2004 Domaine Francois Lamarche La Grande Rue

Domaine Francois Lamarche is a 28-acre estate in Vosne-Romanee. Its history dates to the early 19th century, when Henri Lamarche, a cooper, married Marie Grivelet from Chambolle-Musigny and the couple started making wine. Today the fifth and sixth generations of the family run the estate. Francois Lamarche is winemaker and his wife Marie-Blanche is in charge of sales. The estate has Grand Cru parcels in Clos-de-Vougeot, Grands Echezeaux, Echezeaux and Premier Crus in Vosne-Romanee and Nuits-St.-Georges les Cras. It also owns La Grand Rue Grand Cru, a 4-acre monopole.

La Grand Rue is a 4-acre Grand Cru vineyard squeezed between La Tache and La Romanee-Conti, in Burgundy’s Cote de Nuits. The vineyard is highly unusual in that it was elevated to Grand Cru status only in 1992, despite the fact that for much of the 20th century the wine was considered Grand Cru quality. La Grand Rue is a monopole of the Domaine Francois Lamarche, of Vosne-Romanee.

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.