2009 Pierre Andre au Chateau de Corton Andre Clos De Vougeot

Pierre André is a Burgundy negociant and estate with a long history. It was founded in 1923 by Pierre André, then a 28-year-old with a fledgling Paris-based wine trading company. In 1927 André acquired an estate in Aloxe-Corton and started what would become his life-long passion for the wines of Burgundy. An expert marketer at a time when few saw the point of marketing, André in the 1960s opened a restaurant in Paris to promote his wines. He was soon selling them internationally. Today the company is a combination domaine and negociant and owns about 125 vineyard acres. It also sources grapes from growers in more than 80 appellations. Since 2014 Pierre André has been owned by the negociant Bejot Vins et Terroirs. Pierre André produces a large portfolio of red and white Burgundy from dozens of appellations.

Clos de Vougeot is a walled vineyard that dominates the tiny commune of Vougeot in Burgundy’s Nuits-St.-Georges. The 124-acre Grand Cru vineyard includes a historic chateau that in 1945 was purchased by the Confrerie des Chevaliers du Tastevin, an organization devoted to promoting the traditions of Burgundy and its wines. The impressive chateau is the organization’s headquarters. Clos de Vougeot was established as a vineyard by Cistercian monks in the 12th century, then sold off to private owners after the French Revolution. The vineyard is unusual for a Grand Cru in that it includes land that runs down to the main road. The soil is light limestone with sand. Principal landowners are Chateau de la Tour, with 13 acres; Meo-Camuzet, 7.5 acres; Rebourseau, 5.5 acres; Louis Jadot, 5.3 acres; and Leroy, 5 acres.

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.