Beaune 1er cru Les Cent Vignes 2024 Domaine des Croix

The Beaune 1er Cru Les Cent Vignes 2024 from Domaine des Croix is one of David Croix's most delicate and seductive cuvées, rated 16.5/20 by Revue du Vin de France. This Premier Cru is made from grapes grown on vines known as among the earliest ripening on the domaine. The enveloping, charming texture captivates immediately with its delicious notes of fresh strawberries and cherries. Subtle florals of iris and rose emerge from this wine that seduces through its delicacy and refinement. Les Cent Vignes is a gourmand wine, a very fine palate that gains amplitude.

Terroir and vineyard

Les Cent Vignes is one of the first vineyards encountered when leaving Beaune towards the west. This lieu-dit is unofficially divided into two complementary sections: the upper part of the slope with brown clays and gravels in stratified grèze, and the lower part with well-drained alluvial soils. Domaine des Croix works four parcels of old vines across both terroirs, covering just over one hectare total, planted in 1955, 1956, 1957 and 1968. These vines, aged 55 to 70 years, are renowned as the earliest ripening on the domaine, their natural precocity allowing them to reach optimal maturity before other parcels. The plot faces ideally south-east, at the boundary of the Bressandes and Grèves. Viticulture is organic. Manual harvest with two successive selections. Vinification with a significant proportion of whole bunches placed at the bottom of the vat to remain intact during punchdowns, fermentation with wild yeasts in wooden vats. Ageing in barriques with a moderate proportion of new wood, neither fined nor filtered.

Tasting profile

The robe is a bright, luminous ruby of fine delicacy. The nose bursts with aromas of raspberries, plums, spice and rose petals, with a touch of fresh cherry and iris. Floral notes of absolute delicacy and precision bear the mark of these early-ripening old vines on their alluvial and clay soils. On the palate, the wine is medium to full bodied, fleshy and well concentrated, with soft tannins and fine depth at the core. A superbly fine and perfumed wine, with a sexy and super-fresh palate by the words of the most enthusiastic tasters. The texture is enveloping and charming, carried by well-integrated acidity that brings liveliness and length. The finish is long, floral and fruited, with a delicacy and persistence that confirm David Croix's talent for revealing Beaune's terroirs in all their singularity. Drink from now through the next ten years.

The domaine

David Croix is from Montlouis-sur-Loire. From age 16, he knew he wanted to make wine. A graduate of Dijon's Master's in oenology in 2001, he founded Domaine des Croix in the heart of Beaune with a clear vision: to craft wines that are the purest expression of terroir and vintage. The domaine's seven hectares represent one of Burgundy's brightest rising stars. His wines are seductive and delicious, yet despite their accessibility, they possess serious depth, with layered textures and refined structure.

Food pairings

This Beaune 1er Cru Les Cent Vignes pairs beautifully with roasted Bresse chicken with morels, veal fillet with wild mushrooms, lamb rack with Provençal herbs, squab with peas, or aged cheese such as Brillat-Savarin or Brie de Meaux. Served between 15 and 16 °C, with a gentle 30-minute decant suggested, it will reveal all the floral delicacy, fruited sap and natural refinement of a Beaune Premier Cru signed by the appellation's undisputed rising star.