Grand Crus : Unveiling the Eight Wonders of Vosne-Romanée

Photo of wall of Romanée-Conti plot - One of Vosne-Romanée grand crus

Characterised by richness, finesse, complexity and harmony, Vosne-Romanée wines symbolise Burgundy elegance at its finest. With no fewer than eight grand crus located within the appellation, this small village just a stone’s throw from Vougeot is a treasure trove of legendary wines! The commune of Vosne-Romanée is home to six grand crus (La Tâche, La Grande Rue, Romanée-Conti, La Romanée, Romanée-Saint-Vivant, and Richebourg), alongside two grand crus from the commune of Flagey-Échezeaux (Échezeaux and Grands-Échezeaux). Let’s take a closer look at these icons.

Four grand crus with a single owner: La Tâche, Romanée Conti, La Romanée and La Grande Rue

Like many other leading Burgundy estates, the six hectares of La Tâche (6.06 ha to be precise when measured in 2019) originally belonged to monks before being passed onto various owners, including the Joly de Bévy family, and being seized during the French Revolution. Belonging to the Liger-Belair family in the early 20th century, the estate became a part of Domaine de la Romanée Conti in 1933. The boundaries of the appellation for this vineyard solely owned by the estate were not officially established until 1936, coinciding with the addition of the Gaudichots parcel. Bottles with the Gaudichots name are occasionally up for sale, though this is extremely rare.

Since the 17th century, La Tâche has built a robust reputation, consistently delivering 20,000 bottles of remarkable wine annually. No matter how tough the year is, La Tâche wine never fails to impress! As a result of all the vines having been pulled out in 1945, this was the only wine bottled on the estate in 1950 or 1951. Strict yield control and harvesting the grapes as late as possible result in the most opulent, aromatic wine imaginable. La Tâche displays a strikingly rich colour and an extraordinary array of aromas of black fruit, truffle and spices. Rich and concentrated, the bouquet unfurls an infinite host of nuances that weave their way through the wine to create a harmonious ensemble of great finesse.

La Romanée Conti (we were fortunate to spend a delightful morning there in 2018!) is arguably the most legendary wine in the world. The last parcel in Burgundy to withstand phylloxera (there was no production from 1946 to 1951), it covers just 1.81 hectares.  To really grasp how special this vineyard is, just remember that it’s the namesake of the legendary Domaine de la Romanée-Conti! It’s also worth knowing the story of the Prince de Conti… but let’s get back to the wine! This sumptuous cuvée exudes wonderfully complex aromas of rose, violet, spices, truffle and leather. This wine is also frequently ranked as the most expensive wine sold at auction on iDealwine.

The smallest AOC in France covering a mere 850 square metres, the La Romanée vineyard is believed to date back to Roman times (hence its name perhaps?). Much like La Romanée-Conti which is located above this “climat” (single vineyard plot), it benefits from the best possible conditions to thrive. Here, the silty-clay soil is interspersed with crumbly limestone which contributes body and elegance, and the hillside is steep enough to allow rainwater to run off easily. General Liger-Belair (who passed away in 2015) appointed Mr Forey, a winemaker, to manage the estate, while Bouchard Père & Fils handled ageing and distribution for a time. Solely owned by the Liger-Belair family since 1976, the wine is currently crafted by Comte Liger-Belair, the estate that proudly shares the family name. The generous, complex, and silky qualities of the wine reveal abundant black fruit and spice notes complemented by hints of smoke and undergrowth. The complexity is overwhelming.

La Grande Rue extends over some 1.65 hectares. This vineyard solely belongs to Domaine Francois-Lamarche, who have been producing the wines since 1797. Nestling between Romanée-Conti and La Tâche, La Grande Rue possesses a certain firmness and a soft velvety texture. This complex grand cru displays spiced, floral and menthol notes. Rich and structured, it is designed to be cellared (for 20–30 years). Here, the terroir consists of shallow brown limestone at the top of the parcel (which is a little deeper further down the plot). La Grande Rue was only officially recognised as a grand cru on 2 July 1992, while neighbouring vineyards were mostly acknowledged as such as early as 1936.

