La Maison Romane Gevrey-Chambertin La Justice 2023

La Maison Romane is the project of Oronce de Beler, founded in 2005 and based in a sixteenth-century house in Gevrey-Chambertin, on the Côte de Nuits. This Pinot Noir comes from the La Justice lieu-dit, a parcel on the alluvial flats near the village where deeper, gravelly clay over limestone gives an approachable, fruit-forward style of Gevrey. De Beler ploughs the vineyard with Percheron horses rather than tractors, which avoids compacting the soil and keeps the topsoil open for root growth, and he farms biodynamically without synthetic chemicals. Vinification follows the lunar calendar, with native-yeast fermentation and ageing in used oak that frames the fruit without dominating it. The colour is medium ruby. The nose shows red cherry, wild strawberry and rose, with earth and a savoury, gamey note developing behind. The palate is medium bodied, with fine-grained tannins, fresh acidity and an earthy, mineral finish typical of the appellation. Serve at 16 degrees in a Burgundy glass, decanted briefly if young. It pairs naturally with duck, game and mushroom dishes.