry layered over a touch of classic Burgundy earth and minerality, vanilla toasted oak, hints of spice and cinnamon.
Finish – Medium long, soft and clean with lingering flavors of spice and earthy red fruit.
Conclusion – The 2003 Savigny-lès-Beaune ‘Les Marconnets’ Premier Cru is truly a lovely Burgundy. With classic aromas, flavors, mouth-feel and finish, this wine shows why its hard to beat a Premier Cru Burgundy. Well structured and old-world in style, this wine will appeal to both the wine-lover looking for a great wine to compliment a great meal as well as the aficionado who just wants to spend time exploring this wine as in evolves in the glass. À votre santé!
Mission Report:
… December 2008 – East Central France …
We began the day early as we wanted to hit the Route des Grand Crus with lots of time to enjoy the food and especially the wine. Zipping through the back roads from our safe house in Bar Sur Aube(south end of the Champagne region) to Dijon at this hour was fast but just outside of Dijon, we started to hit the normal business day traffic. Thankfully, the GPS devise in my handheld spy communicator quickly re-routed us around and soon we were headed south through some of the finest vineyards in all of Burgundy.
The N74, or Route de Dijon as its known officially but wine aficionados know this as the Route de Grand Crus. We slowed down and started taking it all in. The names of each commune and village familiar to anyone who has spent time in the French section of a good wine shop. The vineyards, this time of year, bare, with a slight fog resting in the lower valleys, and along the tops of the hills to the west. A slight drizzle fell creating an almost surreal experience as the fog and low clouds moved with the weather exposing and then rehiding these prized vineyards.
After our lunch in Beaune, Agent Blush and I had the chance to explore some of the smaller communes that overlooked the valley and in particular, the historic Savigny-lès-Beaune with is many Premier Cru vineyards. Located in the hills just north of Beaune, the * Premier Cru Les Marconnets* overlooks the valley below. The wines from here are truly representative of the finesse and elegance that Burgundy is known for.
Quite simply, this is the life. While you may not have been able to join us on the Holiday in Beaune, today’s selection from Domaine de la Vougeraie will at least give you a small bit of the flavor of the trip!
Sante!
Wine Spies Vineyard Check:
The location of the Savigny-lès-Beaune, France can be seen in this satellite photo.
What the Winery Says
Domaine de la Vougeraie
Awards and Accolades:
Food & Wine: Founded in 1999, this domaine brings together under one name the various vineyards owned by the Boisset family (one of the region’s largest negociants). Les Marconnets, a steep hillside vineyard, produces firm, juicy reds; the hot 2003 vintage adds notes of game and cinnamon to the black cherry fruit of this bottling.
Wine Spectator: There’s a lot of oak here, but also ripe, sweet blackberry and cassis flavors. It’s lush and mouthfilling. Fine grip and intensity. Very appealing. Drink now through 2012.
Agent Blush at the Place Carnot, Beaune, France.
True identity concealed.
About This Wine:
Over the ages the Savigny-lès-Beaune vineyards have belonged to the Dukes of Burgundy, the clergy, the Knights of Malta, and local gentry. Les Marconnets is in a splendid location on the Beaune side of the steep hillside. The soil, though calcareous further down the hill, is sandy and pebbly here, rich in iron, ideal for our oldish vines. “Lick your lips three times and pay this wine a complement”, as they used to say about Savigny wine. The advice is still valid today, given the lively nature of this “nourishing, theological, morale-boosting” wine.
Delightful light ruby colour, brilliant with rose tints. The 1st nose is fine, elegant, mingling smells of fresh red fruits (strawberry), and spicy notes (vanilla, cinnamon). the mouth is concentrated, almost tight; the tannins are present but fine and well defined; they underline rather than mask the aromas of cherry, kirsch and vanilla. Good length and pleasant fruit aftertaste.
About The Vineyard:
Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru “Les Marconnets” Like a map unfolding, the Côte de Beaune widens at Savigny. The slopes rise gently at first, then more steeply, with vines laid out on either side of a small stream, the Rhoin. On one side is Pernand-Vergelesses, on the other Beaune, under the Mont Battois. Les Marconnets is in an excellent site on the Beaune side.
Very sandy, pebbly soil, rich in iron. Clayey silt, only slightly calcareous.
About The Winery:
Le Domaine de la Vougeraie was founded in 1999, uniting under a single signature the 91 acres of vineyards owned by the Boisset family. Our vineyards are in 30 different appellations in the Côte d’Or, with two-thirds in the Côte de Nuits and one-third in the Côte de Beaune. Our first vineyard, purchased by Jean-Claude and Claudine Boisset in 1964, is the single vineyard Gevrey-Chambertin “Les Evocelles”, and our latest jewel, the Vougeot Premier Cru “Le Clos Blanc de Vougeot” Monopole is part of our 24 acres in the Vougeot appellation. Pierre Vincent, our winemaker, focuses on the pure expression of Burgundian terroir using organic farming and biodynamics, respecting the environment and making truly unique wines. We are proud to announce that 100% of our vineyards are certified organic by Ecocert since the 2007 harvest.
Technical Analysis:
Winemaking: Harvest de-stemmed, not crushed. No yeast addition. Maceration: pre-fermentation, cold. Length of maceration: 20 days. Barrel-aged 14 months.
Varietals: 100% Pinot Noir
Aging: 4 or 5 years
Alcohol: 13%
Sizes Available: 1.5L, 750 ml
Agent White on the Route des Grand Crus, France.
True identity concealed.
