2014 Maison Roche de Bellene Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers, 3.0ltr

Maison Roche de Bellene is a negociant founded in 2008 by Nicolas Potel, a rising star in Burgundy and the son of the late, legendary Gerard Potel of the highly respected Domaine de la Pousse d’Or in Volnay. After his father’s death in 1997 Nicolas became a negociant and started Maison Nicolas Potel. His wines earned praise from such writers as Clive Coates, but a falling out with his business partners led to Potel’s departure from the firm that still bears his name. Ever the optimist, he bought vineyards and founded yet another negociant business and a domaine. He named his new ventures after Bellene, an ancient Gallic god of the sun. Wine Advocate wrote in 2014 that “Nicolas Potel’s wines have a strong following in the UK, the United States and Japan and for good reason. His wide portfolio of both domaine and negociant wines can be absolutely delicious…” Nicolas Potel makes wines biodynamically.

Côte de Nuits is the northern part of the Côte d’Or and it includes the most famous vineyards and wine communes in the world. There are more Grand Cru appellations in the Côte de Nuits than anywhere else in Burgundy. Of the fourteen communes, or villages in the Côte de Nuits, six produce Grand Cru wines. They are Gevrey-Chambertin, Morey-St.-Denis, Chambolle-Musigny, Vougeot, Flagey-Échezeaux and Vosne-Romanee. Some of the vineyards within the Côte de Nuits are tiny, which adds to their prestige. The fabled Grand Cru vineyard La Romanee is barely two square acres. Altogether there are twenty-four Grand Cru vineyards. The region takes its name from the village of Nuits-Saint-Georges. Côtes de Nuits produces mostly reds from Pinot Noir, and the wines have been in demand for centuries. During the 18th century King Louis XIV’s physician recommended that for his health the king only drink wines from Nuits-Saint-Georges. Like most of Burgundy, the soils of the Côte de Nuit can vary greatly from one vineyard to another, though most are a base soil of limestone mixed with clay, gravel and sand.

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.