2013 Alain Hudelot-Noellat Vosne-Romanee

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.”

Vosne-Romanée is the most prestigious appellation in Burgundy. Its 449 acres of vineyards are in and around the village of Vosne-Romanée and they include renowned Grand Cru vineyards which produce some of the world’s most coveted – and costly —wines. The Grands Crus are Richebourg, La Romanée, Romanée-Conti, Romanée-Saint-Vivant and La Tâche. The Grand Crus Échezeaux and Grands- Échezeaux are actually located in the neighboring village of Flagey-Échezeaux, but legally they can be sold under the Vosne-Romanée appellation. There are also seventeen Premier Crus in Vosne-Romanée. Wine writer Clive Coates has called Vosne-Romanée “the greatest Pinot Noir village on earth” and notes that the appellation’s style “is for wines which are rich, austere, sensual, masculine and aristocratic.”

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.