Site: at the gates of the Côte d'Or, a few kilometers south of Santenay; this appellation is part of the Region of Mercurey.History & tradition: the village of Rully is ancient; the land may have been first cleared by a Roman whose name was Rubilius.Soil: secondary age limestone layers, in the continuation of Mercurey.Area of the Drouhin Domaine: 1,2ha. (3 acres).
Viticulture
Biological cultivation since 1990; biodynamic cultivation a few years later.Vine stocks: "sélection massale" done in our own nursery (propagating new vine stocks from a number of selected vines) but also from clones of recognized quality.Soil maintenance: manure, white wood, sometimes guano (seabird manure used as fertilizer). Soil is ploughed either by tractor or by horses in order to prevent spreading of weeds.Treatment: only authorized products for biological cultivation are used - infusions and macerations of plant materials, sulfur and copper, powdered rock. Natural predators are not eliminated.Plantation density: from 10,000 to 12,500 stocks/ha in order to extract as much as possible from the terroir and limit the production of each vine stock.Pruning: Guyot.Yield: we aim for a lower yield, such as it existed before the new law. This yield is therefore the present maximum yield minus 20%.
Vinification
Supply: grapes from the Drouhin Domaine, in addition to grapes purchased from trusted supply partners.Harvesting: by hand, in small open crates in order to preserve the integrity of the fruit.Sorting of the grapes: in the vineyard and at the "cuverie" (winery) if necessary.Maceration:
maceration and vinification take 2 to 3 weeks
indigenous yeasts
maceration and fermentation temperatures under total control.
Joseph Drouhin seeks total control of the process of extraction; extraction gives colour and substance to a wine but should never be detrimental to its finesse and typical character."Pigeage" (punching down of the cap during fermentation): once a day until half of fermentation is done; one pumping over (remontage) per day till the end of the fermentation.Pressing: vertical press; separation of free run juice from pressed juice
Ageing
Type: in barrels (10% in new oak).Length: 12 to 15 months.Origin of the wood: French oak forests.Weathering of the wood: Joseph Drouhin insists on total control of the weathering for a period of 3 years, one of the contributing elements to the elegance of the wine.Follow-up: barrel by barrel.Throughout the ageing process, decisions are taken only after careful tasting evaluation, barrel by barrel. The data obtained is then completed through technical analysis. As with every other Joseph Drouhin wine, absolute priority is given to the true expression of terroir and character of the vintage.
Tasting note by Véronique Boss-Drouhin
"Beautiful bright ruby-red colour. Aromas of puréed raspberry, gooseberry, red currant, blackberry. With ageing, the aromas evolve towards riper notes of syrup, then tobacco and wet undergrowth. Pretty and refined on the nose. The flavours belong to those of a great Burgundy. Fresh, velvety texture ("gras"), elegant tannins, well meshed when the wine is mature. Long, refined aftertaste, with some touches of fruit jam.".
Vintage
This vintage was marked by a concentration of juice in the berries just before the harvest. The wines show a very nice intense ruby colour. The nose is complex and very expressive of red fruits and black fruits but above all the expressions of the terroirs are already noticeable.
