Côte de Nuits-Villages Emphase 2023 Antoine Lienhardt

Tasting Note

Initially, aromas of crushed raspberries and tart cherries emerge, followed by the peppery astringency and stem notes that are always present in whole-cluster fermentation. A subtle hint of dried roses lingers. On the palate, it is medium-bodied and brimming with vitality, with acidity taking precedence over tannins. The tannins are delicate and have a slightly chalky texture. The finish is firm and dry rather than sweet. It's ready to drink right away once exposed to air, and the flavors become even more robust after 1-2 years of aging in the bottle.

Grape Varieties

All of Antoine Lienhardt's red wines are single-varietal, and the Côte de Nuits-Villages Emphase 2023 is no exception:

Pinot Noir

No other varieties have been blended in. Blending occurs between vats, not between varieties. Because Pinot Noir is highly sensitive to soil and microclimate, this wine, made by blending grapes from various Comblanchien plots, offers a broader range of flavors than a wine from any single plot.

Cellaring Potential

Best enjoyed by 2032. Since the wine is characterized more by acidity and delicate, whole-cluster tannins than by body, it is not a wine meant for 20 years of aging. Decanting for about 30 minutes is sufficient. This allows the distinctive stemmy aromas to fade, letting the fruit flavors come to the forefront. Serve at 18°C.

About Antoine Lienhardt

Comblanchien is a quarrying village, not a wine tourism stop, and that suits Domaine Antoine Lienhardt fine. Antoine Lienhardt is the fourth generation in a family whose vines go back to the 19th century, though he took over in 2011, nearly two decades after the family had stopped farming them. Before returning he worked in Chablis, Chambolle-Musigny and South Africa. Today he runs the domaine with his sister Héloïse. Every cuvée ferments whole bunch, stems included, with no additives, and aging is split between oak barrels (Stockinger 400-litre casks rather than small Burgundian pièces), concrete eggs and stone jars. Holdings run from Côte de Nuits-Villages up to Clos de Vougeot and Charmes-Chambertin, plus Meursault whites. And unusually, Aligoté gets the same careful aging as everything else.

Terroir & Climate

Comblanchien is located at the southern end of Côte de Nuits, and the vineyard behind Emphase consists of soil mixed with clay, limestone, and sand, dotted with stones and stretching across both hillsides and flat terrain. It is precisely this distribution that is key. The limestone-rich areas impart a sense of tension and a stony finish to the wine, while the areas with thick clay layers store moisture during the hot summer months, helping the old Pinot Noir vines retain their vitality.

Winemaking

No stems are removed at all. The whole bunches are placed in stainless steel tanks to undergo a semi-carbonic maceration (fermentation that begins inside the grapes while they remain intact), using indigenous yeasts and no added sulfur. The tank aging period is kept short to ensure that the aromas from the stems take on a spicy character rather than a green, herbaceous one. The aging period lasts about 10 months, with approximately one-third of the wine aged in cement eggs and the remainder in old 228-liter and 500-liter oak barrels, ensuring that the oak aroma does not become overly pronounced. The wine undergoes no clarification or filtration, and a small amount of sulfur dioxide is added during bottling.

Food Pairing

Thanks to its lively acidity and light tannins, this wine is, above all, perfect for enjoying with a meal. It pairs well with roast chicken cooked in its own juices. It also goes well with boeuf bourguignon or classic Burgundian stews, as the wine's freshness nicely balances the rich flavors of the concentrated sauce. Mushroom dishes create a natural harmony. Morel mushrooms in a cream sauce or pasta with porcini mushrooms are prime examples. It also pairs well with Époisses.