1999 Vincent Girardin Romanee-St. Vivant

Domaine Vincent Girardin is a 50-acre estate made up of 42 parcels in Burgundy’s Cote de Beaune. Vincent Girardin himself was born in Santenay, in the Cote de Beaune, and is an 11th generation winemaker. He started his own domaine in 1982 with just 5 acres of land, but he has added to the estate over the years, which he now runs with wife, Veronique. Robert M. Parker Jr. has called Girardin an “extremely talented winemaker” and notes that Girardin’s top grand and premier crus “are at the same quality level of those crafted by Burgundy’s other excellent domaines and negociants. What sets this firm apart are the bevy of delicious, eminently drinkable wines it produces from lesser known appellations, including its home village of Santenay.” The domain makes red and white Burgundies.

Romanee-Saint-Vivant is a 23-acre Grand Cru vineyard just on the northern edge of the commune of Vosne-Romanee in the Cote de Nuits. The vineyard faces east, has a gentle incline and an elevation of 250 to 265 meters. The soil is clay and limestone. Principal producers of Romanee-Saint-Vivant are Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, with 13.23 acres; Leroy, with 2.48 acres; and Domaine de Corton-Grancey/Louis Latour, with 1.9 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.