2006 Christophe Perrot-Minot Chapelle-Chambertin

Domaine Christophe Perrot-Minot dates its history to the mid-19th century, when Christophe Perrot-Minot’s great grandparents founded the estate. Today the domaine owns or has long-term leases on 26 acres of vineyards in and around Morey-Saint-Denis, in Burgundy. Since taking over the domaine from his father in 1995, Christophe has enlarged the holdings, increased production and, according to many reviewers, improved the quality of the wines. Robert M. Parker Jr. calls Christophe Perrot-Minot “one of Burgundy’s finest winemakers.” The estate produces Grand Crus, Premiers Crus and Villages wines.

Chapelle-Chambertin is a 13.5-acre Grand Cru vineyard just north of Griotte-Chambertin in the village of Gevrey-Chambertin. Its name comes from the chapel of Notre Dame de Beze, a chapel built in 1155 by the monks of Abbey de Beze and demolished several centuries later during the French Revolution. There is not much slope in this vineyard, nor much soil. Louis Jadot and Claude Dugat have small parcels here, though the largest landholders are Pierre Damoy, 5 acres; Ponsot 1.7 acres; and Jean and Jean-Louis Trapet, 1.5 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.