2012 Domaine Gachot-Monot Côte de Nuits-Villages

Domaine Gachot-Monot has been a family-run estate since the late 19th century, and it is today run by Damien and Liselotte Gachot. The estate has been passed down through the maternal side of the family for five generations, and Damien’s grandmother ran the estate on her own from 1955 to 1978 after her husband died. Damien, who worked in California vineyards briefly, took over in 1990 and slowly expanded the vineyards to include 37-acres of red and white Côte de Nuits and Haute Côtes de Nuits appellations. The estate makes Premier Crus and numerous classified villages wines, as well as Cremant. Domaine Gachot-Monot has won awards in France for its wines.

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.