2020 Domaine Dujac Romanee St. Vivant

Domaine Dujac in Morey Saint Denis is relatively young by the standards of Burgundy estates. It was founded in 1967 when Louis Seysses, a food manufacturer who enjoyed good food and wine, bought an existing domaine so his son Jacques could try his hand at winemaking. Jacques had already apprenticed at other Burgundy estates, and Domaine Dujac’s first vintage was 1968. Dujac wines quickly earned acclaim and today they are, in the words of Burgundy expert Clive Coates, “intense, perfumed, silky-smooth and impeccably balanced.” The domaine remains a family operation which includes roles for Jacques’ wife, two sons and a daughter-in-law. The estate is comprised of 28 acres including prime parcels in the Grand Cru vineyards Clos de la Roche and Clos Saint-Denis. There are also parcels in Charmes-Chambertin, Bonnes-Mares, Echezeaux, Chambertin and Romanee-Saint-Vivant.

Romanee-Saint-Vivant is a 23-acre Grand Cru vineyard just on the northern edge of the commune of Vosne-Romanee in the Cote de Nuits. The vineyard faces east, has a gentle incline and an elevation of 250 to 265 meters. The soil is clay and limestone. Principal producers of Romanee-Saint-Vivant are Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, with 13.23 acres; Leroy, with 2.48 acres; and Domaine de Corton-Grancey/Louis Latour, with 1.9 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.