Joseph Drouhin Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Mouches Rouge 2017 versus Lange Freedom Hill 2021

Joseph Drouhin Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Mouches Rouge 2017 versus Lange Freedom Hill 2021

I planned for this heads-on clash of the two Pinot Noir as I wanted to see how the New World style compete against the Old World style. Clos des Mouches has been producing really quality wine since 1920s, with 100 years of history behind them, surely, they have stood the test of time. While Lange Freedom Hill only started since 1996, and this wine is probably the second-best wine produced by Lange, thus the competition is rather fair. I decanted both the wines for 2 hours just to let them open up to compete on a fair ground. Upon my first sip, there’s no turning back, the Clos des Mouches were so addictive that I keep revisiting my glass and really enjoy sipping it. Freedom Hill was not far apart in terms of quality, but it was no match against the ultra-soft, superb finesse and head turning elegance of Clos des Mouches. Freedom Hill did try very hard to match the quality of Clos des Mouches, as the fruits were soft and elegant, for a New World style, this is quite an achievement already. My vote still went to Clos des Mouches tonight, but for the price difference, the Lange Freedom Hill is definitely worth a second thought.