2018 Domain Maurice Charleux Bourgogne Rouge

Country Red Burgundy – So Good for So Little

Even for those of you who are Burgundy Insiders, I bet this region takes a new glance for you to sort out – Dezize Les Maranges (technically it falls under the appellation Bourgogne Rouge).

Here’ss where it is and why it’s important. If you start at Chassagne-Montrachet and drive south you very quickly come to a crossroads. One road will be more major and down into Bouzeron, Rully, and eventually Mercurey and Beaujolais. The other, smaller road, is going to bend you almost due west into Santenay and the backside of Chassagne-Montrachet. If you continue a bare five-minute bike ride along that road, you are at the farthest southwestern point of the hill that forms Chassagne and the tiny little village of Dezize, not part of the Hautes-Cotes de Beaune, all of 200 inhabitants and no other commerce but wine since the 11^th century, when monks put down roots here.

It is also here where you will find the tiny, house-based winery of Maurice Charleux, now almost a whopping 20 acres strong. Started in the 19^th century by Maurice, it is now owned and run by his great- great- grandson Vincent. They farm a variety of vineyards in this region with some being based on clay soils – the Maranges wines, and others being based on limestone soils – the Santenay. Here, with our beauty today, the wine is just from the south and outside the Maranges appellation based on now 60-year-old vines planted in red clay soils.

And here is why this domaine is important – it’s so darn delicious. Have you ever longed for that pitch-perfect, perfectly thirst quenching red Burgundy that is complex enough for you at any occasion, but also hits a price that you feel perfectly comfortable serving at any occasion? Well, wish no more.

The Charleaux Dezize opens with clean, bright, and youthful aromas of wild strawberry, bright cherry,  orange peel, sandalwood, cola, black tea, and a hint of licorice. It’s the clay soils that are said to continue this soft strawberry fruit but also give the wine its snappy minerality. It’s light, medium-bodied yet tangy on the palate, and beckons you back for another glass, and another. And before you know it, you (and your relatives) will be onto the next bottle, drinking away to your heart’s content!

That’s really the point of this epistle. While I am more than happy to drink Gevrey Chambertin Premier Cru all the time, not every occasion needs such a grand wine. Sometimes a delicious, thirst quenching, ultra pretty Pinot is the way to go. And that’s exactly what’s in this bottle. Salute!