2003 Domaine Lecheneaut Clos de la Roche

Domaine Lécheneaut is a family affair that started in the 1950s, when Moreysien de Souche Fernand Lecheneaut founded the domaine in Nuits-Saints-Georges. He started with seven acres and in 1986 his sons Philippe and Vincent joined the business. New vineyards were acquired and in 2005 a modern new cellar was built. Today the domaine owns 25 vineyard acres in 18 appellations. The estate is organically farmed and produces a Grand Cru, Clos de la Roche, along with many Premiers Crus and villages wines. Burgundy expert Clive Coates has written that the produces “good succulent wines with plenty of dimension.”

Clos de la Roche is a 41-acre Grand Cru vineyard in the Morey St.-Denis appellation in the Cotes de Nuits, in northern Burgundy. The tiny village of Morey St.-Denis is just south of Gevrey-Chambertin and Clos de Roche is considered the appellation’s most superior Grand Cru. The vineyard’s elevation ranges from 270 to 300 meters, and its soil is extremely rocky with excellent drainage. The soil is largely limestone, and in some places it is barely a foot deep. Writer Clive Coates calls Clos de Roche “the classiest of the Morey Grand Crus.” The largest landholders are Ponsot with 8.35 acres; Dujac, 4.88 acres; and Armand Rousseau, 3.7 acres.

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.