2014 Domaine Forey Pere & Fils Morey-St.-Denis 1er Cru

Domaine Forey Pere & Fils was founded in 1840 by the great-grandfather of Regis Forey, the current owner and winemaker. The 25-acre domaine has parcels in Nuits Saint Georges, Vosne-Romanee, Flagey-Echezeaux, Vougeot and Morey Saint Denis. There are Grand Cru parcels in Echezeaux and Clos de Vougeot, and Premier Crus in Vosne-Romanee, Nuits Saint Georges and Morey Saint Denis. Clive Coates has noted that starting in the mid-1990s the domaine has been using such techniques as partial de-stemming, a short maceration a froid and a cuvaison of up to four weeks. “This results in full, muscular wine,” wrote Coates. “This is now a very good address.”

Côte de Nuits is the northern part of the Côte d’Or and it includes the most famous vineyards and wine communes in the world. There are more Grand Cru appellations in the Côte de Nuits than anywhere else in Burgundy. Of the fourteen communes, or villages in the Côte de Nuits, six produce Grand Cru wines. They are Gevrey-Chambertin, Morey-St.-Denis, Chambolle-Musigny, Vougeot, Flagey-Échezeaux and Vosne-Romanee. Some of the vineyards within the Côte de Nuits are tiny, which adds to their prestige. The fabled Grand Cru vineyard La Romanee is barely two square acres. Altogether there are twenty-four Grand Cru vineyards. The region takes its name from the village of Nuits-Saint-Georges. Côtes de Nuits produces mostly reds from Pinot Noir, and the wines have been in demand for centuries. During the 18th century King Louis XIV’s physician recommended that for his health the king only drink wines from Nuits-Saint-Georges. Like most of Burgundy, the soils of the Côte de Nuit can vary greatly from one vineyard to another, though most are a base soil of limestone mixed with clay, gravel and sand.

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.