2017 Decelle-Villa Chambolle-Musigny

Domaine Decelle-Villa was started in 2008 when two distinguished winemakers from other regions of France decided to pool their talents and produce Burgundy. Olivier Decelle is the vigneron behind Mas Amiel in Roussillon, and he also revived Château Jean Faure in St. Emilion. Pierre-Jean Villa was part of a boutique Rhône negociant, and he is also a Rhone Valley vigneron. Now they have purchased and restored an historic 19th century cellar in Nuits Saint Georges along with about 20 acres of vineyards in various Burgundy locations. They also source grapes from Gevrey-Chambertin to Chassagne-Montrachet for their Domaine Decelle-Villa venture. The domaine makes more than a dozen wines, from a Grand Cru and Premiers Crus to village and regional appellations.

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.