2013 Maison L'Oree Vosne-Romanee Vieilles Vignes

Maison L’Orée is a negociant house created by Rajat Parr, a celebrated San Francisco sommelier, and Charles Banks, an entrepreneur and former owner of Screaming Eagle. Parr was already a well-known wine director for the Michael Mina restaurants when he started making wine in 2004 in California’s Central Coast. He has continued to collaborate with vineyard owners and winemakers in California creating numerous wines, some under the Sandhi label. He and Banks debuted their first Burgundy with a 2009 vintage and are now producing more than a dozen red and white Burgundies under the Maison L’Orée label. The estate produces Premier Cru and villages wines.

Vosne-Romanée is the most prestigious appellation in Burgundy. Its 449 acres of vineyards are in and around the village of Vosne-Romanée and they include renowned Grand Cru vineyards which produce some of the world’s most coveted – and costly —wines. The Grands Crus are Richebourg, La Romanée, Romanée-Conti, Romanée-Saint-Vivant and La Tâche. The Grand Crus Échezeaux and Grands- Échezeaux are actually located in the neighboring village of Flagey-Échezeaux, but legally they can be sold under the Vosne-Romanée appellation. There are also seventeen Premier Crus in Vosne-Romanée. Wine writer Clive Coates has called Vosne-Romanée “the greatest Pinot Noir village on earth” and notes that the appellation’s style “is for wines which are rich, austere, sensual, masculine and aristocratic.”

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.