2005 Domaine J. Truchot-Martin Bourgogne

Domaine J. Truchot-Martin was a 15-acre estate with vineyards in three Burgundy appellations: Gevrey-Chambertin, Morey St. Denis and Chambolle-Musigny. Its legendary founder, Jacky Truchot, retired in 2005, selling off his land and shuttering his estate. Yet as the remaining bottles of J. Truchot-Martin diminish every year, the estate’s prestige grows. It was founded in 1978 by Truchot, who had worked 17 years at his cousin’s domaine in Morey-Saint-Denis. He learned winemaking on the job, following the traditional practices of his cousin, Henri Mauffre. When Mauffre died in 1978, his widow sold the estate to Truchot, who added his wife’s maiden name to his new enterprise. Truchot sold his wines mostly in France until the mid-1980s when Peter Weygandt started importing them into the United States. Still, for decades Truchot’s wines remained under the radar of many critics and collectors, partly because Truchot never veered from his preference for making traditional, elegant, graceful wines. Burghound noted that “the wines of Truchot-Martin are a kind of stylistic throwback to older times. There is no artifice here at all…the wines are elegant and pure examples of their type.” When Truchot retired he sold his land to the owner of a neighboring estate, who incorporated Truchot’s vineyards into his own. Truchot kept a small piece of the Les Sorbes premier cru vineyard and bottles a tiny amount from that plot. His wines have become highly sought after by collectors.

Burgundy in eastern France is, if not the most famous and storied wine region in the world, certainly one of the top two or three. Its winemaking history dates from the Roman era, and its relatively small size and reputation for outstanding wines means that the best wines of Burgundy are generally among the world’s most prized – and costly – wines. At about 110,000 vineyards acres, Burgundy is only 40% as big as Bordeaux, and its system of dividing up vineyards into small, family-owned parcels makes understanding the wines of Burgundy a life-long pursuit for Burgundy enthusiasts. The three main grapes of Burgundy are Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Gamay. Burgundy is a long, narrow, north-south running region consisting of five main areas. They are Chablis in the north, Côte D’Or, Côte Chalonnaise, Mâconnais and Beaujolais, which is just above the Rhone Valley. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are grown throughout most of Burgundy but Gamay is grown primarily in Beaujolais. The appellation system and rules about labeling can be confusing and the system classifies regions, villages and even individual vineyards. Grand Cru is the most prestigious appellation category, followed by Premier Cru and many village and regional appellations.

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.