2024 L'Ambassadeur Wine Club Fall Collection

Unique to Burgundy, the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) utilizes a classification system to evaluate vineyards according to grape quality. Grand Cru, Premier Cru, and Villages signify the quality hierarchies in Burgundy ensuring producers comply with exacting standards when labeling their products and that wines bearing the AOC designation possess unique qualities that offer consumers confidence in the wine's origins. We have added our coveted 2017 Maison Evenstad, Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Fleurières - Les Plantes Au Baron Pinot Noir which is extremely rare to our portfolio with only a 2016 and 2017 vintage crafted. It has been an immense honor to own vineyards in this cherished area of the world. Since Ken and Grace Evenstad founded Domaine Serene in 1989, their inspiration has always come from the beloved Burgundy region with the goal of owning vineyards to craft and share the wine that ignited their passion. Due to the success of our Château de la Crée wines, we've ventured into the prestigous Côte de Nuits region, introducing the new label Domaine Evenstad, which we eagerly anticipate sharing with you in the years ahead. Thank you for being part of our winemaking journey as a valued wine club member. Cheers to the arrival of fall and the pleasure of sharing our passion for remarkable wines with you!

Michael Fay
Vice President of Winemaking & Viticulture

Since 2017 our winemaker Pablo Bosch and our viticultural team, have worked closely with the Evenstads and the Domaine Serene team to implement techniques in the vineyard and the cellar to elevate wine quality.

The Château de la Crée winemaking team strives to continually combine innovative vinification techniques to accentuate the finest qualities of the legendary terroir found only in Burgundy.

While great wines begin with great vineyards, no detail is left unexplored throughout the winemaking process.  There is no cutting corners in our quest to craft the highest quality Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in the world.

Pablo Bosch
French Winemaker

Facing southeast due to its unique orientation, these vineyards have been cherished and cultivated for centuries, supplying esteemed entities like the Knights of Malta and the Dukes of Burgundy. Volnay is a village and appellation that stands just south from Pommard and Beaune and is very distinctive from its neighboring appellation for its rather fruity and gentle body, recognized as one of the most elegant wines and appellations in Burgundy. The Clos des Angles parcel, translated as “angles”, is aptly named for its triangular shape, giving way to a gentle slope with an elevation of 250 meters. The soil, having a high proportion of small gravels and clay, gifts us with a beautiful grape ripeness year after year making this parcel a genuine gem within the Volnay appellation.

The Côte de Nuits, named after walnut trees, boasts 24 Grand Cru vineyards and some of the world's most expensive vineyard real estate, spanning from just south of Dijon to the village of Corgoloin. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir dominate the region, comprising 80% of its wines, with the remaining 20% consisting of Chardonnay or Rosé, particularly notable in Marsannay. These prestigious Grand Cru vineyards adorn the eastern slopes overlooking the Saone River valley, stretching from Gevrey-Chambertin through Morey-St-Denis to Vougeot and Vosne-Romanée. 

Beaune, an emblematic Burgundian city and the capital of Bourgogne's wine trade, attracts global attention during the prestigious annual Hospices de Beaune Wine auction. Renowned for its extensive vineyards, Beaune produces robust red wines with a rich history dating back to the late Middle Ages, alongside exceptional Chardonnay-based whites. In 1936 Beaune solidified its reputation as a premier wine-producing region, with terroir characterized by altitudes ranging from 220 to 300 meters, steep slopes, and diverse soil compositions, with exposures extending from east to due south. Through our Maison Evenstad label, we have been honored to partner with the region’s finest growers and negotiants to have access to exquisite grapes to craft amazing Premier Crus, like our Les Aigrots.

In Meursault, where the hard Comblanchian limestone resurfaces, the transition from red to white wines is symbollic, with Chardonnay excelling like nowhere else in the Côte de Beaune. The village streets are lined with quaint houses of vineyard workers amidst stunning stone architecture, including the fairy-like church tower. Dating back to 1098, the monks of Citeaux first planted vines in the excellent soils here, now predominantly yielding white wines since the appellation's establishment in 1937. Meursault's vinicultural evolution from Pinot Noir to Chardonnay in the mid-20th century has solidified its reputation alongside Puligny and Chassagne, with optimal vineyard sites boasting Jurassic marls and marly limestone soils at heights of 260 meters, complemented by exposures ranging from east to south.