2011 Domaine Dujac Vosne Romanee Les Beaux Monts

Domaine Dujac in Morey Saint Denis is relatively young by the standards of Burgundy estates. It was founded in 1967 when Louis Seysses, a food manufacturer who enjoyed good food and wine, bought an existing domaine so his son Jacques could try his hand at winemaking. Jacques had already apprenticed at other Burgundy estates, and Domaine Dujac’s first vintage was 1968. Dujac wines quickly earned acclaim and today they are, in the words of Burgundy expert Clive Coates, “intense, perfumed, silky-smooth and impeccably balanced.” The domaine remains a family operation which includes roles for Jacques’ wife, two sons and a daughter-in-law. The estate is comprised of 28 acres including prime parcels in the Grand Cru vineyards Clos de la Roche and Clos Saint-Denis. There are also parcels in Charmes-Chambertin, Bonnes-Mares, Echezeaux, Chambertin and Romanee-Saint-Vivant.

Les Beaux Monts is a 28.6-acre Premier Cru vineyard in the Vosne-Romanee appellation of Burgundy’s Cote de Nuits. It is on the northern edge of the appellation, bordering Flagey-Echezeaux. The vineyard has a southern exposure, and the soil is part clay and marl. It is one of the largest of Vosne-Romanee’s Premier Crus. Clive Coates calls Les Beaux Monts “a nice big wine, but nonetheless perfumed, full of finesse, even lush.”

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.