2012 Dupont-Tisserandot Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers

Domaine Dupont-Tisserandot is a 50-acre estate in Gevrey-Chambertin that was founded in 1954 when Bernard Dupont married Gisele Tisserandot, whose family owned land. In the late 1990s the couple’s daughter Patricia and her husband Didier Chevillon took over management. Clive Coates has written that Patricia and Didier made many improvements in the cellars and in the vineyards, and significantly improved the wines. The estate has Grand Cru parcels in Charmes-Chambertin and Mazis-Chambertin, as well as Premier Crus and AOC wines. In 2013 the estate was sold to Domaine Faiveley, and Didier Chevillon retired.

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.