The vineyards of Vosne-Romanée lie on the northern suburbs of Nuits-St-Georges, rising on the left as you drive north, on slopes of broken limestone, red/brown marl and clay mixed with pebbles, and criss-crossed with narrow stone walls demarcating individual ‘Clos’. The names above the entry gates to these separate vineyards are sheer poetry – La Tache, Richebourg, Les Chaumes, Les Suchots…, but all eyes should surely turn toward a non-descript single plot of vines, visible from the northern edge of the village of Vosne-Romanee itself. For here is planted the iconic and titular Romanée Conti, Domaine de Romanée Conti, a single plot of Grand Cru vines that makes, without contest, the most expensive red Burgundy of them all.
Outside these hallowed vines ripple great vineyards, with the 150ha including 6 Grand cru’s and 14 Premier Cru. The best wines are all mid slope, with the village AOC Vosne-Romanée vines situated above and below these Premier and Grand Cru sites. The soil is a mixture of broken limestone, clay and marl, with a higher dominance of pebbles in the favoured sites. The exposure is easterly and south easterly in aspect with a mere 15 degrees of gradient. The vines are well protected from the wind and the yields are often lower, averaging 35 hl/ha for Premier Cru and as low as 25hl/ha for Grand Cru in the last 8 years. The style of Vosne-Romanée is robust and full, with haunting perfume when young. Intense concentration of red fruits, sturdy tannins that are absorbed by the sweet fruit as the wine develops.
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