2022 Dugat-Py Beaune "Les Beaux Fougets" Très Vieilles Vignes

Loïc Dugat's 2022 Beaune "Les Beaux Fougets" Très Vieilles Vignes marks a turning point for Dugat-Py, one of Burgundy's most storied estates. Where earlier generations built a reputation on monolithic, age-demanding reds, the 13th-generation vigneron now coaxes intensity and finesse from the same hillside parcels through earlier picking, reduced new oak, and fifty percent whole-cluster fermentation. The vines—Pinot Noir planted between 1965 and 1985—grow organically and biodynamically in the Beaune premier cru climat "Les Beaux Fougets," a site known for loamy soils that anchor structure without overwhelming fruit. This 2022 vintage shows how power and transparency can live in the same bottle. The Dugat family has farmed this corner of the Côte de Beaune since the 18th century, and their cellars date to the 11th. Loïc inherited not just vines but a philosophy, and he has quietly rewritten it. Where his predecessors favored extraction and extended aging, he pulls back on new oak and picks earlier to preserve acidity and lift. The whole-cluster component—now half the fermentation—adds stem tannin and a floral top note without the green edge that plagued earlier experiments across Burgundy. The fruit ferments in open-top wooden vats, punched by hand, then ages in a mix of used barrels and a careful minority of new French oak. The result is a wine that honors the site's mineral backbone while letting the vintage's brightness shine through. The nose opens with baked raspberry, red cherry, and dried cranberry, then unfolds into loamy earth, rose petal, and baking spice. On the palate, fine furry tannins frame a core of red fruit and savory depth—think pipe tobacco, black tea, clove, mint—anchored by vibrant acidity and a saline edge that defines the long finish. The wine is surprisingly supple now, but decanting is essential to coax out its full aromatic range. This is not a fruit bomb meant to please immediately; it's a structured Pinot built to evolve over a decade or more, gaining tertiary complexity as the tannins soften and the mineral character deepens. Pair it with duck confit, roasted game birds, or earthy mushroom risotto—anything with umami and a touch of richness to meet the wine's savory intensity. This bottle is available for pickup at our Lincoln Park shop at 1128 W Armitage Ave, for local Chicago delivery, or for nationwide shipping.