2014 Louis Latour Nuits-St.-Georges Les Damodes

Louis Latour is one of Burgundy’s largest and most influential negociants and wine producers. The Latour family has been in the wine business in Burgundy since the 17th century when it started a maison and ran its own domaine for wine production. Today the maison is located in Beaune and the chateau is in Aloxe-Corton. Domaine Louis Latour has 71 acres of Grand Cru vineyards, making it the largest Grand Cru domaine in the Cote d’Or. The vineyards are located between Chambertin and Chevalier-Montrachet. In addition, Domaine Latour has another 50 acres of Premier Cru and other parcels. Domaine Louis Latour is best known for its Chardonnay, including the Grand Crus Corton-Charlemagne and Chevalier-Montrachet les Demoiselles. The Domaine also makes several Grand Cru reds, including the much-admired Corton-Grancey. Louis Latour owns 741 acres in Ardeche, in the south of France, where the firm produces modestly-priced Chardonnay.

Les Damodes is a 21.5 acre Premier Cru vineyard in the Nuits-Saint-Georges appellation, in Burgundy’s Cote-de-Nuits. It is near the northern boundary of Nuits-Saints-Georges, at an average elevation of 290 meters with some relatively steep inclines. The soil is limestone, gravel and sand. Some wine writers note that the wines from these northern Nuits-Saint-Georges vineyards have a hint of Vosne about them, since they are so close to the Vosne-Romanee appellation. Because there are no Grand Cru vineyards in Nuits-Saints-Georges, the appellation’s considerable reputation rests on its excellent Premier Crus.

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.