1999 Domaine Jean Chauvenet Nuits-St.-Georges Les Perrières

Domaine Jean Chauvenet is a 25-acre Nuits St. Georges estate with parcels in nine appellations. Since 1994 it has been run by Christophe Drag and his wife Christine. Christine is Jean Chauvenet’s daughter, and the Chauvenet family has been making wine in the area since the 17th century. Vines in the domain’s parcels are an average of 45 years old. Clive Coates has noted that “quality has been fine here for a decade or more. The tannins are more sophisticated, the fruit expression richer and classier, the flavors more complex: all because there is more attention to detail, more control and no stems.”

Les Perrieres is a 6.25-acre Premier Cru vineyard in Nuits-Saints-Georges, in Burgundy’s Cote de Nuits. It is in the central part of of the appellation on its eastern edge. Because there are no Grand Cru vineyards in Nuits-Saints-Georges, the appellation’s considerable reputation rests on its excellent Premier Crus. The vineyard is steep and extremely rocky. Burgundy writer Clive Coates notes that Les Perrieres is “lighter, minerally, but elegant.”

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.