Domaine Colinot, AC Irancy

The Colinots own a tiny 11 hectare vineyard in the pretty village of Irancy, which has been in the family for generations, and regularly win awards for their wines.   Irancy itself is a pretty village – more like a bottle of red in a sea of white – notably Chablis.  The Colinots are acknowledged as one of the top two producers in the village and more recently their daughter Stéphanie has qualified in Oenology at Beaune University and has thrown herself into the wine making with great enthusiasm.  She has started to introduce new techniques and this shows in these marvellous 2005s.  The grapes from each slope are vinified separately in open vats, without oak maturation, and age well over 5-10 years.  Each slope or lieu-dit has its own soil structure and microclimate - what the French call "terroir", and the Colinots are fervent believers in allowing each vineyard to express its individual characteristics. 

The wines are made from Pinot Noir, as in other parts of Burgundy, but the appellation of Irancy is quite unique in having up to 10% of the rare variety César, which dates back to Roman plantings in the 11^th century.  This variety gives both colour and perfume.  The terroir is Kimmeridgian limestone, and the slopes, as seen in the photo below, afford excellent drainage and exposure to the sun.  Until recently all the wines from the village were classified as simple AC Bourgogne Rouge, but in 1999 in recognition of their much improved character and quality they were awarded their own appellation of AC Irancy.

Irancy slopes in the Summer

In a world of increasing conformity, it is like a breath of fresh air to find wines of such individuality, and each wine expresses its own character.  Red Burgundy will always be expensive - the difficulties in growing Pinot Noir, the marginal climate, and the increasing world demand in the face of tiny quantities will always see to that.  However, these wines are truly remarkable value!

 

2005 Vintage : We adored the 2003s, which were fantastically ripe and concentrated, and sold out in less than four weeks!  Amazingly the 2005 vintage is also being hailed as a truly great vintage in the wine press, and "en primeur" offers are selling out as rapidly as buyers struggle to obtain their quotas. The wines are wonderfully ripe with good concentration and acidity, displaying excellent balance. This makes them ideal for drinking now but with the potential for ageing for another five years.  Now is the time to buy!

 

Terroir : This is a fantastic opportunity to discover what the French mean when they talk about terroir. Each wine is vinified in the same way, and on tasting them you will recognise many common features.  However, there are some striking differences and these represent the different soil structure, the exposure to the sun, the drainage and the microclimate of each site, which then shows in the individual character in its wine.

We are offering a Mixed Case of three bottles of each of the following four wines -

 

Les Cailles 2005                                                                                                                                 £9.95

AC Irancy

100% Pinot Noir. Good young medium depth of colour, superb young vivacious Pinot Noir nose of strawberries. On the palate there are layers of lovely racy strawberry/raspberry fruit with hints of blueberries, nice concentration and ripeness, lovely acidity and a touch of ripe tannin, with good length.

 

Vieilles Vignes 2005                                                                                                                          £9.95

AC Irancy

This is made predominantly from Pinot Noir with 3% César, from 80 year old vines, with a fragrant nose, redolent of violets.  This is the most perfumed of the four wines.

 

Palotte 2005                                                                                                                                        £10.95

AC Irancy

Also mainly Pinot Noir with 5% César, this is more concentrated, with mouth-watering cherry/griottes flavours and the richest of the four wines.

 

Côte du Moutier 2005                                                                                                                       £10.95

AC Irancy

Once again Pinot Noir with 5% César in the assemblage, this has soft, elegant, velvety Pinot Noir flavours but with greater minerality, reflecting its terroir..

 

Mixed Case Price : £125.40