Richebourg Grand Cru

Richebourg is one of the six Grands Crus of Vosne-Romanée, recognized on September 11, 1936, and reserved for reds from Pinot Noir. The vines, about 8 hectares at the foot of the slope between 260 and 290 meters, face east, just north of Romanée-Conti, and bring together two lieux-dits, Les Richebourgs and Les Véroilles.

The name is recorded from 1512. On the eve of the Revolution the abbey of Cîteaux owned just over a hectare here and made its reputation; even then, however, the cru was divided among several owners, as it is today. In 1816 Jullien placed it in the first class, and in 1855 Dr. Lavalle ranked it tête de cuvée hors ligne. In the early twentieth century the wines of the neighboring lieu-dit Les Véroilles were sold as Richebourg: an agreement among the owners, ratified by the Dijon Court of Appeal in 1924, included them in the climat, and the AOC adopted its boundaries.

The subsoil is Bajocian marl and soft limestone, beneath a thin layer of debris, clays, and silts reddened by iron oxides; the soils, thin and clayey, drain well. The wine combines power and charm: solid and structured yet harmonious, with ripe red and black fruits, musk, leather, and humus, long persistence, and decades of life ahead. The available bottles, when there are any, appear further down.