Domaine Comte Senard - Corton Grand Cru 'Les Bressandes' Red 2001 Magnum

Wine Region: Burgundy - France

Grape: 100% Pinot Noir.

Tasting notes:Finesse prevails over power. More a lady’s wine than the Clos Du Roi : roundness and elegance are its prior characteristics. The Queen of the Cortons.

50% whole bunches. Native yeasts. Sorting in the vat room. Cold pre-fermentation maceration for 1 to 3 days. 2 to 3 weeks of winemaking. 18 months in oak barrels. 60% new barrels.

About the Winery: The wines from the hill of Corton, the northern-most appellation of the Côte de Beaune and the largest Grand Cru in Burgundy, are among the biggest reds in Burgundy, with grip, depth, tannin, and longevity.

Domaine Comte Senard had an auspicious start in 1857 when Jules Senard, the great grandfather of current owner Philippe Senard, created the Corton-Clos des Meix monopole. The monopole later became a Grand Cru vineyard when the AOC was created in 1937. Since that time, the Domaine has continued its acquisition of property in prestigious appellations in the area, with current holdings of 22 acres of land, including Corton-Clos du Roi, Corton-Bressandes, and Corton-Paulandes.

The Domaine has been passed down for 5 generations and since 2005 has been under the management of Lorraine Senard, one of a small but growing number of female vignerons in the Côte d’Or. Lorraine shares much the same approach to viticulture and vinification that her father had. To maintain the clay and marly limestone soil, the Domaine utilizes a sustainable-organic approach and avoids the use of herbicides and insecticides. Harvesting is done by hand and the fruit is sorted twice to ensure quality. In the cellar, the grapes undergo a 5-12 day cold soak, gentle pressing, and temperature controlled fermentation. The wines are aged in the Domaine’s cellars, which were built in the 14th Century by Benedictine monks from the Abbaye de Sainte Marguerite, resulting in wines that are seductive representations of the power of Corton, built to age with finesse and grace.