2011 Nicolas Rossignol Pommard Les Rugiens

Domaine Nicolas Rossignol was founded by Nicolas Rossignol in 1997 when the young winemaker acquired 7.5 acres of vineyards in Volnay, Pommard, Beaune, Aloxe Corton and Pernand-Vergelesses. Rossignol comes from a family of winemakers, and he is the fifth generation to make wine in Volnay. In addition to starting his own domaine he continued to make wine at the family domaine, Rossignol-Jeanniard. Today Rossignol manages his own estate and his family’s, which together include about 65 acres. The parcels are mostly Premier Cru, and in addition to his original appellations, he also has Premier Crus in Savigny-les-Beaune. There are also village wines.

Les Rugiens is really two vineyards. Les Rugiens-Hauts, or “upper,” is a 16-acre Premier Cru vineyard and Les Rugiens-Bas, or “lower,” is a 14.5-acre Premier Cur vineyard just below it. Both are in the Pommard appellation in Burgundy’s Cote de Beaune, just south of the village. Since there are no Grand Crus in Pommard, the Premier Crus have special importance. Robert M. Parker Jr. has written that “Pommard at its best is the fullest wine made in the Cote de Beaune.”

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.