Domaine Lacour “Sous Le Clos” Côtes Du Couchois, a superb Pinot Noir from a relatively unknown area of Burgundy

Domaine Lacour “Sous Le Clos” Côtes Du Couchois Bourgogne (AOP) 2021, 13% ABV

RRP €25.50. Stockists:  64 Wine Dublin, Bradley’s of Cork, Greenman Dublin, Le Caveau

A superb Pinot Noir from a relatively unknown area of Burgundy

The Côtes du Couchois is a tiny appellation in Burgundy. Although it is a relatively unknown area, it is the source of authentic and very well-priced wines. This “Sous Le Clos” by Domaine Lacour is an exemplar. 

It is also one of the darker-coloured Pinot Noirs. The grape is loved for its red fruit and you’ll note plenty of it (cherry, raspberries) in the aromas. More of the same on the smooth palate, enlivened by a wash of sweet spice (from the oak ageing). Tannins are soft and there is a long finish. Another superb wine from Lacour* and Very Highly Recommended. Versatile at the table. Try it with duck, chicken, pork and mushrooms. 

The Pinot Noir is grown in clay-limestone slopes located south of the Maranges at an altitude between 300 and 420m. The deep soil is rich and “allows a certain resistance to drought,” but it is “difficult to work because it has a very dense, subsoil of so-called blue rocks”.

If you like Pinot Noir, you are in for a treat here. As you know, the grape is one of the main ones in Champagne and no surprise that France is the world’s largest producer of Pinot Noir. The USA is second and Germany third, with Moldova a surprising fourth.

• Another absolutely delightful wine produced by Lacour is their Passe-tout-grains, a sort of vineyard blend (in this case mostly Pinot Noir and Gamay) somewhat similar to the Gentil of Alsace. A short review of the Lacour version is here. The Passe-tout-grains is also available from Le Caveau.