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More wines available from Michel Gaunoux
750ml - 1 Bottle
Bottle:
$286.01
A perfumed, complex and mostly still primary nose offers up earthy red berry fruit, underbrush and a touch of animale...
750ml - 1 Bottle
Bottle:
$113.30
This offers a step up in aromatic elegance with its cool, pure and highly complex nose of extract of plum, violets,...
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Winery
Michel Gaunoux
Vintage: 2008
2008 saw very high yields across wineries in much of the southern hemisphere, as a result of highly favorable climatic conditions. Although in many areas, these high yields brought with them something of a drop in overall quality, this could not be said for South Australia's wines, which were reportedly excellent. Indeed, the 2008 Shiraz harvest in South Australia is said to be one of the most successful in recent decades, and western Australia's Chardonnays are set to be ones to watch out for. New Zealand's Pinot Noir harvest was also very good, with wineries in Martinborough reportedly very excited about this particular grape and the characteristics it revealed this year.
Pinot Noir also grew very well in the United States, and was probably the most successful grape varietal to come out of California in 2008, with Sonoma Coast and Anderson Valley delivering fantastic results from this grape. Elsewhere in United States, Washington State and Oregon had highly successful harvests in 2008 despite some early worries about frost.
However, it was France who had the best of the weather and growing conditions in 2008, and this year was one of the great vintages for Champagne, the Médoc in Bordeaux, Languedoc-Roussillon and Provence, with Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay grapes leading the way. Italy, too, shared many of these ideal conditions, with the wineries in Tuscany claiming that their Chianti Classicos of 2008 will be ones to collect, and Piedmont's Barberesco and Barolo wines will be recognized as amongst the finest of the past decade.
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Whilst the Pinot Noir grape varietal has its origins in France, and is most closely associated with fine Burgundy wines, it is now grown in almost every wine producing country in the world. There are many reasons for this – the densely packed, deep black bunches of fruits are responsible for making a wide variety of excellent wines, generally agreed to be amongst the most drinkable and accessible one can find. With flavors ranging from currants and red and black berries, to more earthy, spicy notes, Pinot Noir is a versatile varietal which is revered for its relatively light body and beautifully vivid red color However, the grapes themselves are notoriously susceptible to various diseases, and struggle in fluctuating climates. This has not stopped wineries planting and cultivating these vines, though, as Pinot Noir, when grown carefully and treated properly, is a grape with a wide and increasing fan-base, and more often than not produces wonderful wines.
Region: Burgundy
The beautiful region of Burgundy in France is famously home to some of the most exquisite red wines to be found anywhere on earth, and is most commonly associated with the silky, elegant and flavorful Pinot Noir varietal wines which are commonly produced there. However, the superb and mineral rich soils fed by the Rhone river, and the long hot summers and mild autumns of the region produce a wide variety of fine grapes, and as such, Burgundy produces plenty of different wines which are equally as good as the produce the region is famed for. The region of Burgundy itself has a wine-making history which stretches back at least two thousand years, and as such, it comes as no surprise that the wineries which fill the dozens of controlled appellations of the region rely heavily on traditional methods and techniques when it comes to producing their famous wines.
Country: France
French winemakers are subjected to several laws and regulations regarding the wines they produce, and how they can be labeled and sold. Such procedures are designed to increase the overall quality of the country's produce, and also to ensure that wines made in each particular region or appellation are of a character and type which is representative of the area. Thankfully for consumers of wine world-wide, the French have a particularly high reputation to uphold, and seem to do so flawlessly. Every year, wineries from all over France produce millions upon millions of bottles of fine wine, making the most of their native grape varieties and the excellent terrain which covers most of the country. From the expensive and exquisite red wines of Bordeaux and Burgundy, to the white wines and cremants of central France, the French are dedicated to providing the world with wines of the highest quality and most distinctive character.
Appellation: Cote De Beaune
France's beautiful and highly esteemed sub-region of Cote De Beaune is rightly regarded as the home to many of the world's finest, most complex and fascinating white wines. The white wine industry of Cote De Beaune is based almost solely around the Chardonnay grape, which flourishes especially well in the fine climatic conditions the region receives, and ripens well due to the mineral rich soils which typify the area. Chardonnay is renowned for its ability to express the best points of its terroir, and local winemakers claim that a mixture of traditional techniques and the stunning soils they work with is the secret to their success. There is also a huge red wine industry in Cote De Beaune, which, although not quite as famous as the white wines that leave the region, produces remarkable results from the excellent Pinot Noir grapes which grow there.