2018 Bruno Clavelier Corton Grand Cru 'Le Rognet'

The 2018 Bruno Clavelier Corton Grand Cru 'Le Rognet' is a single-vineyard Pinot Noir from one of Burgundy's most storied hillsides, bottled by a producer who has farmed organically since before the term became a marketing device. Le Rognet sits on the southern slope of the Corton hill, where iron-rich clay and limestone deliver wines with profound mineral drive and the structure to age for decades. This is Grand Cru Burgundy made by a family that still hand-selects cuttings from the best parcels in Vosne-Romanée, resulting in naturally low yields and concentration that never tips into extraction. Bruno Clavelier succeeded his grandfather at the family's 6.5-hectare domaine in the heart of Vosne-Romanée, a grandfather who pioneered chemical-free farming in the region long before organic viticulture was codified. The estate bottled its first vintage in 1988 after decades of selling fruit to négociants, and Bruno has farmed biodynamically since 2005, certified and committed. Some 95% of the vineyards are planted to traditional Pinot Noir Fin, the old massal-selection clones propagated by hand from the best old vines. Most of the estate's parcels were planted in the 1930s and 1940s, earning the Vieilles Vignes designation, and the wines are made with minimal intervention so the vineyard speaks without winemaking noise. The 2018 vintage delivers big, intense, muscular flavors wrapped in a velvety mid-palate texture that seems at odds with the chiseled, mineral-driven finish until you realize the wine is holding both in tension. There is first-rate vibrancy here, a sense of detail and definition that comes from old vines, biodynamic soil health, and a winemaker who knows when to step back. Pair this with roasted game birds, braised beef short ribs, or a serious wedge of aged Comté. The wine will improve over the next decade and hold for two more beyond that. Available for pickup at our Lincoln Park bottle shop at 1128 W Armitage Ave, local Chicago delivery, or nationwide shipping.