2004 Jean Tardy Echezeaux Les Treux

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.”

Echezeaux is a 93-acre Grand Cru vineyard on the southern edge of the Cote de Nuits. It up the slope from Clos de Vougeot and Grands Echezeaux and is one of the largest grand crus in Burgundy. The vineyard varies in elevation from 250 to 300 meters, and the terroir includes significant clay as well as thin, rocky soil. The largest proprietors are Domaine de la Romanee Conti, with 11.68 acres; Mongeard-Mugneret with 6.25 acres, and Emmanuel-Rouget, with 3.58 acres. Echezeaux produces red wine.

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.