Domaine de la Côte

Nature has a way of guiding our hand in the vineyard, and the 2024 season was a profound reminder of that relationship. The foundation of a vintage is often laid in the spring, when the number of flowers are determined. Having faced two cold springs in a row (2023 and 2024), the number of viable flowers was dramatically lowered. While our Domaine often sees tiny flowers, millerandage, and challenging set conditions, 2024 saw these elements exacerbated, thus leading to heartbreaking, minuscule yields. To put this into perspective, our Domaine normally yields 1.5 to 2 tons per acre, and in 2024, we saw an astounding 0.5 tons or less per acre. Additionally, we do not practice crop adjustment and maintain rigorous sorting to ensure only the finest fruit is brought into the cellar. Between the natural paucity of the season and our own refusal to compromise on quality, what remains is the joyful result of an atypical vintage.

BEAUTY OF TRANSFORMATION

Our philosophy this year was one of "gentle observation." In the cellar, the wines showed strong tannins and density at the beginning of fermentation. To honor this natural intensity, we chose to minimize pigeage (punchdown) and remontage (pumpover), allowing the wine to find its own balance.

There is a certain magic in winemaking - much like a simple blade of wheat transforms into leaven for bread or milk becomes a complex, tangy chèvre - where raw elements develop into something far more complex. This vintage captured that amazement perfectly, and to further ensure our bottlings are a pure representation of each vineyard site, we bottled all wines in- house. Acquiring our own bottling line allowed us to move slowly and methodically, maintaining total control over the process, ensuring the integrity of the wine from beginning to end.

IN THE GLASS

The 2024 wines are a beautiful paradox: highly concentrated yet remarkably delicate. Because of the low yields, the flavor density is exceptional, yet the wines retain a grace and balance that makes them incredibly age worthy. I’m sure you have noticed that this year, we have made a bold choice to bottle in magnum – a decision rooted in both scientific grace (large format bottles lead to slower oxidation) and celebration of pure indulgence. Recognizing the ceremony of opening a magnum, we have ensured this vintage offers extraordinary longevity. Our raison d'être at Domaine de la Côte has always been to pursue greatness, and the 2024 vintage is another testament to our refusal to conform, trusting that the risk is always worth the reward. We hope you join us in this sentiment, and as always, we sincerely thank you for supporting our Domaine.

Without any hesitation after its cork is pulled, the 2024 Estate Pinot Noir gushes with bright aromas of red berries, red currant leaves, and spring flowers. Even from the bottle, its sprightly positivity wants to fill the room. On the palate, it’s just as effusive with flavors of strawberries and raspberries, cherries and spring herbs. It finishes cleanly and longingly, just begging you to take the next sip.

More complex than ever, this Memorious revels in its classic deep red fruits—dark cherry, warmed ripe strawberries, saturated pomegranate. Layered above this is a potent floral component—sweet rose and gardenia—balanced by earthy undertones that suggest loam, wet clay, and petrichor. Rich and chewy on the palate, the tannins are plush and pillowy like a thick cashmere sweater for the tongue.

An immensely impressive La Côte, as ever both microcosm and apotheosis of the estate, teeming with granular detail. The red and dark-red fruits typical of the Domaine are all present, as well as blood orange and red plum skin, all meticulously delineated. Herbal and floral notes bind together over the earthy lower registers, conjuring flowering gardens and summery orchards. A touch of oak is apparent in the youth, but won’t last long, as this wine has the balance and lithe muscle to evolve subtly and gracefully without ever losing its stride.

Beautiful, but in a serious, force-to-be-reckoned with sort of way, the 2024 Sous le Chêne shows incredible integration between flavor, aroma, acid, and tannin. Especially after several hours of air, it blossoms into a sleek yet powerful evocation of ripe cherries, hibiscus, and red currants with an herbal/floral tang. What immediately grabs attention is the immensely compact mid-palate, which radiates the fruit, the potent but not domineering acidity, and the fine mesh of tannins. So solidly balanced and constructed, it is the heart of the wine and the source of its resonant, gong-like finish.