2017 Marechal 'Vieilles Vignes' Pinot Noir. Savigny-les-Beaune-Burgundy-FRANCE. 750ml.
‘The quality of these wines is nothing short of phenomenal compared to the usual quality of the respective appellations’ Allen Meadows, Burghound;
Claude Maréchal is a vigneron who most people have not heard about, especially outside France despite his estate being rated at the same level as Dujac, Carillon, d’Angerville, Ponsot and Sauzet in France’s most respected wine guide – La Revue du Vin de France.
Catherine and Claude Maréchal have been standing out in the ever crowded and competitive Burgundy thanks to the precise, elegant and finely scented wines they produce from their 10 hectares scattered on six Côte de Beaune communes.
Claude began the domaine in 1981 and in the mid 1980’s he met Henri Jayer, who became a huge source of inspiration and learning. Since then Maréchal has, year after year, honed his skills and today offers incredibly fine wine, amongst the greats in Burgundy.
He reached a turning point in the mid-1980s when he came to taste with the likes of Jayer and Jean Thevenet. “Compared to what I was making, it was a revelation: it was like eating in a supermarket cafeteria your entire life and suddenly, you are tasting dishes from a 3 star restaurant. This led to a shift from conventional agriculture, to a work philosophy that is more respectful of our environment, but also to the quality of the wine itself.”
Following his instincts and his mentor, Claude is fastidious about keeping treatments in the vineyards to a minimum and striving for low yields. No herbicides are used, the vineyards are plowed, and all grapes are harvested manually and totally destemmed. Fermentation occurs slowly with native yeasts and maceration takes place over 20 days. Once pressed, the wine develops in oak barrels (only a low percentage of which is new) for a period of 12 to 18 months with the lees.
Claude and Catherine’s aim is to produce “vins de plaisir” – wines that are approachable and bring pleasure to all who drink them. Ultimately, Claude says, “you don’t make wine with techniques, you make wine with grapes. If you harvest ripe, healthy grapes, the wines will always be exemplary.”
These wines offer everything one wants in Burgundy but which is so hard to find – admirable concentration, purity and finesse combined with texture and balance that will see these wines evolve over many years.
Claude’s wines are not expensive for top level Burgundy and due to their quality, are in demand .. we have very limited stock!
This outstanding wine has real presence. The mouthfeel, despite the generous vintage, is light, pure, and saline with dark cherry fruit – a very racy wine. The grapes come from the following lieux-dits: Pimentiers, Peuillets, and Planchots. This is a wonderful young Burgundy with real depth and persistence in the mouth. The old vines no doubt contributing to give the wine a good sappy richness and great silky length. Excellent and will make a magic old bottle in 15 years.
