2005 Christophe Perrot-Minot Charmes-Chambertin

Domaine Christophe Perrot-Minot dates its history to the mid-19th century, when Christophe Perrot-Minot’s great grandparents founded the estate. Today the domaine owns or has long-term leases on 26 acres of vineyards in and around Morey-Saint-Denis, in Burgundy. Since taking over the domaine from his father in 1995, Christophe has enlarged the holdings, increased production and, according to many reviewers, improved the quality of the wines. Robert M. Parker Jr. calls Christophe Perrot-Minot “one of Burgundy’s finest winemakers.” The estate produces Grand Crus, Premiers Crus and Villages wines.

Charmes-Chambertin is a 78-acre Grand Cru vineyard in Gevrey-Chambertin that traditionally includes the acreage of nearby Mazoyeres-Chambertin. For nearly 200 years the growers of Mazoyeres have been legally allowed to sell their wines under the more famous name of Charmes-Chambertin, and virtually all of them do. Charmes-Chambertin is the largest of the Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Crus, and it generally has an excellent reputation. The slope of the vineyard is gentle and the surface soil poor. But producers including Joseph Roty, Christian Serafin, Domaine Dujac, Faiveley and Joseph Drouhin are acclaimed for their Charmes Chambertin. Principal landholders are Camus, with 14.75 acres; Perrot-Minot, 4 acres; and Armand Rousseau, 3.5 acres.

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.