Domaine R. Dubois & Fils Beaune Rouge Les Blanches Fleurs
WHY WE LOVE IT
- The vines are grown in clay-limestone soil with limestone dominance, and a gravelly or stony texture. The soils of Beaune are light and not very fertile soils, which present the optimal conditions to make excellent wines.
- All the great Burgundian appellations come from the same grape variety: “Pinot Black”.
- The plots are 40 years old.
- The Beaunes develop harmoniously between 3 and 10 years. They will be kept at 15-16°C approximately, good average temperature for all Burgundy wines.
Varietal Composition: 100% Pinot Noir
Elaboration: The harvest of the grapes is done traditionally. After reception at the estate, the grapes are placed in vats for 12 to 15 days. The first 3 days temperature is maintained between 16 and 18° C. This technique makes it possible to preserve the maximum of aromas in the wine. Then the temperature of the tank passes between 28 and 33° C. During this period 2 actions take place:
– Fermentation which transforms sugar into alcohol
– Maceration, which transmits the color and constituents of the grape to wine. This is improved by punching down and pumping over. When the wine is obtained, we press.
The wines spend 15 months in the cellar before being bottled. During this period, the wine undergoes a second fermentation called malolactic fermentation which allows it to stabilize its structure. It spends about 9 to 12 months of its life in oak barrels, a third of which are new barrels, to give it the necessary tannin. After this time the wines are prepared for bottling.
Tasting Notes: The wines harvested in the center and on the southern side of the territory are tannic and powerful; their color is generally dark, and their aromas are both animal and fruity (berries). Those collected at north are less intense in color and have a nice suppleness.
PRESS
n/a
PRODUCER BACKGROUND
The history of Dubois winegrowers begins around 1600 with the birth of Emiland Dubois, the first ancestor and winegrower to be found in official records. More recently, Louis Dubois (1874 – 1947) took over his first plot of vines in 1898, then developed the estate with 5 acres of vines in the village of Premeaux-Prissey and Nuits-Saint-Georges. His son, Robert (1910 – 2004), devoted his life to the estate’s vines, and further increased its size by acquiring his first Nuits Premier Cru plot in 1961. Régis Dubois (born 1939), took up the reins with his wife Christiane, and extended the vineyard from 10 to 25 acres, and then to 50 acres. To increase the value of the wine, he began to bottle the production from 1969 onwards. Presently, Régis manages the technical matters of the domaine.
The fourth generation begins in 1969 with the birth of Raphaël. Since 2006, the vineyard has been managed by Raphaël and his sister, Béatrice Dubois. Raphaël oversees the marketing of the wines and public relations. Béatrice is an oenologist who is truly passionate about wine. She divides her time between producing, analyzing and monitoring the estate’s wines, and customer tastings all over the world, which have now replaced her vinification work in the southern hemisphere.