Hautes Côtes de Nuits

Regarded as one of the best Burgundy producers for applying the practice of working with whole grape bunches during fermentation, the benefits of such speak for themselves here. Further, with Burgundy getting warmer and warmer, higher altitude vineyard plots matter, in terms of managing against frost, delivering flavour intensity and balancing acidity. As such, there is great craft to this Pinot Noir.

Less is more, but fine details are key. Seiichi favours a deft hand in the cellar. The process starts with a cold soak of a couple of days to extract a little more from this delicate vintage. This is followed by a 2 week maceration using whole bunches in large stainless steel vats. During maceration, Seiichi performs gentle punch downs (i.e. pushing the grape skins back down in to the juice) only towards the end of the maceration. This helps with colour, aromas and tannin. After pressing the wine, it eventually transfers to barrels where it is aged for 12 months. Older barrels are used in favour of new oak, in order to avoid a heavy oak influence.