Beaune 1er cru Grèves 2021 Domaine Michel Gay

The Beaune 1er Cru Les Grèves 2021 from Domaine Michel Gay is one of the domaine's most ambitious and structured wines, drawn from the largest and most emblematic premier cru of the Beaune appellation. Rated 92/100 by Wine Spectator and 16.5/20 by Bettane & Desseauve, which describes it as one of the appellation's most structured terroirs thanks to its iron oxide content, this wine combines depth, complexity and breeding in a powerful, refined style that the 2021 vintage, fresh and elegant, balances with fine tension and remarkable aromatic finesse.

The terroir of Les Grèves

Les Grèves is the largest Premier Cru climat in the Beaune appellation, extending over more than 31 hectares in the heart of the Beaune vineyard, between 220 and 260 metres altitude, facing due east. Its name refers to the soil itself: the gravels and friable rocks that compose this exceptional terroir, often broken down into silts and enriched by a notable presence of iron oxide in the upper part of the climat, a rare characteristic that gives these wines extraordinary depth, complexity and ageing potential. The soil, deep and composed of limestone mixed with ferruginous clays, allows Pinot Noir to develop strong roots and express great mineral richness. Philip Youngman Carter, literary critic and Burgundy lover, described wines from Les Grèves as a "soft delight of velvet" – an image that perfectly sums up the character of this exceptional terroir, both powerful and silky. It is a premier cru that many great connoisseurs consider one of, if not the greatest of Beaune.

Tasting profile

The colour is deep red with cherry glints, luminous and dense, characteristic of the 2021 vintage with ripe and healthy fruit. The nose opens with delicate wild aromatics, wild raspberry and bramble, then develops into notes of ripe cherry, cherry bark, cedarwood and fresh oak finely integrated, with a mineral note of damp earth and flint that betrays the deep imprint of the Les Grèves terroir. On the palate, the attack is ample and elegant, supported by good integrated acidity and mature, precise, refined tannins. The substance is dense and profound, coursed through with pleasant salinity and gentle notes of cocoa and spice. The finish is long, tight and mineral, with that characteristic chalky and spicy signature of Les Grèves. A wine for the cellar in the truest sense, which will gradually reveal all its complexity over eight to fifteen years.

The domaine

Founded in 1992 by Michel Gay, Domaine Michel Gay et Fils is now run by Sébastien Gay, the fourth generation of a winemaking family established in Chorey-lès-Beaune for more than a century. The vineyard extends over around fifteen hectares across several prestigious appellations of the Côte de Beaune: Chorey-lès-Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune, Aloxe-Corton, Beaune and Corton Grand Cru. The vineyard is managed with sustainable practices, no herbicides, with mulching and incorporation of prunings. In the cellar, winemaking is traditional and non-interventionist: cold pre-fermentation maceration, fermentation with indigenous yeasts, gentle extraction, and ageing in oak barrels with 40 to 70% new wood for the premier crus, for approximately 16 months. Bettane & Desseauve rates the domaine 3BD, praising the consistency and precision of all its cuvées.

Food pairing

This Beaune 1er Cru Les Grèves pairs beautifully with beef fillet en croûte with porcini, lamb rack with herbs and truffle jus, venison civet, roasted wild duck or pigeon with Puy lentils. It will also find fine harmony with aged hard cheeses such as Comté aged 24 months or mature Beaufort. Decanting for around one hour is advised to allow the wine to express itself fully. Served between 16 and 18°C, it will reveal all the depth and breeding of a great Beaune terroir.