2011 Corton, Bressandes, Grand Cru, La Pousse d'Or, Burgundy

Pinot Noir is probably the most frustrating, and at times infuriating, wine grape in the world. However when it is successful, it can produce some of the most sublime wines known to man. This thin-skinned grape which grows in small, tight bunches performs well on well-drained, deepish limestone based subsoils as are found on Burgundy's Côte d'Or. Pinot Noir is more susceptible than other varieties to over cropping - concentration and varietal character disappear rapidly if yields are excessive and yields as little as 25hl/ha are the norm for some climats of the Côte d`Or.

Although Domaine de la Pousse D'Or has vineyards reaching back as far as the eighteenth century, it has only existed as it does today since 1964. It is a forward thinking estate and one which was instrumental in pioneering a new technique for evaporating excess water to re-balance the must, resulting in less need for chaptalisation. It is perhaps unsurprising to learn, in view of this, that the domaine is owned by a consortium of Australian shareholders.