Winemaker Notes
The vineyard of Vosne-Romanée covers about 240 ha on Vosne-Romanée and Flagey-Echezeaux. The village of Vosne-Romanée, situated at the heart of the Côte de Nuits, is comprised of six fabulous Grands Crus such as RomanéeConti, Tâche, Richebourg… whereas its neighbor, Flagey-Echezeaux, shelters Echezeaux and Grands-Echezeaux. The production of Grands Crus represents ¼ of the vineyard. Les Echezeaux itself covers only 34.8 hectares, at an altitude varying between 230 and 300 meters above sea level, with a rather complex mixture of soils: limestone, red silt, marl…
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.”
Claiming the two famous Grand Crus, Echezeaux and Grands Echezeaux, the identity of this village, Flagey-Echezeaux, rides predominantly on the glory of those two crus. All of the village or Premier Cru status vineyards in Flagey-Echezeaux market themselves under the name of their neighbor, Vosne-Romanée.
Echezeaux Pinot noir tends be light, bright and full of finesse, whereas those of Grands Echezeaux typically have more heft and complexity.