2013 Marchand-Tawse Nuits-St.-Georges Les Pruliers

Marchand-Tawse is a micro-negociant founded in 2011 by a pair of Canadians with long-time ties to Burgundy and fine winemaking. Quebec native Pascal Marchand moved to Burgundy in 1983 to make wine for estates including Comte Armand’s Clos des Epeneaux and Domaine de la Vougeraie. Fellow Canadian Moray Tawse is a banker and financier who founded a winery in Niagara before also going into business with Pascal Marchand in Burgundy. Together they have acquired village, premier cru and grand cru parcels, and in 2012 purchased the famous Gevrey-Chambertin estate Domaine Maume. The estate makes 8,000 to 10,000 cases a year.

Les Pruliers is a 17.7-acre Premier Cru vineyard in Nuits-Saints-Georges, in Burgundy’s Cote de Nuits. It is in the central part of of the appellation. Because there are no Grand Cru vineyards in Nuits-Saints-Georges, the appellation’s considerable reputation rests on its excellent Premier Crus. At an elevation of 250-270 meters, the vineyard has an ideal elevation, and the soil contains large amounts of stone, gravel and limestone.

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.