2013 Domaine Cecile Tremblay Nuits St. Georges Les Murgers

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.”

Aux Mergers is a 12.2-acre vineyard in the Nuits-Saint-Georges appellation, in Burgundy’s Cote-de-Nuits. It is near the northern boundary of Nuits-Saints-Georges, at an average elevation of 270 meters. The soil is limestone, quite a bit of gravel and some sand. Wine writers note that the wines from these northern Nuits-Saint-Georges vineyards have a hint of Vosne about them, since they are so close to the Vosne-Romanee appellation. Because there are no Grand Cru vineyards in Nuits-Saints-Georges, the appellation’s considerable reputation rests on its excellent Premier Crus.

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.