2002 Camille Giroud Vosne Romanee

Maison Camille Giroud is a 2.5-acre estate in Beaune and a negociant. It was founded in 1865 and remained in the Giroud family for several generations. Then in 2002 a consortium of American investors, including famed Napa Valley winemaker Ann Colgin, purchased the estate. The influential American Burgundy exporter Becky Wasserman helped arrange the deal and recruited David Croix as winemaker. Maison Camille Giroud makes Premier Crus from parcels in Beaune, Maranges, Volnay, Savigny and Vosne-Romanee, as well as villages wines. Clive Coates calls the Camille Giroud “the most exciting of the smaller negociants in Burgundy.

Vosne-Romanée is the most prestigious appellation in Burgundy. Its 449 acres of vineyards are in and around the village of Vosne-Romanée and they include renowned Grand Cru vineyards which produce some of the world’s most coveted – and costly —wines. The Grands Crus are Richebourg, La Romanée, Romanée-Conti, Romanée-Saint-Vivant and La Tâche. The Grand Crus Échezeaux and Grands- Échezeaux are actually located in the neighboring village of Flagey-Échezeaux, but legally they can be sold under the Vosne-Romanée appellation. There are also seventeen Premier Crus in Vosne-Romanée. Wine writer Clive Coates has called Vosne-Romanée “the greatest Pinot Noir village on earth” and notes that the appellation’s style “is for wines which are rich, austere, sensual, masculine and aristocratic.”

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.