Winemaker Notes
A wine with fine intensity, supported by much freshness and a pronounced mineral character.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
This is produced from two domaine-owned parcels, but the majority of it is from the top of the slope of Les Barreaux, above Cros Parantoux and one of the last parcels to be picked. In 2019 the grapes were completely destemmed, although sometimes stems are added back in. The wine this year is very silky and very fine, but there is some serious fruit here, with aromas of bright pomegranate and violets. Fresh acidity and firm tannins feature on the palate.
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Jasper Morris
Bright fresh mid purple. This is clean and pure, vibrant with a tightness to the finish, that suggests that it could use more elevage, which indeed is planned. This should open out hereafter and put some more flesh on the promising bone structure.
Barrel Sample: 90-93 -
Wine Spectator
This red is spicy and perfumed, exuding cherry, strawberry, rose and sandalwood and earth aromas. Well-marked by juicy fruit and refined tannins, this persists, leaving a chalky feel and a mouthwatering impression.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Unwinding in the glass with notes of raspberries, rose petals, exotic spices and orange peel, the 2019 Vosne-Romanée Village is medium to full-bodied, supple and layered, with a lively core of fruit, velvety tannins and a bright, precise finish. This is a fine cuvée in the making.
Barrel Sample: 90-92
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.