2011 Remoissenet Pere & Fils Ruchottes-Chambertin

Remoissenet Pere et Fils was founded in Beaune in 1877 and was run as a negociant and producer for the last part of the 20th century by the venerable Roland Remoissenet. The 7.5-acre estate was sold after Remoissenet retired in 2005 to New York investors and a Canadian wine importer. Pierre-Antoine Rovani, once a writer for Wine Advocate, is employed by the New York investors, who installed Rovani as president of of the domaine. Maison Louis Jadot also has a minority financial interest in the estate. Bernard Repolt, the former president of Louis Jadot, is in charge of winemaking at Remoissenet. Vineyards have been added in recent years and the estate is now focused only on producing wines from grapes grown on estate vineyards, a departure from past years. Today the estate is known for Premier Cru red and white wines.

Ruchottes-Chambertin is an 8.1-acre Grand Cru vineyard in Gevrey-Chambertin. Located just north of Mazis-Chambertin, the soil is thin and rocky and the slope is steep. In fact the name Ruchottes comes from “rochers,” or rocks. The principal proprietors are Armand Rousseau, 2.5 acres; Mugneret-Gibourg, 1.6 acres; and Frederic Esmonin, 1.45 acres. Fewer than 1,000 cases of wine are produced annually from this vineyard.

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.