This Burgundy has a distinctive personality. It smells like a forest after rain, with a wet earth, leaf and dark character and plenty of tannins on the vanilla and cherry-tinged finish.
Les Vignes Franches is 24-acre Premier Cru vineyard in the southern part of the Beaune appellation, in Burgundy’s Cote de Beaune. It is one of Beaune’s 44 vineyards that is either partly or entirely Premier Cru. Beaune has no Grand Cru.
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.