Vineyards and winemaking
Les Bressandes is one of Beaune's warmer Premier Cru sites, a steep, east-facing slope with well-drained, pebbly clay-limestone soils. Jean-Claude Rateau has farmed biodynamically since taking over his family's vines in 1979, adapting his work to each climat and vintage so that the Pinot Noir reflects the character of the site rather than a fixed cellar formula.
The grapes are fermented with indigenous yeasts and extracted gently, with a maceration of around three weeks and manual pigeage. Rateau avoids new oak: the wine matures on its fine lees in seasoned Burgundy barrels, allowing the structure of Les Bressandes and the nuances of the 1998 vintage to develop without a pronounced flavour of wood.
Tasting notes
Appearance
Garnet red shading towards brick at the rim, with the translucence and gentle evolution expected of mature Pinot Noir.
Nose
Dried cherry, redcurrant and rose petal lead into sous-bois, truffle, tea leaf and fine brown spice. The bouquet is mature and savoury, with further detail emerging gradually in the glass.
Palate
Silky and finely resolved, with delicate red fruit, fresh acidity and softened tannins. Notes of cranberry, dried cherry, autumn leaves and earthy spice unfold across a medium-bodied palate, finishing long and quietly mineral rather than forceful.
Food pairing
Serve with roast guinea fowl, duck breast with lentils, veal with morels, or a mushroom and thyme tart. Stand the bottle upright before opening and pour carefully; a gentle decant away from any sediment may help, but prolonged aeration is best avoided with a wine of this age.
Background story
Jean-Claude Rateau became Burgundy's first biodynamic winegrower when he adopted the approach on 1.5 hectares of family vines in 1979. Working from Beaune, he went on to cultivate a patchwork of small parcels with methods centred on living soils, observation and minimal intervention, helping to establish biodynamics in a region where it was then scarcely understood.
Les Bressandes is among the domaine's more structured expressions of Beaune, its warm, well-drained slope giving Pinot Noir both ripeness and authority. This 1998 is now a mature bottle whose condition and evolution may vary, yet well-cellared examples can offer the layered savoury perfume and graceful texture that make aged Burgundy so compelling.
