Domaine Xavier Durand
2010 Corton Rognet
Grown on the northernmost part of the Corton Hill, this Grand Cru Pinot Noir comes from old vines bought by Durand’s father in 1985. It represents the best terroir and best wine of the Durand domaine. Requires cellaring.
Pungent petrol, mineral, earth, coffee grounds, and medicinal aromas characterize a complex nose. The full-bore palate suggests wet stone and other earthy, mineral elements but it also has a powerful truffle component. Overall, rich and expansive, growing in intensity in the glass, gradually offering up more truffles, dark fruit, baking spices, and licorice. Great complexity and fruit concentration. A richly elegant, sumptuous wine suggestive of power and glamour, but managing to seem refined at the same time.
Food pairing: Meats in truffle sauce; duck in pepper sauce
Deeply extracted, deeply colored, powerfully and exotically scented. A floral perfume overlaid with citrus rind, juniper, lemon balm, and other botanicals (think fine artisan gin), dark red fruit, leather, meat, and other animal scents, including formic acid. An immensely sexy glass of wine just to smell, but the palate overflows with astonishingly concentrated fruit, with citrus, animal musk, and resiny pine flavors. How Xavier Durand manages to pack such an array of scents and flavors into this wine is a mystery to me—but a beautiful mystery. Truly memorable. Hard to resist now, but a long keeper with an excellent balance of fruit, acid, and tannin. Perhaps not for everyone, but if you’re at all adventurous, don’t miss this one.
Food pairing: So uniquely flavored, that it seems a shame to draw any attention away from this wine, but likely to be delicious with duck; venison with juniper berries; or other game dishes with a pungent sauce.
The Creator of This Wine
Domaine Xavier Durand
After taking over the family business at age 25, Xavier Durand decided to abandon rented vines and concentrate instead on his family estate, where he could better control the vineyards’ health and quality. Part artist, part scientist, Durand applies his enormous dedication and talent to creating wines that have stunning intensity and strong terroir identity.
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| Producer: | Domaine Xavier Durand |
| Region: | Burgundy |
| Year: | 2010 |
| Maturity: | 2015-2020 |
| Alcohol: | 13% |
| Bottle size: | 750ml |
| Color: | Red |
| Varietal: | Pinot Noir |
| Flavors: | Cherry, Citrus, Musk |
| Body: | Full |
| Soul: | Voluptuous |
