Beaune Clos de La Feguine 1er Cru Monopole

Pairs well with Pan Fried Queen prawns in chilli, lemon and butter, or creamy chicken dishes and legumes.

South-facing sun exposure. Very steep. Meagre, light brown silty and clay-limestone soil. Fractured limestone.Former quarry. Perfect drainage

Alcoholic fermentation and ageing took entirely in oak barrels. 100% malolactic fermentation Duration of barrel ageing : 20 months

Whole bunches of grapes were handpicked into small crates and pressed in a pneumatic winepress.

For years Domaine Jacques Prieur was in a slow and seemingly terminal decline with quantity rather than quality being the byword. The guardian angel arrived in the form of Mercurey-based négociants Antonin Rodet in the late 1980s. Rodet's oenologist Nadine Gublin has been the driving force behind the renaissance in quality which now rivals the very finest producers on the Côte. The Domaine is today owned 70% by the Labruyère family and 30% by the Prieurs.The roots of the revival lie in the vineyards where fewer pesticides and herbicides are being used and come harvest time there is now a far more rigid selection of the best fruit. The results are a revelation. They have an exceptional range of grand cru vineyards – including the grandest of the grand such as Montrachet Musigny and Chambertin. But perhaps because the domaine’s holdings are dispersed up and down the Côte that it has not enjoyed the first rate reputation that one might have expected. The wines are certainly good but perhaps just short of the flair which would place them in the very top division. There is a conscious decision to pick relatively late and make flamboyantly full-bodied wines.