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Vosne-Romanée and the mythical vineyards in Burgundy
As Puligny-Montrachet is the village in the Côte de Beaune with its many mythical Grand Cru and Premier Cru vineyards, Vosne-Romanée is this in the Côte de Nuits. A closer look on the vineyards of this municipality.
Vosne-Romanée an idyllic village with perhaps the most photographed vineyard, Romanée-Conti.
Vosne-Romanée
The village with the most appealing red Grand Crus of Burgundy is Vosne-Romanée. In terms of surface area, however, it is one of the smaller municipalities. Gevrey-Chambertin, for example, has twice as many hectares. The municipality of Flagey-Echézeaux is actually always mentioned as the neighboring village and the municipal wines are regularly marketed as Vosne-Romanée. A total of 229 hectares of vineyards, of which 99 hectares are recognised as village, 57 hectares as premier cru and no less than 73 hectares as Grand Cru.
The Grand Cru’s
La Grande Rue, Richebourg, La Romanée, La Romanée-Conti, Romanée-Saint-Vivant, La Tâche en Echézeaux are the Grand Cru’s in this village. The latter is by far the largest in surface area with no less than 37 hectares. Within this Grand Cru, 11 líeu-dits are distinguished and there are more than 50 different domains that own a part. This vineyard ownership varies from 0.09 hectares to almost 5 hectares for the largest landowner. For a long time, Echézeaux was owned by the Cistercian monks who also owned Clos de Vougeot. While they fully cultivated Clos de Vougeot themselves, they left Echézeaux to other winemakers. This led to many vineyards already being owned by others during the French Revolution. Other Grand Crus with multiple landowners are Romanée-Saint-Vivant (9.44 ha and 10 owners) and Richebourg (8.03 ha and 11 owners). The most famous vineyard is La Romanée-Conti, more than 1.8 hectares and fully owned by the domain of the same name, making it a monopoly. This 1.81 hectare vineyard has been referred to as La Romanée since 1584.
The Monopoles
A monopole is a vineyard in Burgundy that has only one owner and is therefore the only one that is allowed to use this appellation. A monopole exists in all gradations of the appellations in Burgundy, from Bourgogne régionale to Grand Cru. Some examples are Clos du Verseuil from Domaine Y Clerget, Clos des Perrieres from Domaine Albert Grivault and Clos de la Mouchère from Henri Boillot.
It is striking that several Grand Crus in this municipality are a monopoly. A little more about La Romanée-Conti: When the vineyard was sold to Louis-François de Bourbon, Prince de Conti in 1760, the name changed to La Romanée-Conti. Of course, this property was confiscated after the revolution and in the years that followed there were various owners through inheritance or sale. During the Second World War, the de Villaine family was the owner together with Jacques Chambon. The latter wanted to sell his share to Henri Leroy due to the difficult years before and for this purpose the domain was changed into a “société civile”. To this day, the de Villaine family and the Leroy family are the owners of this famous domain. In addition to La Romanée-Conti, the domain also has full ownership of the Grand Cru La Tâche, more than 6 hectares. La Grande Rue (1.65 ha) is fully owned by Domaine François Lamarche. La Romanée (0.85 hectares) is from Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair, but was marketed for a long time by Bouchard Père & Fils. Since 2005, however, only by the domain of Comte Louis-Michel Liger-Belair. These monopoles are all unique wines.
The most important Premier Cru’s
Looking at the premiers crus in Vosne-Romanée, we arrive at 14 different appellations, varying in size and quality of terroir, although there is always room for discussion. As an example, Les Beaumonts, part of which ( Les Beaumonts Hauts) does not have premier cru status. This is due to the high altitude, which means that the grapes cannot ripen properly. However, with the warming, it is now a more interesting part. The premier cru Les Suchots, one of the most sought-after, is wedged between Grand Crus such as Richebourg, Romanée-Saint-Vivant and Clos-Saint-Dénis. A premier cru that is over 14 hectares in size and from which wines come with perhaps the most finesse in the appellation. Les Chaumes, located next to the Grand Cru La Tâche, has a more clay-rich soil which gives the wines more power and volume. This premier cru is quite divided with its 6.46 hectares and 13 owners. Special attention also for the premier cru Cros Parantoux. The late Henri Jayer made his almost mythical wine here and to this day this is one of the most sought-after red Burgundies with an impeccable reputation.
€142.50
Available
Vosne-Romanée Les Hauts Beaumonts
2021
Rich nose with aromas of red fruit, floral notes and cloves with a nice tone from the wood aging. In the mouth juicy and ripe red and black fruit, subdued spiciness and hints of liquorice. Long and complex finish with elegant tannins.
| Producent | Appellation | Style |
|---|---|---|
| Pierre Girardin | Vosne Romanée | Rich & Exuberant |
| Oak aging | Vineyard management | Format |
| Yes | Practising organics | 750 ml |
€299.00
Available
Vosne-Romanée 1er cru Les Suchots
2021
Complex nose with intense aromas of red fruit, floral notes, black pepper and cloves with a beautiful tone from the wood aging. In the mouth juicy and ripe red and black fruit, spiciness and hints of licorice. Elegant, well-integrated tannins, minerality and an imposing refreshing finish.
| Producent | Appellation | Style |
|---|---|---|
| Pierre Girardin | Vosne Romanée 1er Cru | Rich & Exuberant |
| Oak aging | Vineyard management | Format |
| Yes | Practising organics | 750 ml |
Echézeaux en Orveaux Grand Cru
2022
Impressive Grand Cru from Bouchard Père et Fils. Intense aroma of red fruit and spices intertwined with oaky hints. Complex and mineral in taste with lots of structure and refined tannin.
| Producent | Appellation | Style |
|---|---|---|
| Bouchard Père et Fils | Echézeaux Grand Cru | Rich & Exuberant |
| Oak aging | Vineyard management | Format |
| Yes | Practising organics | 750 ml |
