2017 David Duband Bourgogne Rouge

Grapes: Pinot Noir
Vineyard/Cellar Stats: Organic farming dry-farmed, limestone/clay + stony soils; 70-80% whole cluster; pigeage (punchdowns) is made by foot to not break stems and begins after fermentation starts; 17-18 day fermentation, then pressed and settled in tanks for 2-3 weeks to allow for whole cluster ferments to settle more clearly; aged 14 months in old 225l barrels, then racked to steel tanks 2 months before bottling; bottled unfined/unfiltered with 7ppm SO2; 12.5% ABV

Winemaker: David Duband

David was just a young lad in winemaking school when he stared his estate in 1991 in the Côte de Nuits, the most northern part of the central area of Burgundy.  He converted to organics in 2006, and over the years, he has extracted less, used less oak and increased his use of whole cluster fermentations in all of his wines. His natural, minimal-intervention approach is turning heads in Burgundy, a region of reverence by the world’s wine elite that has nearly priced itself out of the hands of the average consumer. Fortunately for us, David's wines are reasonably priced, especially considering the quality.  We also love that his wines tend toward a refreshing 12-13% alcohol (as opposed to the standard 14% of the region, especially in recent years). Also rare for the region, this Pinot was wild fermented, un-sulfured during vinification, and received only a homeopathic dose of 7ppm so2 at bottling. 

This red-fruited, spicy and earthy Bourgogne comes from a mixture of famous vineyard sites: Morey-Saint-Denis and Chambolle-Musigny, delivering plush fruit, and Hautes Côte de Nuits, higher elevation with very stony soil, bringing more freshness, mineral and tension to the wine.  his aromatic, energetic wine, which is drinking deliciously now but has the structure to age and evolve beautifully for 10-15 years if you (unlike me) have that kind of willpower.