2021 Pierre Henri Rougeot Gevrey Chambertin 'En Reniard'

🌄 Burgundy, France

🍇 Pinot Noir

🌡️ 13%

Culinary Suggestions: Venison / Veal / Duck / Quail / Kangaroo / Smoked Meats / Charred Eggplant

Vineyard Practices: Organic and Biodynamic

About

Pierre-Henri Rougeot creates dynamic, soulful and balanced wines, rippling with an avant-garde flair. Growing up in Meursault at the home of Domaine Rougeot, Pierre-Henri learnt first hand the work and life of a vigneron. In 2002 and 2003, Pierre-Henri attended Beaune Wine University, formalising the craft and passion that was already steeped in his DNA.

After graduating, Pierre-Henri spent a year working the vineyards at famed Domaine de Montille in Volnay before selling oak barrels for one of France’s most highly regarded coopers. This move led him into the cellars of some of the world’s most prominent wine growers; he saw up-close the dedication, passion and skill of lauded vignerons including Philippe Alliet in Chinon, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti in Burgundy and Jean-Francois Ganevat in Jura. This experience imbued Pierre-Henri with both an enviable knowledge and a unique openness to diverse wine making practices. He saw there was no single way to creating great wines, and in this liberating spirit, he began to see his own path.

In 2010, Pierre-Henri was granted creative agency at Domaine Rougeot, and oversaw wholesale improvements in the winemaking processes that are reflected in the quality we know today.

Like his inspiration, Lalou Bize-Leroy, Pierre-Henri is passionate about working with a high percentage of whole bunches for reds and very little sulphur to champion and fully express the fruit. He buys grapes from well located plots with sustainable soil management practices, producing lower but healthier yields. The vineyards of his choosing all engage in organic or low footprint farming methods and his wines are made without oenological ingredients, preserving their regional voice.

Pierre-Henri prefers to press both his white and red grapes using a modern version of an ancient vertical grape press. Although made with the latest technology, this unconventional press differs from the pneumatic, horizontal press preferred by most producers and produces higher acid extraction and greater clarity of must. The result is  dynamic, complex and elegant wines.

Both reds and whites are matured in supremely balanced, artisan oak barrels where indigenous yeasts within the oak are allowed to work their magic. The superior barrels give a grace and richness to the wines without overbearing oaky notes.