Winemaker Notes
Cuvée Christiane is distinctly different than the wine from Malconsorts. It possesses a darker fruit profile (black currents and black cherries), more spice, more mineral character, and a fuller, more ample mouthfeel with a stricter tannin structure.
Professional Ratings
-
Vinous
The 2020 Vosne-Romanée Les Malconsorts Cuvée Christiane 1er Cru is 80% whole cluster, very different in aromatic profile to the regular cuvée, more ferrous with hints of red pepper infusing the red and black fruit. The palate is very well-defined and comparing side-by-side, this conveys more energy and tension than the regular cuvée, almost with greater precision towards the finish. Very long and tender, this is a marvellous Vosne-Romanée for long-term ageing.
Barrel Sample: 95-97 -
Decanter
A bright, fresh nose with copious red and black fruit aromas underlined by accents of earth and smoke, with a pleasant hint of violets and spice. There is a rich, lush texture on the palate and evident extract, but there is also enough tension and structure to age for decades to come. From the 0.49ha parcel bordered on the north and west by La Tâche, the grapes are picked four or five days later than the rest of the Malconsorts. In 2020, the wine was vinified with 80% whole clusters.
Barrel Sample: 96 -
Jasper Morris
Glowing rich purple, and here the bouquet is much more like normal. 80% whole bunch. 13.3%. This has the flowing sense of majesty, along with the firmer finish, but here the fruit swarms all over the back end. Very complete, very fine, luxury without vulgarity. And excellent persistence.
Barrel Sample: 93-96
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
This is the village for the most die-hard Burgundy fanatics. Vosne-Romanée has for many hundreds of years been the source of the most sought-after Pinot Noir in Burgundy. The village claims six Grands Crus—and some of the most famous at that—but in other villages where owners manage tiny parcels or a few rows of any one vineyard, monopolies dominate the Grands Crus of Vosne-Romanee.
Of these monopolies, Domaine Romanee-Conti (DRC) reigns supreme, claiming not only more total vineyard area than any other producer, but outright owning the entirety of two of the Grands Crus and a majority of two others. In its full possession are naturally Romanée-Conti, as well as La Tâche. DRC also owns most of Richebourg and Romanée-St-Vivant. The final two, La Grande Rue and La Romanée are completely owned by other other produers: François Lamarche and Comte Liger Belair, respectively.
While one could spend a lifetime on the puzzles of land ownership in Burgundy, the point is that Vosne-Romanee contains the most valuable pieces of vineyard real estate in the world. Pinot Noir from any of its vineyards—especially from within its 27ha of Grand Cru or 58 ha of Premier Cru land—is going to rank among the best.
The most outstanding wines from this village have everything: finesse and elegance coupled with the body and sturdiness for incredibly long aging ability. They are intensely floral and exotically spiced. Beautifully ripe, complex and ephemeral throughout, they are robust, yet fine-grained in texture. These wines will stay gorgeous for the long haul.