2005 Domaine Cecile Tremblay Echezeaux

Domaine Cecile Tremblay was founded in 2003 by Cecile Tremblay, who comes from Burgundian winemaking aristocracy. She is the grandniece of the late, legendary Henri Jayer, and she is also descended from the famous Mugneret winemaking family. So it is perhaps no surprise that In little more than a decade her wines have become stars of the wine lists in some of Paris’ most prestigious restaurants. Cecile Tremblay’s 10 acres in the Cote de Nuits were passed down through both sides of her family, and her holdings including prime Grand Cru, Premier Cru and villages parcels, all worked according to strict biodynamic principles. Wine Advocate has called her wines “very fine, very classy,” and noted that she is “one of the new wave of cult winemakers whose small productions are rapidly snapped up by devotees.”

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.