Bourgogne Chitry Rouge ‘Constance’

HISTORY  Olivier Morin tends some 30 acres of land in the department of the Yonne, between Auxerre and Chablis. The medieval village of Chitry-le-Fort is the center of the small Bourgogne Chitry appellation, and just a stone’s throw from the village of Chablis. Indeed, here the soils are also identical to those in Chablis—Kimmeridgian and Portlandian limestone, very chalky and mineral-rich.

The estate is not certified but adheres to organic farming practices, including fermenting on indigenous yeasts, planting natural herbs between vineyard rows to prevent erosion and using only organic fertilizer in the fields. The soil is plowed to encourage vine roots to dig deep into the region’s chalky soils; vines, on average, are 30 years old.

Olivier’s cellar is located partially underground, allowing him to move juice and wine via gravity. Whites are fermented and aged in stainless steel tank; reds are aged mostly in older French oak barrels. Very little sulfur is added at any step in the winemaking process, and wines are bottled unfiltered.

VINEYARDS & WINEMAKING   Aromas that tease, flavors that seduce — that could be great Burgundian Pinot Noir on any day, but when ‘Coquette’ comes to town, all defenses are useless and another glass is a must. This fresh, fruity and endlessly pleasing Pinot Noir from the chalky hills around Chitry is irresistible. Heady aromas of red fruits and spice, waves of silky goodness. Winemaker Olivier Morin ages this beauty in older demi-muid within a solera system, in which he has choice samples of recent vintages; the addition of which gives this delightful (and value) Pinot Noir a touch more aromatic complexity and intensity.