Wine: 2016 Louis Chenu Pere et Fille, “Aux Clous”

Region: Savigny- les- Beaune, 1er Cru France (Burgundy)

Grapes: Pinot Noir

Price: $40

Taste: Bursting with cherry and strawberry flavors supported by earthy, herbal and mineral notes.

Pairs With: Classic pairings with pork and salmon dishes.

When to Serve: With someone you love. This is too good for open to the general public.

FYI

Let’s break down this wine so that you can get a better understanding of how special it is. Burgundy is a famous wine growing area in eastern France, known for excellent Chardonnay, Pinot Noir Gamay and Aligote wines. There are four sub regions in Burgundy:  Côte de Nuits, Côte de Beaune, Côte Chalonnaise and Macconais  (listed North to South).  Côte de Nuits is in the northern part of the Burgundy’s Côte d’Or (aka the golden slopes). Côte de Nuits is known for producing Burgundy’s best Pinot Noir wines. Although white wines are allowed, there are very few produced in this area. Within each sub region there are villages. The vineyards of these villages are rated from Regional (good), Village (better) Premier Cru (very good) to Grand Crus (most excellent). You may have heard of the famous village Vosne Romanee and their renowned vineyards Romanee-Conti. Remember in Burgundy, its the vineyard, not the village that are rated as Premier Cru or Grand Cru. Côte de Beaune is in the southern part of Côte d’Or. The best vineyards in Côte de Baune are south east facing, because they receive maximum sun exposure. This brings us back to our wines of the week. The grapes for the 2016 Louis Chenu Pere et Fille, “Aux Clous” come from the village of Savigny-les-Beaune, AOC (Côte de Baune). Aux Clous is a south facing Premier Cru vineyard. See, this is one of the reasons you pay a little more for these wines.

Terms

*Grand Cru, Premier Cru and Village and Regional Wines are French Wine regional classification that denotes the quality of the vineyards. The regulations for Grand Cru are more strict than Premiere Cru. According to Wine Folly, “there are over 100 growing regions in Burgundy, of those only 1% are Grand Cru, 10% Premier Cru, 37% Village and 52% Regional wines.” “These regulations protect the historic integrity of the vineyards and ultimately the wine.” Wanda Cole, Advance Sommelier.

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