Bourgogne Rouge

Moreau’s Pinot Noir Bourgogne Rouge vines average 30 years of age. They are planted on a sloping, south-east-facing lieu dit in the village of Mancey known as “Les Cras.” This name, which occurs in several other spots in Burgundy, denotes a vineyard with thin and stony limestone soil. The advantage of this type of soil for growing Pinot Noir is that is warms up quickly and retains heat, thus allowing the grapes to ripen fully. Moreau prunes severely (Cordon de Royat method) to avoid over-production and enhance the health of the fruit. Vines pruned in this fashion also have consistently have smaller grapes with more concentrated juice. The grapes are sorted and then 100% de-stemmed.

The fruit is given 5 days of cold, pre-fermentation maceration to enhance the wine’s color and aroma. Fermentation lasts 10 days with daily pumping over for 12 days. The wine is then transferred to 228 litre barrels, of which 5% are new, with the balance between 1 and 5 years old. Moreau bottles his Bourgogne Rouge after a light filtration through diatomaceous earth, but no fining.