Pinot Noir, “Mythologie—Pinotissima”, Yvorne, Chablais, Vaud

Only produced in certain years, Pierre Latine’s “Mythologie – Pinotissima” comes from a 35-year-old parcel of Pinot Noir planted in Yvorne’s alluvium-rich, gravelly limestone. Philippe retains 100% whole clusters and employs spontaneous fermentation during the wine’s three-week maceration in stainless steel, and it spends 12 months aging in low-toast Burgundy barrels, a third of which are new. The combination of warm daytime temperatures and Yvorne’s solar-panel-like vineyard expositions ensures fully ripe grapes, but the Vaud’s extremely cool nights allow the fruit to preserve scintillating acidity, and indeed “Pinotissima” is a wine of both succulence and tension, with a silken, burnished texture and a lovely overlay of high-toned spices.