Wine from single-owner vineyards

La Romanée Saint-Vivant: The most extensive

Romanée-Saint-Vivant, by far the largest of Vosne-Romanée’s eight grand crus (9.44 hectares when measured in 2019), takes its name from the monks of Saint-Vivant, a monastery founded in the early 10th century near Nuits Saint-Georges. This vineyard produces wines with distinctive aromas of cloves, cinnamon and black fruit, all driven by a great delicacy. The terroir of Romanée-Saint-Vivant consists of brown limestone soils with a high clay content, slightly deeper (90 cm) than neighbouring Romanée-Conti (60 cm).

There are several producers of Romanée-Saint-Vivant:  Albert BichotFollin-Arbelet, Louis Latour, Arnoux-Lachaux, Arlot, La Romanée-Conti…

Map of Vosne-Romanée
Bourgogne Maps – outil cartographique interactif – www.bourgogne-maps.fr

Echézeaux and Grands-Echézeaux: Just outside Vosne-Romanée

Located on a terroir adjacent to the best parcels of the Clos de Vougeot, Grands-Echézeaux and Echézeaux are two grand crus uniquely associated with the Flagey-Echézeaux commune, unlike the other six grand crus of the Vosne-Romanée commune.

Echézeaux is by far the larger of these two vineyards, covering 36.36 hectares, while Grands-Echézeaux stretches over 9.14 hectares (figures from 2019). In keeping with the style of the Vosne-Romanée premier crus, Echézeaux and Grands-Echézeaux wines are persistent, complex, harmonious, delicate, well rounded and offer silky fullness. Floral and sweet spice aromas are the dominant aromas in them. The leading producers of Echézeaux wines are Domaine des Perdrix, Louis Jadot, Bouchard Père et Fils, Pacalet, and Château de Marsannay.

Echezeaux grand cru bottles

Richebourg: Quite simply sumptuous

When referring to the Richebourg vineyard, Camille Rodier (one of the founders of the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin – French for ‘Fraternity of Knights of the Wine-Tasters’) – said “This splendid cru, with its incomparable velvety smoothness and rich bouquet, is one of the most sumptuous in Burgundy.”

The vines of this grand cru are planted on limestone soil with a high clay content. This means that the vines have to dig their roots deep into the ground to find water and minerals to help them grow. The wines masterfully combine power and charm. Robust, well structured, and sophisticated, they unfailingly exhibit an impressive harmony. The ensemble reveals intense aromas typical of the finest Burgundian wines including ripe and candied red and black fruit, musk, leather and humus. The impressive aromatic persistence combines with an extraordinary richness. The entire vineyard stretches over 8.03 hectares (figure from 2019), and only produces around 40,000 bottles each year. Several decades in the cellar are often necessary for this wine to reach its full potential. In its prime, it displays striking similarities to La Tâche.

Richebourg is currently run by a dozen owners, including Domaine de La Romanée Conti, Meo-Camuzet, Domaine Leroy (formerly Domaine Noëllat) and the Gros family.  The Richebourg produced by the Domaine de la Romanée Conti is exceptionally concentrated, reflecting the high standards of the vinification and ageing processes employed. Such is the meticulous care lavished on this vineyard that the vines are among the last in Burgundy to have resisted phylloxera. That was until they were struck down by the parasite in 1946.

In the early 20th century, Etienne Camuzet, a winemaker from Vosne Romanée and Member of Parliament for the Côte-d’Or, set about expanding his estate and was very selective in the parcels he gradually acquired. His daughter Maria Noirot left the estate to Jean Méo, father of Jean-Nicolas, who has been at the helm since 1989. A number of practices are implemented with the help of Henri Jayer, such as a strict limitation on yields, systematic green harvesting and 100% destemming. The wines are matured in new oak casks for an average of 17 months before bottling, a practice employed at the estate since 1983. Domaine Méo-Camuzet is renowned for its remarkable consistency in terms of production, both in exceptional years such as 1990 and in more difficult ones such as 1991 and 1992. The Richebourg is without doubt the best wine produced by the estate (even if the Vosne-Romanée Premier Cru Cros Parantoux holds its own). Very sophisticated, it perfectly – and subtly – expresses the typical Richebourg aromas of black fruit, spices, humus and game.

Vosne-Romanée wines currently for sale