2016 Maison Harbour Pressonnier Gevrey-Chambertin

Maison Harbour in Savigny-les-Beaune makes Premier Cru and villages Burgundy in a traditional style, though the maison’s backstory is anything but traditional. In a region where maisons and domaines typically are held in the same family for generations, Maison Harbour is a new producer started only a few years ago by a young Canadian/American couple with no previous winemaking experience and no family background in Burgundy or any other winemaking region. Colleen and Nicholas Harbour’s leap into the storied world of Burgundian winemaking started in 2011, when the couple quit their banking jobs in Luxembourg and enrolled in viticulture programs in Beaune. To support themselves they worked at a local negociant and domaines, and they bought grapes from local growers, which was itself an accomplishment considering their lack of history in the area. Remarkably, they were able to purchase grapes from Premier Cru parcels in Pommard, Gevrey-Chambertin and Chassange-Montrachet, as well as villages grapes from Gevrey-Chambertin and Vosne-Romanée. They make their wine in their garage and their very limited production is available normally only through a mailing list.

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.