2016 Follin-Arbelet Romanée Saint-Vivant

Domaine Follin-Arbelet is in the village of Aloxe-Corton. The 15-acre domain is owned and run by Franck Follin-Arbelet, who took on management of the estate after his father-in-law André Masson retired in 1993. Franck and his wife Christine make red and white wines and farm sustainably. Their cellar is underneath the 18th century house where they live, and the cellar is therefore especially cool and humid, both advantages for aging wine. Domaine Follin-Arbelet produces four Grand Crus and four Premier Crus. The Grand Crus parcels are in Romanée-Saint-Vivant, Corton-Charlemagne, Corton-Bressandes, and Corton. Wine write Clive Coates the domaine “an address to note.”

Romanee-Saint-Vivant is a 23-acre Grand Cru vineyard just on the northern edge of the commune of Vosne-Romanee in the Cote de Nuits. The vineyard faces east, has a gentle incline and an elevation of 250 to 265 meters. The soil is clay and limestone. Principal producers of Romanee-Saint-Vivant are Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, with 13.23 acres; Leroy, with 2.48 acres; and Domaine de Corton-Grancey/Louis Latour, with 1.9 acres.

This red wine is relatively light and can pair with a wide variety of foods. The grape prefers cooler climates and the wine is most often associated with Burgundy, Champagne and the U.S. west coast. Regional differences make it nearly as fickle as it is flexible.