Cart 0 items: $0.00

SHIPPING INCLUDED(on case quantities, Continental USA).

burgundywine.com

TOP
Type
Red Wine

Agnes Paquet Auxey-Duresses Rouge 2018

Appellation
Auxey-Duresses
Region
Côte de Beaune
Vintage
2018
2 In Stock
Add To Cart
$56.00
 
SKU: EPAQ04R-18
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

BURGUNDY 2018 VINTAGE

There has been talk over the past year of the 2018 vintage in Burgundy being one of the greatest of all time.  Comparisons with the mythical 1947, and all that.  But let’s be careful and take a closer look.

We’ve tasted some marvelous wines, both white and red, and from all of the appellation levels.  Purity and concentration would be the key words across the board.

But lest we forget, 2018 was the hottest vintage in Burgundy since 2003.  And frankly, we were expecting wines like we got in 2003: flabby whites and Cote du Rhone-like reds.  But that did not happen.  And the secret to understanding 2018 Burgundy lies in understanding the difference between these two very hot years.

If you look at 2018 from start to finish, not only was it hot, it was dry: 50% less precipitation than the annual average over the past 30 years. However, if you were here in the early part of the year, you’ll certainly remember the rain. ​

After a very dry summer in 2017, winter 2017-18 was wet. It rained nearly every day through March and into April.  And the vine was slow to bud.

That all changed in the middle of April. Wet soil and higher temperatures brought on explosive growth in the vineyards that the vignerons had a tough time keeping up with.  In a week we went from bud burst to unfurled leaves.

The first flowers burst in mid-May. The crop set regularly with very little disruption, and summer settled in. The early wet conditions followed by April’s warmth saw the onset of mildew, but the fungus never stood a chance.

It was a hot and sunny summer. Some would say it was a heat wave and a drought. And we started to see signs of stress in vineyards in certain sectors. Things were better where there was a little rain.  But August was bone dry. In fact, there was no rain from June 15th to the end of October.

It was about this time that comparisons to 2015 cropped up. You could see ripeness rapidly approaching, and there was talk of harvest starting at the end of August.

The vines were incredibly healthy; no moisture means no threat from mildew or odium. No rot.  Good ripeness.  ​

And, for the first time since 2009….a normal yield! So, let the harvest begin!

And it did, in the last days of August.  What was most astonishing right from the start was that the perceived acidity levels seem OK.  Granted, there’s no malic acid, but the levels of tartaric acid seem to be compensating, and there is an over-all impression of balance. 

Also amazing was the amount of juice the crop produced.  Not only was the yield bigger than the past 10 years’ average, but the amount of juice set a record for Burgundy.  So there will be a lot of 2018 around.

And all this in a year that felt more like the south of Spain than Burgundy as we know it.  The only thing we can attribute the quality of 2018 to is the abundant winter rains, and the vine’s ability to go searching for water when it needs it.

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 

Add To Cart
$56.00
 
SKU: EPAQ04R-18
Continue Shopping
Sign up for inside offers, Burgundy News, and Special Promotions!