2005 Domaine Jean Chauvenet Nuits-St.-Georges

Domaine Jean Chauvenet is a 25-acre Nuits St. Georges estate with parcels in nine appellations. Since 1994 it has been run by Christophe Drag and his wife Christine. Christine is Jean Chauvenet’s daughter, and the Chauvenet family has been making wine in the area since the 17th century. Vines in the domain’s parcels are an average of 45 years old. Clive Coates has noted that “quality has been fine here for a decade or more. The tannins are more sophisticated, the fruit expression richer and classier, the flavors more complex: all because there is more attention to detail, more control and no stems.”

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.