Vosne-Romanée

In the heart of the Côte de Nuits, with Flagey-Echézeaux to the north and Nuits-Saint-Georges to the south, Vosne-Romanée is a small village whose wine renown has been documented for centuries. The communal appellation, recognized in 1936, is reserved for reds and includes part of Flagey-Echézeaux, home to the Grands Crus Échezeaux and Grands-Échezeaux. The commune of Vosne alone counts six Grands Crus: Romanée-Conti, La Romanée, La Tâche, Richebourg, Romanée-Saint-Vivant, and La Grande Rue, recognized in 1992.

In the Middle Ages the Cluniac abbey of Saint-Vivant, in the nearby Hautes Côtes, had vines here and a vat house that still stands; the lands of Flagey, on the other hand, belonged to the monks of Cîteaux. In 1760 the Romanée clos passed to the Prince of Conti, whose name it still bears, and in 1778 Abbé Courtépée noted that no ordinary wines were made in Vosne. In 1866 the village added to its own name that of its most prestigious cru, the Romanée.

Facing east, the vineyards cover the slope, which rises some 150 meters, and part of its foot. The bedrock is Middle Jurassic limestone, with a band of marl lower down; the soils, stony and thin at the top, become deeper and more clayey downslope. The appellation also counts fourteen Premier Cru climats, including Les Suchots, Aux Malconsorts, and Cros Parantoux; two, En Orveaux and Les Rouges, lie entirely in Flagey-Echézeaux. Elegance prevails in the reds of Vosne: velvety tannins, notes of cherry and spice, and forest floor with age. The available bottles are at the bottom of the page.