Robert Ampeau & Fils Clos du Roi Beaune Premier Cru Pinot Noir 2003

FRANCE : BURGUNDY : BEAUNE 1ER CRU Pinot Noir MED-BODIED, DRIED CHERRY, MUSHROOM, EARTHEN SPICE, MINERAL, NEUTRAL OAK Domaine Robert Ampeau has never released wine on the market's schedule. For decades, the family held bottles in six cellars across Meursault until Robert decided they were ready — typically 15 to 20 years after harvest. This 2003 Beaune Premier Cru is Robert's final vintage: he passed away in 2004, making this the last harvest he oversaw at Clos du Roi. The 2003 growing season was extreme — August temperatures hit 42°C and harvest moved to mid-August. Clos du Roi sits at the northern Beaune boundary at ~300 meters elevation on thin sandy topsoil over clay-limestone, which gave the wine mineral drive and acid even in a hot year. Reviewers in 2017 and 2018 were struck by the wine's freshness and continuing arc; 2022 notes document the shift into tertiary — sous-bois, black tea, mushroom. It is drinking now. PAIRINGS : Duck confit earthy depth and dried cherry echo the richness; acidity cuts through the fat Mushroom risotto the wine's sous-bois notes double on the dish — umami feeding umami Braised lamb with herbs tertiary spice and earthy complexity find their match in slow-braised meat

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