19th Century Cottage With 21st Century Wine
Nuits-Saint-Georges, France
Wine Style: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay
Average Price: $$ / €€
Overall Rating: 85 points
By Sean Overpeck (CFE)
**A full article and index glossary of restaurants, wines, recipes and travel for
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Domaine Guy & Yvan Dufouleur was the third stop on a Burgundy wine tour which also included tours of Beaune, Dijon, and a nice lunch. What better way to spend your day then tasting great chardonnay and pinot noir, plus seeing the history of this land.
The Dufouleur family have been merchants since the early 1600s, but it was very recently that the new generation represented by Yvan and Yann decided to start distributing the family estate wines. The vineyards extend from Fixin to Santenay and include exclusive ownership of Fixin's Clos du Chapitre Premier Cru. Fixin was one of the labeled wines that everyone on the tour tasted.
The Vinification is a selective picking from the vineyard. Cool maceration for one week and fermentation for 2 weeks thereafter. The wine is aged in oak barrels (1/3 new oak) for 13 months to include Malolactic fermentation, and 2 months vat resting before the wine is bottled. The appellation of Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits can only be granted after the wines have been subjected to a certification via tasting and analysis. Therefore, you know that you are getting a very good quality product that the label prides itself on.
The Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits region (Côte-d’Or) has been officially recognized since 1961, and it covers 16 communes of the Hautes Côtes region in the département of Côte-d’Or, plus the more elevated areas of 4 communes in the Côte de Nuits. The dividing line between the Hautes Côtes de Nuits and the Hautes Côtes de Beaune runs through the village of Magny-Iès-Villers. It is amazing how many different separations there are and how though it is the same two grapes, that tasting one, then driving across the street and tasting a second is completely different.
The owners of Yvan have been harvesting from father to son in Nuits-Saint-Georges since 1596. Currently, the management of the Estate is handled jointly by Yvan Dufouleur eldest son of Guy and his uncle Xavier. The Dufouleur family sold the "Dufouleur Père et Fils" business in 2006 so they could refocus on its Domaine business instead.
To this day, the Dufouleur family is no longer present in the "Dufouleur Père et Fils Distribution" business. The company still distributes a small portion of the Domaine's wines especially from our tasting of the 1er Cru, and Fixin 1er Cru, which represents about 12% of what the estate produces each year.
Some further information on the wines:
PINOT BLACK
Average age 30 years
SOIL: Deep limestone clay soil
Location: 1 plot located at the bottom of Morey St Denis.
Average yield over 5 years: 35 hl / Ha
Number of bottles: 2500
Conduct of the vine: Low vines, grinding of sulfate rows, tillage, and partial weeding, reasoned management, leaf removal, manual harvesting.
Winemaking: Manual squeezing pressing pneumatic stainless steel press.
Cheeses recommended with wine: A mature Soumaintrain, Nuits d’Or, Reblochon fermier, and Morbier.
Wine & Grape:
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Nose (Bouquet):
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Palette Experience:
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Fixin
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Winemaker Notes:
Wine often has aromas of red and black fruits depending on the year.
To consume between 2 and 5 years on its youth. The nose is defined with finesse, with the characteristic elegance of the Pinot Noir grape variety
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Winemaker Notes:
Middle-of-the-road temperament, neither too stiff with tannins nor too fleshy. The mouth is of great aromatic frankness, supported by a silky and gourmet structure. Of good overall material, the end of the mouth is prolonged on a tannin rather supple and round.
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*** NOTE TO THE READER ***
I refer to myself as an oenophile though, oenophilia is defined as “a disciplined devotion to wine, accompanying strict traditions of consumption and appreciation.” In a general sense, oenophilia also refers to the enjoyment of wine, often by a layman - which I am, and not qualified as a professional. I just enjoy drinking it, so my rating is based on enjoyment and the overall experience, not the science of an expert.
Overall Star Rating:
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85 points
3 of 5 Stars:
Exceeded Expectations
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Wines Produced
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Red: Pinot Noir
White: Chardonnay
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Regulatory
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Other Old World wines or Château articles on Wine Dine and Play:
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Quatrieme Cru Tasting, Margaux AOC
Cantenac, France
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Biodynamic Winery of the year 2016
Giesta Dão, Portugal
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A Cru Bourgeois Supérieur
Cussac-Fort-Médoc, Bordeaux
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A Few New World Vineyard Favorites:
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Outstanding Pinot and Chardonnay
Gruyere, Yarra Valley Australia
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Low yield, high quality + film writing
Sonoma, California
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Land, Legacy, and the Vanderbilt name
Asheville, North Carolina
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Bottle Prices
(excluding taxes)
$£€¥ - Under 50.00 (inexpensive)
$£€¥ x 2 - 51.00- 99.00 (moderate)
$£€¥ x 3 - Over 100.00 (pricy)
$£€¥ x 4 - Over 200.00 (expensive)
$£€¥ x 5 - Over 400.00 (very expensive)
**Currencies reflect the world’s major wine countries and connoisseur’s**
Wine Selection:
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Currency rates in the top wine producing & wine purchasing countries:
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Price Chart :
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2012 (750 ml)
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€51.00
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European Union (EUR)
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€€
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$59.00
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United States Dollar (USD)
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$$
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$75.00
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Australian Dollar (AUS)
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$$
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£45.00
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Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP)
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£
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$75.00
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Canadian Dollar (CAN)
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$$
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¥400.00
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Chinese Yuan (CNY)
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¥¥¥¥¥
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$80.00
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New Zealand Dollar (NZD)
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$$
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R 767.00
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South African Rand (ZAR)
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R
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Currency rates as of July 2017
Dufouleur Père & Fils:
15 rue Thurot, 21700
Nuits-Saint-Georges, France
Tasting Room Information:
Website:
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Tasting room:
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+33 3 80 61 09 35
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Email Contact:
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Tasting Room hours:
France Standard Time
(GMT, Zulu, or UTC - BST Offset + 1:00)
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Monday - Friday:
9:00 am - 7:30 pm
Sat-Sun:
Closed
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Social Media:
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****
The worlds best restaurants is a subjective list of who is writing it and changes on a regular basis. The Wine Dine and Play best experiences are based on my highest rated stared restaurants, meaning that the visit was an outstanding or extraordinary experience. From cafés, chains, mom + pops, hole in the walls, to fine dining including a few Michelin spots. Visit the Top 100 page to see the entire list.
A few to tease you with…
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Rodízio buffet and churrascaria
Niagara, Canada
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Dessert shop with Southern treats, and praline
Savannah & Charleston, South Carolina, USA
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German Bites in Bavarian-style Tavern
Ruskin, Florida, USA
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“I like cooking with wine; sometimes I even add it to the food.”
TTFN
