Vosne-Romanée: "The pearl of the Côte"

We just concluded a trip to Burgundy, the highlight of which was a visit to, arguably, the producer of the world's finest wines, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. The domaine's famed wines are made from grapes grown on fabled Grand Cru sites in Vosne-Romanée and Flagey-Échezeaux (Pinot Noir), Puligny- and Chassagne-Montrachet (Chardonnay), and, since 2009, Aloxe-Corton (Chardonnay). As a prelude to a discussion of the trip, I will provide some background on each of these regions, beginning with Vosne-Romanée in this post.

Vosne-Romanée is a small commune in the Côte de Nuits that, according to BBR, is the region's "brightest star" and "produces the finest and most expensive Pinot Noir wines in the world. Its wines have an extraordinary intensity of fruit which manages to combine power and finesse more magically than in any other part of the Côte d'Or." Writing on Decanter.com (Vosne-Romanée, April 7, 2005), Stephen Brook spoke glowingly of Vosne-Romanée: "Its wines are the epitome of fine and great red Burgundy. They are the apotheosis of Pinot Noir. ... Vosne's glory lies in its remarkable blend of richness and perfume, vibrant fruit and a profound structure. Few red burgundies are as long-lived as Vosne, nor evolve so subtly with bottle age."

As a whole, the Côte -- due to its location east of the Morvan Mountains, west of the Eastern Mountains, and south of the Vosges Mountains -- is sheltered from prevailing winds and, as a result, experiences higher temperatures and lower precipitation than neighboring areas. Saulieu, as an example, is only 73 km (45 miles) away yet gets 200 mm more rain per year than does Beaune.

Vosne-Romanée is dominated by cool weather which is somewhat tempered by continental and southern influences, the latter emanating from the Rhone Valley. The region experiences moderate and regular rainfall (730 mm) and temperature averages 10.5℃. The area is subject to occasional hail and frost attacks, which, like the hailstorms of the 2013 vintage, can significantly impact harvest volumes.

Henri Jayer (A Tribute to the Great Wines of Burgundy, with Jacky Rigaux), legendary Burgundian winemaker, described the Vosne-Romanée soils as brown and chalky and being partly the result of clay and limestone activity in the Jurassic period. The underlying rock is a hard, fossil-rich limestone which dates back to the intersection of the Upper Bajocian and Lower Bathonian ages. The limestone slope is covered by a thin layer of soil -- a few decimeters thick above the village -- that is comprised of: decomposing clays from the underlying limestone; colluvial deposits; collapsed rock; and silt brought down from the upper portions of the slope.

The primary soil layer varies in quantity and nature along the slope. For example: the soil is mostly thin and of limestone at the top of the slope; enriched clay further downslope; and relatively deep soils on spreading silty clay at the foot. This is rather poor soil but, combined with the excellent drainage provided by the cracked limestone substrate, and the excellent sun exposure provided by the slope and aspect, provides the perfect environment for growing Pinot Noir.

The Vosne-Romanée and Flagey-Échezeaux vineyards have historically been considered jointly. The vineyards in the two communes are east- and south-facing, following the convention in the region. Between the two communes, approximately 230 ha are devoted to grape growing, 157 ha in Vosne-Romanée and 73 ha in Flagey-Echezeaux. The distribution and geographic location of the vineyards were captured in the map above.

The Grand Cru vineyards are located on the mid-slope just above the villages of Vosne-Romanée and Flagey-Échezeaux at elevations ranging between 220 and 300 m. Vines are planted at a minimum of 9000 vines/ha. Additional details for the Grand Cru vineyards are presented in the table below.

Commune	Grand Cru Vineyard	Size (ha)	Soils	Owner(s)
Vosne-Romanée	La Tâche	5.03	Brown calcareous; deeper at top	Domaine de La Romanée-Conti (DRC)
	Romanée Conti	1.63	Brown limestone soils 60 cm deep; major clay component	DRC
	La Grand Rue	1.6	Brown limestone; thick at top; 12% slope	Domaine Francis Lamarche
	Richebourg	8.03	Brown calcareous over hard limestone	DRC (3.51 ha) + 10 other producers
	La Romanée	0.85
	Romanée-Saint-Vivant	9.3	Similar to Romanée-Conti but deeper	DRC (5.28 ha) + nine others
Flagey-Échezeaux	Grands Échezeaux	9.1	Marl and gravel over limestone; eastern exposure; 230 - 300 m elevation	DRC (3.5 ha) + 20 others
	Échezeaux	38	Same as for Grands; 3 - 4% slope; 250 m elevation	DRC (4.7 ha) + 20 others

Below are characterizations of selected Grands Cru wines as presented in the Jayer text.

