Domaine Dupre Bourgogne Pinot Noir

About the producer

While Burgundy is universally acclaimed as the home of the world’s finest Pinot Noir, value is rarely a consideration. The finest domaines of the Cote d’Or are the ones who use the most meticulous viticulture and skilled winemaking techniques on their prized sites. At the other end of the scale one often finds corners cut by enterprises concerned with volume over quality. However, you can find hidden gems from unexpected places. Such is the case with Domaine Dupré.

While it is easy to think of Burgundy as gradually fading from Pinot Noir to Chardonnay and eventually Gamay as one moves South from the Cote d’Or towards Beaujolais in truth there are many pockets of terroir which favor different grapes in each region. Just as Aubert de Villaine has found a spot in the exclusively Aligote AOC of Bouzeron, some sites in the Chardonnay-dominated Macon are really best suited for other varietals.

Thus, Jean Christophe Dupré studied the red soils of his estate on the eastern facing hills of the villages of Royer and Mancey and found they were ideally suited for Pinot Noir. Rather than forcing the plantings based on commercial influences, Dupré let the site and the soil declare what is best planted. The villages are located near the town of Tournus on river Saone midway between the borders of the Cote Chalonnaise and Beaujolais.

The vineyards are farmed with care utilizing cover crops, lower yielding spur pruned cordon training and organic techniques. The wines are vinified at the Caves de Vignerons de Mancey founded in 1929, a coop with high-quality cellar equipment, that allows Dupré to produce great quality affordably.