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How a single hillside can shape the personality of a great Pinot Noir
When people think of Burgundy, they often think of one grape: Pinot Noir.
But ask a Burgundian winemaker what truly matters, and they are likely to answer with something else entirely:
The vineyard.
In Burgundy, every slope, every patch of limestone and every exposure to the sun has its own identity. These individual vineyards are known as climats, and together they form one of the world’s most remarkable wine landscapes.
The Mercurey Premier Cru “Les Saumonts” 2024 from Domaine Ninot is a wonderful example of this philosophy.
More than a Premier Cru
The term Premier Cru is often misunderstood.
It is not the name of a producer or a style of wine. Instead, it identifies a vineyard that has been recognised, often over centuries, for producing wines of exceptional quality.
Within Mercurey, one of the leading appellations of the Côte Chalonnaise, only certain vineyards carry this distinction.
Les Saumonts is one of them.
Its name means “below the mountain”, a fitting description for a vineyard nestled at the foot of a wooded hillside. The south-facing slope enjoys abundant sunshine, while the surrounding forest helps preserve freshness. Thin limestone-rich soils force the vines to work hard, producing grapes of remarkable concentration and character.
Letting the vineyard speak
At Domaine Ninot, the philosophy is simple.
The role of the winemaker is not to reshape the wine, but to reveal the character of the vineyard.
The grapes are harvested by hand from vines planted in 1945 and cultivated organically. Fermentation relies on native yeasts, while ageing takes place for up to eighteen months in Burgundian oak barrels, with only a small proportion of new oak. The wine is bottled without filtration, preserving its texture and personality.
Every decision is made with one objective:
To allow Les Saumonts to express itself.
Pinot Noir with depth and generosity
The 2024 vintage reveals another side of Pinot Noir.
Rather than relying solely on delicacy, Les Saumonts combines elegance with real depth.
The nose opens with ripe black cherries, blackberries and subtle woodland notes, followed by gentle spice and hints of the forest floor that Burgundy lovers know so well.
On the palate, the wine is generous yet beautifully balanced. Fine tannins give structure without heaviness, while the freshness that defines great Burgundy carries the fruit through to a long, graceful finish.
It is a wine with presence, but never excess.
Why Mercurey deserves more attention
For many wine lovers, Burgundy begins with names such as Gevrey-Chambertin or Vosne-Romanée.
Yet villages like Mercurey continue to offer some of Burgundy’s greatest discoveries.
Here, Pinot Noir combines the elegance expected of the region with a little more generosity and approachability, making the wines immensely enjoyable both young and after several years in the cellar.
It is Burgundy without pretence.
Why we love it at The French Paradox
One of the pleasures of Burgundy is discovering how dramatically one vineyard can differ from another, even when the grape variety remains exactly the same.
The Mercurey Premier Cru “Les Saumonts” 2024 captures this beautifully.
It is a wine that reflects its hillside, its old vines and the thoughtful work of Erell and Flavien Ninot. Elegant, expressive and unmistakably Burgundian, it reminds us that in this region, the greatest wines are not simply made—they are grown, one climat at a time.
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