2010 Joseph Drouhin Rully (Rouge)

Maison Joseph Drouhin is one of Burgundy’s most venerable estates. It was founded in 1880 by Joseph Drouhin, who bought a 100-year old negociant business and began acquiring parcels in such legendary appellations as Clos des Mouches and Clos de Vougeot. By the mid-20th century the 148-acre estate was being run by Robert Drouhin, who continued to acquire vineyards and improve the quality of the wine. (Robert also purchased 100 acres in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, where his daughter makes Oregon Pinot Noirs under the Domaine Drouhin label.) The maison makes Grand Cru, Premier Cru and villages wines in Chablis, Cote de Nuits, Cote de Beaune, Cote Chalonnaise, Maconnais and Beaujolais. Noted Burgundy expert Clive Coates has called the maison “one of the most perfectionist” of the Burgundy producers, and Robert M. Parker Jr. notes that Drouhin’s wines “are among the very best of the modern style of red and white Burgundies.”

Rully is an appellation and commune that takes its name from the Roman town called Rubilia Vicus. Of the 882 acres of vineyards in the appellation, almost two-thirds of the vineyards are planted to white wine grapes. Rully produces Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, but it is also known for its Champagne-style sparkling wines, known as Crémant de Bourgogne. Rully produced the first Crémant de Bourgogne in the late 19th century, well before any other region in Burgundy started making Champagne-style sparklers. Today the appellation produces nearly five million bottles of sparkling wine a year compared to two million bottles of still white wine. There are 23 Premier Cru vineyards in the Rully appellation, and no Grand Crus. Clive Coates has written that Rully’s white wines are “lemony-crisp and floral, ripe but lean rather than four-square.”

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.