2009 Emmanuel Rouget Vosne-Romanee Cros Parantoux

Emmanuel Rouget is the nephew of the late, great Henri Jayer, one of Burgundy’s legendary winemakers. Rouget started making wines under his own label in 1985 after having apprenticed with his famous uncle for many years. Rouget owns and leases a total of 18 acres in Echezeaux, Vosne-Romanee and Savigny-les-Beaune. The Echezeaux and Vosne-Romanee are Grand Cru. He also produces several villages wines. The signature wine is the Cros Parantoux, though Robert M. Parker Jr. notes that Rouget “routinely bottles outstanding generic cuvees…”

Vosne-Romanée is the most prestigious appellation in Burgundy. Its 449 acres of vineyards are in and around the village of Vosne-Romanée and they include renowned Grand Cru vineyards which produce some of the world’s most coveted – and costly —wines. The Grands Crus are Richebourg, La Romanée, Romanée-Conti, Romanée-Saint-Vivant and La Tâche. The Grand Crus Échezeaux and Grands- Échezeaux are actually located in the neighboring village of Flagey-Échezeaux, but legally they can be sold under the Vosne-Romanée appellation. There are also seventeen Premier Crus in Vosne-Romanée. Wine writer Clive Coates has called Vosne-Romanée “the greatest Pinot Noir village on earth” and notes that the appellation’s style “is for wines which are rich, austere, sensual, masculine and aristocratic.”

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.