2012 Alain Hudelot-Noellat Vosne-Romanee Les Beaumonts

Domaine Alain Hudelot-Noellat is in Vougeot, Burgundy. The 30-acre estate was owned and operated by Alain Hudelot-Noellat for many decades. Today it is run by Alain's grandson Charles, who trained in oenology at Djjon University. Included are grand cru parcels in Clos de Vougeot, Romanee-St.-Vivant and Richebourg. Other plots are mostly premier cru. Robert M. Parker Jr. has noted that the estate produces “extremely seductive, creamy wines that have a vivid, well-focused, rich fruitiness, and good body.”

Les Beaux Monts is a 28.6-acre Premier Cru vineyard in the Vosne-Romanee appellation of Burgundy’s Cote de Nuits. It is on the northern edge of the appellation, bordering Flagey-Echezeaux. The vineyard has a southern exposure, and the soil is part clay and marl. It is one of the largest of Vosne-Romanee’s Premier Crus. Clive Coates calls Les Beaux Monts “a nice big wine, but nonetheless perfumed, full of finesse, even lush.”

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.