Vosne-Romanée: Guide

Vosne-Romanée is a wine-producing village and commune in France|commune in the Côte de Nuits area of the Côte-d'Or, Burgundy, France. Together with Chambolle-Musigny and Gevrey-Chambertin it produces the region's best red wines, all made entirely from the Pinot Noir grape.

Despite the monopoly control of four of the six grand crus, the village has at least forty growers sharing its vineyards.

The wines produced from the vineyards are diverse, but they are generally considered to be rich, silky and well balanced, with a complexity and longevity which surpasses that of the other wines of Burgundy.

"There are no shortcuts to understanding the region of Burgundy.... If you want to become a Burgundy expert, be prepared to memorize 1,000 names, take a course in French pronunciation and expect to get lost in a maze of appellations (officially delineated wine zones). In addition, get ready to part with a good chunk of change—Burgundy wines are expensive. It is like buying designer wine, you pay for the name. And the smaller the appellation within burgundy, the rarer the wine and the higher the cost" .

Grands Crus

In addition to many excellent wines at both the village and premier cru level, the village has six grand crus.

Romanée-Conti

The Romanée-Conti vineyard dominates the village, with its wines among the most expensive in the world. It is a monopole (wine)|monopole of Domaine de la Romanée Conti. Around 600 cases are made each year from the vineyard's 1.8 hectare|ha. Its highly sought after wine develops strongly over several decades.

La Romanée

Second only to Romanée-Conti, La Romanée is a monopole of the Château de Vosne-Romanée. Only 300 cases are made each year from this plot of 0.84 ha.

La Tâche

La Tâche is Domaine de la Romanée Conti's other monopole, and its 6 ha consist of the vineyards of La Tâche and Les Gaudichots. The wine is notable for being excellent at a very young age, and is of consistent quality even in otherwise poor vintages.

Richebourg

The 8 ha of the Richebourg cru are divided between 1o growers, including Domaine Leroy and Domaine de la Romanée Conti. Its wines are often described as "voluptuous" and in good years can match those of La Tâche.

Romanée-Saint-Vivant

The wine of Romanée-Saint-Vivant suffers in comparison to its neighbours, making a lighter and less powerful liquid. Once again Domaine de la Romanée Conti own over half of the area's 9.5 ha.

La Grande Rue

The least-renowned of the six grands crus is a monopole of Domaine Lamarche|Domaine François Lamarche, and was only promoted from premier cru recently. Its 1.4 hectares lie between La Tâche and Romanée-Conti.

Premiers Crus

Although unable to command the same prices as their grand cru neighbours, the village is home to many excellent premier cru wines. The top-rated producers include Les Malconsorts, Cros Parantoux, Les Chaumes, and Clos des Réas (a monopole of Domaine Michel GROS)

See also