Going Underground: Claudine Gaunoux's Domaine Francois Gaunoux, A Burgundy Secret

In advance of trips to wine regions, I generally ask very knowledgeable wine professionals to direct me to winemakers who might not be on my radar. In late 2011, I was particularly interested in the Les Rugiens vineyard in the Burgundy village of Pommard, which was then the subject of a newly-emerging controversy. Pommard is a village in the Cote de Beaune and while it has spectacular Premier Cru vineyards, it does not have any Grand Cru vineyards. There is a push, however, to elevate to Grand Cru status Pommard’s finest Premier Cru vineyards -- Les Rugiens, Les Epenots and Les Grands-Epenots (or parts of them). Wines from Les Rugiens, in particular, are legendary for their power and longevity.