Château de Melin sits twelve kilometers southwest of Beaune in Auxey-Duresses, where the slate-roofed towers of a château first built in 1551 overlook 28 hectares of vines spread across the Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits. Hélène and Arnaud Derats acquired the estate in 1999 and restored it while folding in the family's own vineyards, part of a winegrowing lineage that traces back seven generations to before the French Revolution. In 2009 the family committed the entire domaine to organic farming, giving up pesticides, herbicides and synthetic chemicals in favor of plowing, cover-crop management and treatments limited to natural sulfur and copper, a practice now certified annually by Ecocert. Two of the Derats' sons, Thomas and Guillaume, have since joined the estate, carrying the operation into its eighth generation.

This Gevrey-Chambertin blends fruit from two plots, Chemin de la Justice and La Platière, totaling just under a hectare in the heart of the Côte de Nuits. The limestone-and-marl soils give the Pinot Noir its fine-grained structure, while a four-day cold maceration and fifteen-day fermentation with manual punch-downs draw out color and depth. Twelve months in oak, a quarter of it new, rounds the wine into something powerful yet controlled.

Why You'll Love It

• A vivid, deeply colored Gevrey-Chambertin from two well-placed Côte de Nuits parcels.
• Aromas of blackcurrant and dark berries mingle with wilder, more savory notes of fur and musk as the wine matures.
• Often shows a thread of licorice with age, layered over a slightly spicy backbone.
• Powerful tannins are balanced by generous fruit and good acidity for a wine built to age.
• Recognized with a Gold Medal at the Challenge Millésime Bio and featured in the Guide Hachette.
• A serious, complex red from a genuine appellation, priced well below its Côte de Nuits neighbors.

How To Serve It

• Serve at 59-61°F to let the wine's power and spice show fully.
• Decant for 30-60 minutes if drinking young to soften the tannins.
• Pour into Burgundy stems.
• Pair with braised short ribs in a red wine sauce, or roasted game, dishes with enough weight to match the wine's structure.