1969 Alexis Lichine Domaine Georges Clerget Chambolle-Musigny Les Charmes

Alexis Lichine was a larger-than-life figure who was born in Moscow in 1913 and died in Bordeaux in 1989. During his life he was an indefatigable salesman and promoter, as well as the winner of numerous military honors in WWII. He began his wine career as a wine writer and an expert on French and California wines and in 1951 purchased Chateau Prieure-Lichine. He also started a negociant business in New York and set up a wine shipping company in Bordeaux. Wines with the Lichine label are associated with his negociant/exporting firms. He worked closely with Domaine Georges Clerget, whose nine-acre estate in Vougeot included prestigious parcels.

Côte de Nuits is the northern part of the Côte d’Or and it includes the most famous vineyards and wine communes in the world. There are more Grand Cru appellations in the Côte de Nuits than anywhere else in Burgundy. Of the fourteen communes, or villages in the Côte de Nuits, six produce Grand Cru wines. They are Gevrey-Chambertin, Morey-St.-Denis, Chambolle-Musigny, Vougeot, Flagey-Échezeaux and Vosne-Romanee. Some of the vineyards within the Côte de Nuits are tiny, which adds to their prestige. The fabled Grand Cru vineyard La Romanee is barely two square acres. Altogether there are twenty-four Grand Cru vineyards. The region takes its name from the village of Nuits-Saint-Georges. Côtes de Nuits produces mostly reds from Pinot Noir, and the wines have been in demand for centuries. During the 18th century King Louis XIV’s physician recommended that for his health the king only drink wines from Nuits-Saint-Georges. Like most of Burgundy, the soils of the Côte de Nuit can vary greatly from one vineyard to another, though most are a base soil of limestone mixed with clay, gravel and sand.

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.