Joseph Drouhin Laforêt Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2022

Joseph Drouhin is a Beaune house founded in 1880 that farms across Burgundy, and Laforêt is its regional Bourgogne Pinot Noir. The fruit comes from clay and limestone soils, the classic Burgundian pairing that gives Pinot Noir both red fruit and a savoury mineral lift. Vines are Guyot pruned and planted at a density of around 10,000 per hectare, so each plant carries a modest crop and ripens evenly. The house has practised organic farming for years, working to respect the soil life that carries site character into the fruit. Fermentation and a short period in barrel keep oak in the background, so the emphasis stays on freshness rather than structure. The colour is a bright, light ruby. The nose leads with raspberry and cherry, backed by a touch of rose and damp earth. On the palate it is light bodied and supple, with soft tannin, brisk acidity and a clean red-fruit finish. This is Pinot Noir to drink young and slightly cool. Serve at 14 to 16 degrees, and pour it with roast chicken, duck or a mushroom tart.