Domaine Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos St. Jean Rouge 2011

Domaine Ramonet is one of Burgundy's great names — an estate built parcel by parcel since the 1920s by the legendary Pierre Ramonet, now in the hands of his grandsons Jean-Claude and Noël, and justly celebrated above all for its whites. The estate has been expanding and building on its reputation ever since Pierre Ramonet became one of the first Burgundy winemakers to export to the United States in the 1930s, and today features among Burgundy's best-known estates. The Clos Saint-Jean rouge is Ramonet's finest red — and a reminder that Chassagne-Montrachet, overwhelmingly associated with white wine, has a serious tradition in Pinot Noir that the best parcels express with real distinction. Clos Saint-Jean is the largest premier cru in Chassagne, running along the southern slope in deep clay-limestone soils, with old vines that deliver a depth and complexity the village's lighter parcels rarely approach. The fruit is handled with the same meticulous attention as the whites — fermented with indigenous yeasts, aged in a modest proportion of new oak over 18 months, and bottled without heavy manipulation. 

A deeper-pitched bouquet featuring wild plums, raspberries, rose hips, licorice and orange zest — on the palate medium to full-bodied, supple and succulent, with a sweet core of fruit and melting tannins. Medium-bodied and fleshy with good concentration, juicy acids and supple tannin — bursting with smoky plum and cherry fruit. Smooth and rich with cherry, strawberry, incense, spice and leather notes, showing density and finishing with a chewy, savory texture. This is Chassagne rouge at its most serious and most complete — a wine that earns its place at a table set for the finest Côte de Beaune reds, from a domaine whose name alone is a guarantee of quality