Thibault de Planiol Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2014

At night time, when the villagers have all gone to bed, the vines at Thibault de Planiol often burst out above the trellises for a nocturnal sing-song and their favourite song is Otis Redding's 'Respect'. One night the winemakers overheard them and really took it to heart, vowing to always respect their soul-loving vines.

They now use organic techniques and listen to all the plants' needs, allowing them to express all the elegant, red berry flavours, adding only a hint of liquorice by ageing the resulting wines in French barrels. So go on, try a little respect.

At the beginning of the 19th century Thibault Planiol moved from Auvergne to settle in Burgundy because he had a hungry passion for wine making. Although the vineyard has a long, traditional history, things are quite different now. Three generations later and Stan de Planiol is in charge. The vineyard now uses organic techniques and farms sustainably. Stan has built his knowledge of winemaking by studying in Beaune and working at vineyards as far out as New Zealand.

At Thibault de Planiol they like to respect the fruit and allow the character of the terroir to shine through in the wine. Burgundy's soils are some of the best in the world for growing Pinot Noir. The limestone and clay formed in the soil gives Burgundy wines with the perfect growing conditions and Thibault de Planiol are great at harnessing this.

The vines are grown in low yields and, as well as using organic techniques, they don’t use ‘finings’ in the wine. It is then aged in French oak to soften the tannins and give it a toasty character.

This red has a purple hint and is very light in colour. The aromas are of red berries, particularly wild strawberries, which also shine through on the palate. The French oak is apparent in a very delicate liquorice note on the finish.