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Red Wine

Agnes Paquet Auxey-Duresses Rouge 2021

Appellation
Auxey Duresses
Region
Côte de Beaune
Vintage
2021
In Stock
Add To Cart
$59.00
 
SKU: EPAQ04R-21
Overview

A good percentage of whole grape in the maceration gives this Auxey red a delicate encapsulated burst of cherry fruit. The Auxey terroir and tannic structure on display, and the ensemble is well-structured and juicy in youth.

Winemaker
Vintage
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BURGUNDY 2021

Nothing abides. Just as we Burgundy purists begrudgingly acknowledged the vitality and variety of the three previous hot-weather vintages, along came 2021, classic Burgundy with its frost, damp and low yields.

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Way back when, in pre-climate-change conditions, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay would struggle, year after year, to come to maturity in what was this, the northernmost spot in Europe where grapes could ripen enough to make still wine. That struggle was, in fact, the very definition of viticulture in Burgundy (chaptalization notwithstanding).

But then weather patterns started to change, not drastically, but gradually: milder winters and earlier springs; hotter summers and earlier autumns. By the time we got to 2018, then 2019 and then 2020, those mild winters were breeding grounds for mildew, the early springs were prone to killer frosts, those hot summers forced ripeness onto reticent grapes varieties, and early autumns left little time to the winemaker to sort it all out.

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If this all sounds like an accident waiting to happen, hang on to your hat; it’s all perspective.

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2018 was wet, wet, wet through winter and up to mid-April. Then an explosive bud-burst sent the winemakers scurrying to control the vegetation. But then it got hot, hot, south-of-Spain hot, and mildew never stood a chance. Early harvest, no health issues. Big crop. Great vintage.

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2019 was wet through the winter. Early bud burst, then frost took part of the crop. A warm set up flowering, but cold weather set in, taking another part of the crop. Then it got hot and very dry. Well-tend vines and, especially, old vines did well because there was last winter’s water in the water table, and good vines can go deep for water. Hot, healthy harvest.  Great really ripe vintage.

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2020 was precocious. Mild wet winter. Bud burst in mid-April. From that point on, there is not much to report weatherwise. It was hot and dry from June through to the end. Harvest started in August. Indeed, there was more stress on the winemakers than there was on the vines. When to pick? Overall, great vintage both white and red.

See a pattern?

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And 2021…well in 2021 things returned to ‘normal’ (if such a thing is possible in Burgundy!) First came devastating frosts in the early part of April, which were followed by a cool May, leading to a damp summer with the ever-present threat of hail.

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Chardonnay was more affected than Pinot Noir in that the red grapes come into leaf later. What all this means for the Burgundy harvest is that it will be a story of low yields (miniscule in places) and a late harvest.

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When the older winemakers talk about what to expect this year, words such as ‘historic’ are used and comparisons are drawn with the harvest of 1970.

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Some say we could be down 30% on 2020s already low yields. But it isn’t all bad news. Winemakers are nothing if not hardy, and their optimism cannot be shaken that easily. Fewer grapes on the vine means that those which have survived should have an intensity of flavor which sets them apart and may mark this harvest out as extraordinary. There may be other upsides, too: because the harvest is later, the grapes have had more ‘hang time’ which could mean good phenolic maturity.

Appellation

AUXEY DURESSES

COTE DE BEAUNE

Auxey-Duresses (pronounced " Aussey ") stands at the entrance to a valley which runs from the Côte de Beaune into the Hautes Côtes, following the road that leads from Beaune to Autun below hump-backed hills. Together with its hamlets of Petit-Auxey and Mélin, Auxey-Duresses is one of Burgundy's oldest wine-growing districts, with Celtic and Gallo-Roman traces. It was formerly an outlying property of the abbey of Cluny, producing both grain and grape. The corn-mills have now gone but there are still ancient wine presses hidden away in locals barns. 

The appellation Auxey Duresses includes 9 premiers crus  produced in the village of Auxey Duresses and the hamlets of Petit-Auxey and Mélin.

Wines

The reds are generally a bright ruby color of medium intensity. The bouquet is well-balanced between rich aromas of small black fruits (blackcurant, blackberry) and floral scents. In the mouth, the attack is refined and supple, measured and sometimes meaty. When young, there may be a touch of rustic green tannin but these soon soften and the texture becomes velvety with earthy notes, as well as leather and spice.

The whites are generally a pale straw color with crystal clarity, with aromas of fresh almond and green apple, and often biscuity and smoky flinty minerality.  Sprightly when young, fuller and meatier with age, with a good shot at persistence.

Terroirs  

There is a bit of everything in this zone. Nature determines which plots suit white wines and which ones reds. On the hill of Bourdon, geologically an extension of Volnay and Monthélie, the soil is a pebbly marl-limestone mix which gives vigor to the east/south-east facing vineyard of Les Duresses. The Climat du Val, on the other hand, faces south and has very limey soil, while in La Chapelle marl predominates over limestone. And on the hill of Mélin, the fine-textured soil resembles that of nearby Meursault and Puligny, producing excellent Chardonnay.

Color 

Red wines - Pinot Noir.

White wines - Chardonnay.

Production surface area 

1 hectare (ha) = 2.4 acres

Reds : 96.45ha (including 27.55 ha premier cru)

Whites : 38.16 ha (including 2.08 ha premier cru)

Food

Red: rich and well-moderated tannins make Auxey-Duresses an ideal for delicate or white meats. Its supple attack and its notes of red and black fruits give it a wide range. It shines when paired with cold cuts, roast pork or veal, kebabs, rabbit, pasta dishes with herbs. Grilled fish also works. 

White: juicy and lively, its fruit retains fullness through a long finish and for this reason it goes well with shrimp, fish in spicy sauces, as well as cooked shellfish. It can likewise be paired with cheeses of the Gruyère family, and young but dry-textured goat's cheese. 

Appellations

On the label, the appellations 'Auxey-Duresses' and 'Auxey Duresses 1er Cru' may be followed by the name of a specific vineyard, known as a climat.

The following climats are classified as premier cru:

Bas des Duresses

Climat du Val

Clos du Val

La Chapelle

Les Bréterins

Les Duresses 

Les Ecussaux

Les Grands Champs

Reugne 

The following climats are village wines from a single vineyard, known as a lieu-dit.

Auxey-Duresses

Creux de Borgey

Creux de Tillet

Derrière le Four

En Polianges

En Saussois

La Canée

La Chateille

La Jonchère

La Macabrée

La Montagne du Bourdon

La Ruchotte

Largillas

Le Larrey des Hoz

Le Moulin Moine

Le Pain Haut

Le Plain de Lugny

Le Porolley

Les Boutonniers

Les Closeaux

Les Cloux

Les Crais

Les Fosses

Les Grandes Vignes

Les Hautés

Les Heptures

Les Hoz

Les Lavières

Les Riames

Les Rondières

Les Vireux

Nampoillon

Pain Perdu

Sous la Velle

Sous le Marsain

Sur Melin 

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$59.00
 
SKU: EPAQ04R-21
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