Pinot Noir

“My grandfather František’s favorite wine was Pinot Noir, and even though he’s long gone, it’s rubbed off on me. And so, of course, when I took over it all started with a great admiration for the wines of Burgundy. Not that we’d tasted them or even knew anything about them, but we had respect, and rightly so.

I remember my first 100% Pinot Noir from the 2003 vintage, when I convinced my friend not to use sulfur without knowing what I was doing. I was so excited about the distinctive notes of volatile acidity that the entire crop was bottled from a 25 liter demijohn straight into small 0.33L bottles to make it last as long as possible. (As vinegar, yes.)

We’ve learned how to deal with Pinot a bit better since then, and now it’s the variety that we plant on the best spots, and the one we buy more and more Francois Freres barrels for. It’s the wine that made us known around the world, and it’s so distinctive that we’re never quite satisfied with it. It has a life of its own, it is independent, willful, it does not like outside interference. An uncompromising beauty that’s worth the effort. In fact, we just observe this wine from a distance, letting it surprise us again and again.”