Domaine Derain Bourgogne Les Riaux 2021

You will notice that the name is now Domaine Derain and, if you look really carefully, in the black strip at the bottom of the label you will see the names of Carole and Julien from Sextant who are the new owners. We have written more about the changeover in the introduction to this section.

This wine is an entry level Bourgogne red with the vines thriving on the Puligny-Montrachet plains quite close to the Aligoté vines.

The grapes are harvested from the tiny (less than half a hectare) Les Riaux vineyard which is close to the village of Saint-Aubin which lies just south of the central city of Beaune.

The yields here are painfully low at only 30 hectolitres per hectare so expect this red to have good fruit flavours and good structure.

While making the wine, most of the grapes are destemmed with just a few whole bunches thrown in. After pressing, the juice and skins are transferred to large wooden vats for maceration for up to two weeks before the juice is transferred to old oak barrels for six months of maturation.'

- Living Wines