Burgundy Series #5: Vosne-Romanée

Our Burgundy series is back! For the fifth instalment, join us as we deep dive into Vosne-Romanée, your privileged access to highly limited, top-tier burgundies from our recent container arrival!

“A True Burgundy Star On the Rise…”
- Greg Sherwood MW on Bruno Desaunay-Bissey

13 Wines incl. 2 White Burgundies and 11 Red Burgundies across 8 Domaines

————

Sunday, February 8th

Burgundy Series #5: Vosne-Romanée

The Domaines in Context

Aurélien Verdet embodies this new generation of talented winemakers who chooses to fly under the radar. We suspect that his wines won’t remain hidden gems for long.
- Vinosophy.com
Still flying under the radar, Aurélien Verdet’s Burgundies not to be missed. The purity and personality of the Pinot Noir demonstrates just how well he adapts to every vintage, reflecting the style of the season. His cellars are tucked away in the quiet village of Arcenant in the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits and keeps a fairly low profile; he prefers to spend his time in his organically farmed vineyards. Father, Alain, planted the vineyards in 1971 and farmed them organically from the start, making them possibly the oldest organic vineyards in Burgundy. He has a range of excellent premiers crus, including contracts with vineyards across the Côte de Nuits. Aurélien’s wines offer  refreshingly good value.
- Laywheeler.com
How does a superstar producer remain under the radar? In a globalised world of instant communication, how can a great winemaker remain little-noticed?
Welcome to the world of Bruno Desaunay-Bissey – for decades one of Burgundy’s greatest producers, who’s only recently coming to general acclaim.
Making wines from a scattering of holdings located right across the most famous appellations of the Cote de Nuits, Domaine Desaunay-Bissey’s wines offer some of the regions greatest value. However, they are now beginning to come to world wide notice, and the most sought-after wines are available only on allocation.
Desaunay-Bissey’s comparative lack of fame isn’t due to the quality of the domaine’s vineyards, which consist principally of old vines sited in the best parts of Vosne-Romanée and Echezeaux, including some planted as far back as 1928. Remaining in the family ever since, Bruno has been producing wine from these plots since 1975, farming without pesticides, and practising minimal-intervention winemaking.
It certainly isn’t the wines, which are pin-point-precise and true to their terroir, yet exquisitely fruit-forward and easy to appreciate. They’re the kind of wines you might find on the list in a local restaurant in Burgundy and order without any great expectation, before having your mind blown by an all-time-great wine experience.
Unfortunately Bruno passed away in 2023 and now we see his son Richard taking over the Domaine.
The 2022’s are a very late release because of Bruno’s passing, The French government froze all assets till all affairs of the Domaine were legally passed on to Richard. Hence, we can only offer the 2022’s now. Wow! What a way to begin as the new winemaker. These are without doubt some of the finest under the radar wines in Burgundy…
https://musigny.wine/vine/bruno-desaunay-bissey/
At the small domaine of Dubreuil-Fontaine in Pernand-Vergelesses, it is very much a family affair.
Burgundy is as much about the people as it is about the terroir. Christine Gruere-Dubreuil has fashioned fruit-driven red wines and full-flavoured, silky whites for thirty years. In recent years she has been joined by her upbeat, energetic daughter Clementine.
The family lives at the monopole of Clos Berthet, which is one of the flagship wines of Pernand-Vergelesses, a classically Burgundian, picturesque village situated next to the hill of Corton. While the wines from this area can be truly excellent, it has always lived in the shadow of its more illustrious hillside neighbours. Enthusiasts should pay close attention, since both its red and white wines offer superb value for money.
The passion of the family can be tasted across Dubreuil-Fontaine’s range, which delivers beautifully pure, ripe flavours throughout. The reds express wonderful cherry tones, offering finely tuned, silky fruit. The whites are lively, flavoursome, and richly textured, and while the Premier Crus will benefit from bottle age, there is real class here and they will delight patient buyers.
Aside from their heartland of Pernand-Vergelesses and Corton, the family’s small parcels in Pommard and Volnay should not be overlooked. Well sited old parcels add a dimension of sheer pedigree. The village Volnay is a standout as much of it is produced from premier cru fruit – a very fine Pinot and a true bargain.
White Burgundies you never heard of.” Philippe is a genuine, gifted and hardworking Puligny Montrachet vigneron and winemaker. In each instance his wines are amongst the finest available, and whilst not cheap, remain very good value for money given the quality.
This small six-hectare domaine located in the heart of Puligny-Montrachet is making rapid strides. Philippe Pernot (a scion of the Paul Pernot dynasty) launched the Pernot Belicard label in 2009, gradually selling less and less to the négociants. In the vineyards, he cultivates the soils, de-buds aggressively and takes pains to retain his old vines in good health. The grapes are harvested by hand, with Philippe typically among the earlier pickers in the village. Since 2014, there's more sorting, the grapes passing over a shaker table before being whole cluster pressed. Initially, the wines were bottled to make room for the new vintage, but Philippe, evidently an enquiring mind, felt that something was missing: now, the wines stay in barrel until August, but spend an additional three to six months in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks with the fine lees.
The result, he contends (and I concur), are wines that are more integrated and complete. These are already very good wines, and Philippe possesses some enviable parcels, but it is his desire to refine and improve that marks this out as an estate to watch.
William Kelley, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Pierrick Bouley is the sixth generation of the BOULEY family to lead the estate, which was originally known as R & P BOULEY. He began working on the estate full-time in 2009, and in 2014, he took over from his parents. Most of the vines on this property are old (about 50 years old on average) and are distributed throughout 9 acres and 41 parcels.
Pierrick is gradually modifying the way he works his vines, adopting a more « organic » and « natural » approach inspired by biodynamic principles. The estate is now converting to organic farming, with the 2023 vintage being the first to receive certification.
To minimize compacting the soil and promote water drainage, Pierrick limits the number of tractor passages in the vineyards. He uses a very old pruning method called « Guyot Poussard » which favors two sap flows, on both sides of the vine (instead of one). When the weather is fine, no weeding and almost no cutting of branches because, since 2020, 100% of the vines are trellised. For treatments, only contact products are used in association with plants. No insecticides, weed killers, or anti-rot products are applied. Rigorous disbudding, drastic selection of grapes, yields are naturally regulated thanks to the age of the vines. Pierrick likes elegant wines, fine but relatively powerful and long in the mouth.
The harvest is done manually in boxes, the grapes are sorted, destemmed, and not crushed. No yeast, enzymes, or bacteria. The fermentations take place naturally. Since 2017, no SO2 has been added in winemaking. The wines are then aged for 12 months in French oak barrels (10% to 30% new barrels according to the wine) and slowly filtered through a lenticular filter if necessary before being bottled at the estate.
https://pierrickbouley.com/domain/