Grand Cru	Characterization
Richebourg	Power, amplitude, and character One of Burgundy’s greatest wines Exuberantly fruity when young, with powerful, generous structure that gives touch of firmness On aging, intense and complex aroma of red fruits, violet and spices
Echezeaux	Complex and whole Full-bodied and supple Delicate fruity nose with concentrations of red and black berries Musk and fresh leather as the wine ages
Les Grands Échezeaux	Fleshy wine Encjhanting bouquet of blackcurrant, strawberry, cherry and raspberry With age aromas of forest, rare mushrooms, moss
La Romanée	Sumptuous color, full body, complex aromas Long aging
Romanée-Saint-Vivant	More delicate than powerful Always elegant Delicate flowers Cherry Remarkable balance and length
La Tâche	Strong color, rich bouquet, fullness of mouth Aptitude fro aging One of the Côte’s most complete wine
La Grand-Rue	Very rich bouquet with traces of violet and raspberry Ages gracefully

Source: Henri Jayer, A Tribute to the Great Wines of Burgundy, with Jacky Rigaux

The Premier Cru vineyards are located above the Grand Crus as well as lower down the slope, to the north and south of the Grand Crus. The soils above the Grand Cru vineyards are poor but favorable for good wines due to excellent drainage and an eastward orientation. The quality of the Premier Cru soils to the north and south of the Grand Crus is somewhat lower than the quality of the soils at the top of the slope. A total of 57 ha of vineyards are classified as Premier Cru with 46 ha located in Vosne-Romanée and the remainder in Flagey-Echezeaux. The Vosne-Romanée Premier Cru vineyards are drawn 11 from Vosne-Romanée proper, two from Flagey-Échezeaux and one is shared.

The Premier Crus are described thusly in the Henri Jayer book: "The Vosne Premiers Crus are rich, elegant, and they have an innate aptitude to aging. Some are very close to Grands Crus. At their best they give off an exceptionally refined bouquet mixing flowers (peony and wild rose in particular) forest, cherry, leather and fur." M. Jayer was especially favorably disposed to Cros Parantoux (which he vinified for 40 years) and Les Brûlées. Clive Coates is enamored of Les Brûlées ("one of the three best 'first growths' ", "wine of voluptuous richness and backbone, quality and depth, and the ability to last"), Les Suchots ("most noble of the first growths") and La Croix-Ramea ("wine with a Grand Cru flair") but not so much Charmes ("second division Premier Cru"). See the map above for a full listing of the Premier Crus.

A total of 96 ha is devoted to vines for the production of Village wines. These vineyards are located above the Grand Cru rim, at and below the village level. Jayer felt that the best Village vineyards are below Suchots and Romanée -Saint-Vivant -- in the direction of Clos Vougeot -- and that the least interesting wines came from the vines in the hollow to the north of the village. Soils for this class of vines tended to be limestone mixed with clayey marls with soil depths that range from tens of centimeters to 1 meter. These vines have an easterly exposure. As is the case for Premier Cru wines, the name of the climate from which the grapes are sourced can be so indicated on the label following the official AOC designation.

Up next, Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

Corton and Musigny: Burgundy Grand Cru appellations that go both ways

In a previous post I highlighted the fact that the limestone soils of the Côte de Nuits were laid down in the Mid-Jurassic while those of the Côte de Beaune date from the Upper Jurassic period. The Côte de Nuit soils tend to have a higher limestone content and be more favorable for the growth of Pinot Noir while the calacreous (consisting of, or containing, calcium carbonate) clayey soils of the Côte de Beaune are best suited for the growth of Chardonnay. And this rule holds true for the entirety of the Côte d'Or Grands Crus vineyards with two exceptions: Corton -- which grows predominantly red wines in a white wine region -- and Musigny -- both red and white wines in a red wine region. I examine these two vineyards further in this post.

Musigny Grand Cru

The Musigny vineyard is associated with the commune of Chambolle-Musigny, a village located in the heart of the Côte de Nuit.

