2016 Anne Et Herve Sigaut Morey-Saint-Denis Les Millandes

Anne et Herve Sigaut run their 25-acre domaine in Chambolle-Musigny in classic fashion. The domaine has been in the Sigaut family for at least four generations, and it is now totally organic. They produce several Premier Crus and some village wines, most from Chambolle-Musigny. The couple took over the estate in 1990 from Herve’s father, and they renovated their cellar in 2004 adding stainless steel vats, a new sorting table and a new, gravity-fed vinification set-up. Though their wines are not well-known, Burgundy experts have been complimentary, and Clive Coates has written that “this is a good address,” which is for Coates an endorsement of quality.

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.