Vini Viti Vinci, Irancy Les Vieilles 2017

Pinot Noir from Nicolas Vauthier's parcel in Irancy. The wine is fermented semi-carbonically in fiber-glass tank. It is aged in 225-liter used oak barrels until it is ready to be bottled without fining or filtration with minimal addition of sulfur.

The wine is supple in fruit, crunchy yet fresh, and pure in expression. The elegance and length of finish is remarkable - this is Burgundy baby! Hold on to this for a few years, or pop it open when you desperately need to celebrate. 

Nicolas Vauthier, or Kikro as he is known by his friends, has been a big fan of natural wines; he has been on the forefront of promoting the wines he loves for many years. He had a long career working in wine, starting by actually attending enology school and working at wineries in Washington State as well as France, learning how to make very industrial wines. He then embarked on a career at retail wine in France, where he soon discovered the wines that would become his real passion. 

Today Kikro works exclusively with the less desired appellations of Northern Burgundy, including Chitry, Irancy and Epineuil, working with Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Aligoté. The reds are made entirely with whole bunches and carbonic maceration followed by brief elevage times for softening in barrique, like he learned working with Pacalet. The result is extremely quaffable and delicious pinot noir, with a lot of finesse. - Jenny & François