Source: 1.bp.blogspot.com

The Grand Cru vineyard sits at elevations ranging between 260 and 300 meters with gradients of between 8 and 14%. The vineyard is located between two small valleys -- Chambolle and Orveau -- and is further divided into three Lieux-dits (named plots): Les Musigny (sometimes referred to as Les Grands Musigny; 5.9 ha); Les Petits Musigny (4.19 ha); and La Combe d"Orveau (0.77 ha). All of Les Petits Musigny and most of Les Grands Musigny is owned by Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé while Domaine Jacques Prieur owns the entirety of Combe d'Orveau.

Red wine production in Musigny averages 286 Hl (38,038 bottles) annually while white wine production averages 24 Hl (3,192 bottles).

Corton Grand Cru

The Hill of Corton heralds the beginning of the Côte de Beaune wine region and, one would think, a sea of white wine.

The top of the hill is covered by dense woodland which gives way to cap rock of Rauracian limestone. Vineyard-capable limestone soils begin at about 345 meters and slope gently to the valley floor through "terroirs of distinction." Limestone soils and Chardonnay flourish on the western side of the hill while Pinot Noir kicks in on the western side beginning at 330 meters elevation. Two great Grand Cru vineyards share the hill: Corton (mostly red) and Corton-Charlemagne (white).

Source: burgundyonline.com

The Corton Grand Cru appellation is associated with the famed communes of Aloxe-Corton, Ladoix-Serrigny, and Pernand-Vergelesses. The vineyard is 94.78 ha in size (4.53 ha of which is planted to Chardonnay) and sits at elevations ranging between 250 and 330 meters. The Chardonnay vines are planted in the climats of Vergennes and Languettes.

While 4.5% of the Corton Grand Cru vineyard is devoted to Chardonnay vines, 6.19% (216 Hl or 28,728 bottles) of the Grand Cru production is white wine. There are 26 Lieux-dits in the appellation and the red wines are authorized to name the Lieux-dit on the bottle following the appellation name. White wines are not so allowed.

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So why, of all the Côte d'Or Grand Cru vineyards, are these two the only ones to grow both red and white grapes? In the opening paragraph of this post I mentioned the affinity of Pinot Noir for older mid-Jurassic soils and Chardonnay for younger Upper Jurassic soils. In Figure 4.5 of his book Terroirs, Wilson clearly shows the Upper Jurassic soils beginning just below the cap rock and travelling downslope past the Corton-Charlemagne/Corton boundary. In my opinion, red wines are grown on the hill due to the presence of the mid-Jurassic soils (plus the morning sunshine associated with being on the eastern side) while white wines can be grown in the Corton appellation as a result of the presence of Upper Jurassic soils in the highest portions of the vineyard.

According to bourgogne-wines.com, the soils in Musigny are enriched by red clay in the upper sections and are more clayey amd less limey than other Nuit vineyards. This clayey character could account for the Chardonnay grown in this vineyard.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

Burgundy tasting at Capital Grille Orlando: Part II

Stacole Fine Wines, a member of the Vintner Group, hosted a tasting at the Capital Grille Orlando on April 24th for selected area collectors and retailers.  The wines on offer were one 2008 white Burgundy and 11 Côte de Nuit reds dating from 2006-2009.  I have covered the tasting of the white and the 2006 and 2007 reds in a previous post and will cover the remaining wines in this dispatch.

Red 2008 Flight

The 2008 vintage kept Burgundy vignerons on their collective toes.  They confronted mildew, odium, rot, and a number of other vineyard challenges which forced a minimum of two sprayings.  The grapes ripened rapidly in the two weeks prior to harvest when conditions became more favorable.  Truly a "miracle" vintage.

Domaine François Lamarche La Grande Rue Grand Cru

La Grande Rue Grand Cru is an 11.33 ha monopole of Domaine François Lamarche, a multi-generational family farm.  While most of the Côte de Nuit soil is ferruginous limestone over stony, rocky, or clay-soil subsoils,Vosne Romanée has a deeper clay-limestone soil.  Grapes are hand-harvested and sorted twice (once in the field and again in the winery) before being destemmed and placed uncrushed into temperature-controlled wood or steel open vats.  The fermented must is bladder-pressed prior to a cold maceration and long vatting.  Depending on the vintage and appellation, the wines are aged between 14 and 20 months in 60-100% new French oak prior to being bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Tasting Notes: Aromatic.  Bright red strawberries, buttered popcorn.  On the palate sour, rich, red fruit.

