2004 Jean Tardy Nuits-St.-Georges Les Boudots Vieilles Vignes

Domaine Jean Tardy & Fils is the story of three generations of vignerons who, over the decades, have earned reputations for making some of the most terroir-driven and remarkable wines in the Côte d’Or. In 1920 Victor Tardy found vineyard work at Domaine Camuzet, where he so impressed the domaine’s owners that in 1945 they asked him to work “en métayage,” or as an independent sharecropper and winemaker. By 1966 his son Jean had taken over and was working additional vineyards “en metayage.” Jean’s son Guillaume studied oenology in college and in 2003 took over Domaine Jean Tardy, which today includes about 20 acres in several appellations. Guillaume’s wines have earned compliments from reviewers. Wine Advocate wrote that Guillaume “is one of the young and upcoming winemakers of Vosne-Romanée. Tardy’s wines often have a modern sheen, perhaps even a glossiness that distinguished them from others.”

Aux Boudots is a 15.8-acre Premier Cru vineyard in the appellation of Nuits-Saints-Georges, in Burgundy’s Cote de Nuits. Located at the northern end of Nuits-Saints-Georges, the vineyard is just across the appellation division from Vosne-Romanee’s Premier Cru Les Malconsorts. Because there are no Grand Cru vineyards in Nuits-Saints-Georges, the appellation’s considerable reputation rests on its excellent Premier Crus. Aux Boudot is 250-290 meters above sea level, a near ideal elevation, and the soil is limestone, gravel and clay. Burgundy writer Clive Coates has noted that Aux Boudot “is altogether more Vosne in character than Nuits.”

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.