{"product_id":"didier-fornerol-cote-de-nuits-villages-rouge-2024","title":"Didier Fornerol Cote de Nuits Villages Rouge 2024","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Land\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCorgoloin is the last village of the Côte de Nuits before the slope turns into the Côte de Beaune, and it has never had an appellation of its own. Its reds are sold as Côte de Nuits-Villages, a catch-all created in 1964 for five villages at either end of the Côte: Fixin and Brochon in the north, Premeaux-Prissey, Comblanchien and Corgoloin in the south. That label hides real terroir. Corgoloin sits on the same escarpment as Nuits-Saint-Georges, on the Jurassic limestone that is quarried just up the road in Comblanchien. Didier Fornerol's Côte de Nuits-Villages rouge comes from 3.70 hectares of vines in several parcels west of the village, on brown limestone soils.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePinot Noir, fermented entirely as whole clusters with no destemming at all. Didier punches down by hand, with an occasional pump-over, at slightly warmer temperatures than he uses for his whites. The wine then spends 14 to 16 months in barrel with about 10% new oak and is racked no more than twice. Whole bunches do the heavy lifting here: the stems bring a savory, herbal lift and a finer grip than destemmed Pinot, and they keep the fruit crunchy. Red cherry and wild strawberry, a darker edge of plum, crushed rock, a little clove, all on silky tannin. The 2024 growing season was one of the hardest in recent memory, with rain more than 55% above average, persistent mildew, and a drawn-out flowering that cut yields across the Côte. What survived ripened slowly and was picked in mid-September. The reds are floral and fresh, with modest alcohol, closer to 2016 or 2010 in shape than to the heavier warm years.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe People\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBefore he had a label of his own, Didier Fornerol spent the 1980s and 1990s as vineyard manager and cellar master at Domaine de l'Arlot in Premeaux, working under Jean-Pierre de Smet, the man who made l'Arlot's name and one of Burgundy's early champions of whole-cluster fermentation. In 1999 Didier took over his family's domaine in Corgoloin. After de Smet stepped away from l'Arlot in the mid-2000s, he came to help in Didier's cellar, and the house style reflects both men. The domaine totals about 6 hectares, farmed lutte raisonnée with minimal synthetic treatments, and Didier handles the pruning, trellising, spraying and hand harvest with a very small team. 2024 is his final vintage. He has leased out his vines and retires once these wines are bottled, which makes this Didier Fornerol Côte de Nuits-Villages 2024 the last of its line.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFood Pairing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStart with oeufs en meurette, eggs poached in red wine with lardons and mushrooms, the Burgundian dish built for exactly this wine. Crisp-skinned salmon over beluga lentils with a mustard vinaigrette works because the fresh acid and light tannin meet the fish without flattening it. A slice of jambon persillé with cornichons gives the stem spice some salt and brine to push against. On a lazy night, a mushroom and thyme flatbread with fontina does the job too. This is the everyday Burgundy you buy two of, one for Tuesday and one to hold for a year to see what whole clusters do with time.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Stelvio","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51373913309407,"sku":null,"price":67.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P9120272.jpg?v=1789272793","url":"https:\/\/danverwinemerchant.com\/products\/didier-fornerol-cote-de-nuits-villages-rouge-2024","provider":"Denver Wine Merchant","version":"1.0","type":"link"}