Domaine Comtes George de Vogué Chambolle-Musigny

The characteristics of this producer were discussed in the previous post.

Tasting Notes: Elegant, restrained nose.  Smoky, red fruit, vanilla.  On the palate lean with great acidity.  A great wine for acid hounds like me.

Red 2009 Flight

2009 was a warm, dry, near-perfect growing season which yielded clean, ripe fruit.  According to Allan Meadows, "An excellent and very consistent vintage of opulence, charm, and seduction."  According to Berry Bros & Rudd, "... 2009 ranks among the very best Burgundy wine vintages of recent times."

Domaine François Lamarche Les Chaumes Premier Cru

The characteristics of this producer were discussed earlier in this post.

Tasting Notes: Vanilla and red fruit on the nose.  Lean, smooth red fruit on the palate.  Silky finish.

Domaine d'Eugénie Clos-Vougeot Grand Cru

This domaine came into being when Francois Pinault bought the estate of René Engel in the summer of 2006.  The domaine owns 7.5 ha of vineyards to include Grand Cru plots in Clos Vougeot, Grands-Échezeaux, and Échezeaux and Premier Cru and Village plots in Vosne-Romanée.  The Clos-Vougeot plot (1.36 ha) is located in the top-left portion of this property in an area called Les Marets Hauts.  Subsequent to the purchase the new owner has invested a lot of effort in restoring the vineyards to pristine condition.  The domaine has experimented with vinifying one cuvee with the stem and one without and then blending them together prior to bottling. They have had success with this approach and will be implementing it more broadly in the future.

Tasting Notes: Spicy dark fruit on the nose and rich on the palate.  Ron described it as a beautiful wine with soaring spice, great length and balanced.

Domaine Méo-Camuzet Échezeaux Grand Cru

Prior to 1985 the domaine operated a sharecropper-like arrangement where the vines were tended by farmers and the owners compensated for the farmers' use of the land.  Beginning in 1985 the domaine began making wine under its own label and, since 1998, has begun taking control of vineyards as these "sharecropping" agreements expire.  Currently the domaine has 15 ha of vineyards under its control while another 13.5 ha is still controlled by farmers.  The domaine's objective is to make wines that are seductive and delicate.  Vines are farmed organically and fruit is sorted and destemmed prior to a pre-fermentation maceration.  Fermentation occurs in temperature-controlled vats over an 18-day period with pump-overs twice daily.  The wines are aged in 60-70% new oak if from a Premier Cru vineyard and in 100% new oak if Grand Cru.

Tasting Notes: Sour red cherries and baking spices on the nose.  Red and black fruits on the palate along with an earthy minerality.  Balanced with a long finish.

Domaine Méo-Camuzet Les Chaumes Premier Cru

The characteristics of this producer were discussed earlier in this post.

Tasting Notes: Dark cherries and oak on the nose.  Red and black fruit plus spice on the palate.  Good acidity level and mouthfeel.

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This was a very good event. Stacole brought some excellent wines to the table and combined that with an excellent team and a bunch of folks who enjoy drinking high-end wines together.  I showed my appreciation for the effort, and for the wines, by placing orders for the Bonnes Mares, the Clos de Beze,  the Clos Vougeot, and the La Grande Rue.

At then conclusion of the tasting Ron and I pulled out bottles of Bordeaux, Burgundies, and Rhones to accompany our long-delayed lunch.

© Wine -- Mise en abyme

Stacole Fine Wines Burgundy Tasting at Capital Grille Orlando: Part I

On April 24th, Stacole Fine Wines, a member of the Vintner Group, hosted a Burgundy tasting at the Capital Grille in Orlando where attendees were treated to a lineup of multiple years of that stellar region's offerings.

Attendees at the event were primarily collectors and area retailers.  Stacole enriched the event by bringing in a powerhouse group to support its effort: Laura DiPasquale MS, GM and VP Country Vintners; Brian Koziol MS, Sales Director, Stacole; Tom Johnson, District Manager, Stacole; and Carter Nixon, Regional Sales Representative.

I have previously recommended that the buyer of Burgundian wines be familiar with three quality elements prior to making acquisition decisions: the AOC, the producer, and the vintage.  I have provided information on the Burgundy region and Côte de Nuit AOCs in prior posts and will provide the same (in this post) for the specific producers and vintages included in the tasting.

