2009 Domaine Michel Ecard Savigny-les-Beaune 1er Cru Serpentieres Vieilles Vignes

The "Serpentiéres" vineyard is regarded as one of the finest vineyards in all of Savigny. Its full southern exposure and chalky, mineral-rich soils; as well as ancient vines—some pushing 80 years old, produce a wine of beautiful complexity and expression. The 2009 vintage in Burgundy is already becoming known as a benchmark vintage for Pinot Noir, and it should be interesting to see how this young Savigny is showing at this early stage.

I first want to admit that I opened this wine last night and it was practically undrinkable due to it's astringent tannin and high acidity levels....I almost dumped it down the drain because I thought perhaps it could have been a flawed bottle. However, after 24 hours on top of my refrigerator the wine has transformed into a masterpiece.

On the nose I get stunning aromas of stewed bing cherries, red raspberry, sarsaparilla, and crushed rocks. There is a really nice balance between mineral character and red fruit.

On the palate the wine glides across the palate with a lovely silky texture and expresses elegant flavors of cherry sauce, cranberry, red currant, leather, and dried herbs. The soft and vidid red fruit flavors express a certain savory character that makes the mouth water in anticipation of the next sip.

This is true Burgundy folks.....the elegance, the complexity, the acidity and overall balance, this is what defines the varietal and region. The wine is however extremely young and will drink much better with a minimum of 5 years in the bottle. If you do plan on drinking it at this stage, I would strongly suggest a few hours in decanter or a night of being open with the cork in the top. 93 points

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