White 2008 Flight

With one exception, this was a red wine tasting.  The white on offer was the Domaine Roulot 2008 Meursault.  The 2008 whites from the Côte de Beaune had been well received.  Berry Bros & Rudd found the wines to be "intriguing" due to their richness of fruit combined with excellent acidity.  The Burgundy Report lauded the wines' "minerality and aidity with good ripeness" and found them "hard to resist."

Doamine Roulot is managed by Jean-Marc Roulot who replaced a line of caretaker winemakers who had bridged the gap between his father's death and the initiation of his stewardship.  The estate tends 13.5 hectares of vines organically to produce a "bright, chiseled" style of Meursault.

Tasting notes: This wine was nutty on the nose along with icy apple pear and a slightly toasted oak.  It had a bright acidity which burst on the palate and accompanied notes of citrus and citrus rind.  The limestone presence was reflected in a coating minerality.

Red 2006 Flight

The 2006 Côte de Nuit vintage was good but not great.  According to Clive Coates "while overall the red 2006s are charming, fruity, and soft-centered ..." they lack the "depth, vigor, and concentration of the 2002 ..."

Domaine Michel Magnien Clos de La Roche Grand Cru

Domaine Michel Magnien sources grapes from family-owned Grand Cru, Premier Cru, and Village vineyards sited from Gevrey-Chambertin south to Chambolle-Musigny.  The grapes for the Grand Cru wines are destalked prior to being placed uncrushed into tanks for six to eight days of pre-fermentation maceration, followed by alcoholic fermentation, and then 10 days of post-fermentation maceration.  Malolactic fermentation is initiated after the wine has spent 8 months in barrel.  The wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered

Tasting notes: On the nose cinnamon and red berries.  On the palate soft, round, fleshy, almost flabby with a medium finish.

Maison Frédéric Magnien Latricieres-Chambertin Grand Cru

Frédéric Magnien is the son of Michel Magnien and, in addition to helping his father out at Domaine Magnien, he runs his own negocé which he founded in 1995.  Frédéric has been described in the Wine Advocate as having a "commitment to quality winemaking" and an "experimental, inquisitive mind."  He works closely with wine growers in the region to ensure that he obtains optimum-maturity, old-vine grapes from the best appellations.  His business has grown from 21 barrels annually to over 1000 today. 

Tasting notes: On the nose red fruit, vanilla, baking spices, petrol.  Petrol on palate along with hot pepper.  A good finish.  Ron ( my regular tasting partner; a Burgundy collector of note and the driving force behind the event) felt that this wine had more structure than the Clos de La Roche and had staying power.

Domaine Trapet Chambertin Grand Cru

The Trapet family has been producing wine in Gevrey-Chambertin for seven generations and currently owns 13 hectares of Grand Cru and Premier Cru vineyards which yield 5000 cases of wine annually.  The Chambertin Grand Cru holdings total 1.9 ha spread over three parcels.  The winemaker is Jean-Louis Trapet, a disciple of biodynamic farming.  Grapes are harvested by hand and sorted twice before natural-yeast fermentation ( 30% whole cluster, 70% destemmed) in open-top vats.  The wines are aged in 35%-75% new oak for 15-18 months before being bottled.

Tasting notes: Notes of green prunes and a little vanilla but, for the most part, ungiving.  On the palate lean, watered down red fruit.  Flat.

Red 2007 Flight

In 2007 Burgundy vignerons experienced a fairly miserable summer sandwiched in between a fine April and a cool, dry autumn.  According to Clive Coates MW, 2007 is the "least-good" of the Burgundy red wine vintages between 2005 and 2009 because there were few wines "with the depth, concentration and intensity one would like to find ..."

Domaine Comte Georges de Vogué Bonnes Mares Grand Cru

This 20th-generation domaine is among the very best Burgundy houses and seeks to maintain that standing by blending tradition and modernity.  The estate owns 7.5 ha of Le Musigny (80% of the available vineyard), 2.75 ha of Bonnes Mares, and 1.8 ha of Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru vineyards.  The estate manager is Jean-Luc Pepin and the winemaker is Fancois Millet. This team is focused on maximizing fruit flavors as evidenced by crop thinning practices and a resistance to having more than 30-40% of the Grand Cru aged in oak.

Tasting notes: Red fruit and baking spices on the nose with a slight phenolic note.  Rich and creamy on the palate.  Great weight with a long finish.  This was an excellent wine.

Maison Frédéric Magnien Chambertin Clos de Bèze Grand Cru

The capabilities of this house were detailed in the Red 2006 Flight discussion.

Tasting notes: On the nose smoke, red berries, vanilla, and rich shoe polish.  Soy on the palate with a long, lean finish.  Low acidity.  Ron detected some earth and agreed with the richnesss assessment.  He felt that the acid level was appropriate.

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With a few exceptions, the wines tasted to this point had all showed pretty well (keeping in mind that red Burgundy is designed to be drunk at a more advanced age than was the case for this particular tasting).  I will cover the remainder of the tasting in a subsequent post.


© Wine -- Mise en abyme

Burgundy: Côte de Nuit AOCs

The Côte de Nuit, one of the premier Burgundy wine growing sub-regions, is home to the most expensive incarnations of Pinot Noir wines and vineyard properties in the world.  This post covers the sub-region and its associated appellations.

The Côte de Nuit, along with its sister region Côte de Beaune, comprise the fabled Côte-d'Or (golden hills), a limestone escarpment which runs north to south for 45 kilometers (27 miles) from Dijon to Santennay.  The climate for these two sub-regions is as has been described for traditional Burgundy. The soil is predominantly rendzina (a dark, grayish-brown, hummus-rich soil) and brown limestone with a covering of loose rock debris and instances of a gravel-red silt mix that has slipped down the slopes and on to marl or limestone bases.  The arable land in the Côte is very shallow but the vine roots will exploit cracks in the limestone to travel to great depths in search of nutrients and water.

Within the Côte-d'Or, Côte de Nuit (named for its largest town, Nuit-Saint-Georges) occupies the narrow strip of slopes that are to be found between Dijon and Corgoloin.  The area is 3.2 kilometers (2 miles) wide at its widest point and shrinks to between 200 and 300 meters in some places.  Lying as it does along the 47th parallel (a similar latitude as Minnesota), the sub-region struggles to consistently reward viticulturists with adequately ripened Pinot Noir.

The wines from Côte de Nuit are classified according to the location of the vines from which they were sourced.  The best vineyards in the region are situated mid-slope on the hills where the best soils, exposure, and drainage are to be found.  These mid-slope regions are home to 24 of the Burgundy Grand Cru climats.

The plots which have the the most issues with drainage and ripening are located at the lowest elevation on the slopes and it is from those plots that we derive the wines that are assigned Bourgogne regional labels.  In addition, wines can be produced in Côte de Nuit and be labeled Bourgogne Aligoté, Bourgogne Passe-tout-grains, and Crémant de Bourgogne.  In addition, the elevated slopes of 4 communes have been assigned an appellation (Bourgogne Hautes-Côte de Nuit) for the production of reds, whites, and rosés which have been tested and certified as meeting stipulated requirements.  In the case of the Côte de Nuit Village appellation, if the grapes are sourced from a single climat, the name of that climat is permitted to appear on the label.

Village and Premier Cru wines are sourced from grapes that are grown above and below the mid-slope position that is reserved for the Grand Crus. In the case of a Village appellation, the name of the origin village must appear on the label and if a Premier Cru, the name of the village must be followed by the words Premier Cru plus the name of the source climat.  It should be noted that the amount of land devoted to the production of white wines decline as we move up the quality level with only one Grand Cru choosing to allocate precious land to the production of Chardonnay grapes.

Knowing Burgundy requires knowing much more than the AOCs: it also requires knowledge of the really good producers -- those who will produce at the top of the class year in and year out -- and knowledge of the vintages.  And even then you are not guaranteed to have a great bottle of wine when you open it.  When you do open a great bottle of Burgundy, however, it is a wine-drinking experience second to none.  So here are the names of selected producers that should be a starting point for any journey into the wines of the Côte de Nuit:

• Faiveley
• Jayer-Gilles
• Leroy
• Meo Camuzet
• J. Grivet
• DRC
• Henry Jayer
• Rene Engel
• Mungeard-Mugneret
• Mugneret
• Jean Gros
• Jadot
• Drouhin
• Roumier
• J. Grivot
• Comte de Vogue
• Dujac
• Mugnier
• Ponsot

I will now shift my attention to reporting on the Stacole Burgundy tasting which I attended last week.


© Wine -- Mise en abyme