About the Region:
Vosne-Romanée

The small commune in Burgundy's Côte de Nuits district is well-known its elegantly balanced Pinot Noir. Originally named just Vosne, the village took the suffix Romanée in 1866 in honor of its most prized vineyard, La Romanée (most communes along the Côte d'Or did this between the mid 19th and early 20th Centuries).

The commune's area is grouped together with that of neighboring Flagey-Echézeaux and while the villages are entirely separate, their finest vineyards are clustered together immediately north of Vosne-Romanée and take that latter title.

The wines of Vosne-Romanée

The classic Vosne-Romanée wine is considered by many to have the perfect balance of weight, structure, elegance and longevity. Tasting notes often refer to a combination of tart red fruits (particularly cherries and raspberries) and darker elements of undergrowth, licorice and smoke.

*Looking down the mid-slope of the Côte d'Or hillside towards Vosne-Romanée village | © Marcella Brunetti / shutterstock.com*

The village has been a known source of quality wines for more than a thousand years, since the arrival of the monks of the Saint-Vivant monastery. Today, it makes wine almost exclusively from Pinot Noir, although up to 15 percent of the local white varieties are permitted, to allow for natural planting variations and mutations (Pinot Noir is notoriously genetically unstable).

The wines are made under the Vosne-Romanée communal appellation (with about one-third coming from premier cru sites) and six grand cru appellations, each pertaining to a specific vineyard.

The entire surface area of Vosne-Romanée grand cru vineyards (not including those within Flagey-Echézeaux) is only 27 hectares (67 acres – about half the size of the single Clos de Vougeot climat just across the commune boundary). It should be borne in mind, however, that the commune of Flagey-Echézeaux (with the Echézeaux and Grands-Echézeaux sites) has more grand cru surface area than either premier cru or "villages" combined.

Climats and terroir of Vosne-Romanée

The Vosne-Romanée commune sites are divided between six individual climats: La Grand Rue, La Tâche, Richebourg, La Romanée, Romanée-Saint-Vivant and the most famous, Romanée-Conti. Despite this small surface area, Vosne-Romanée Grand Cru red wines are some of the most respected (and most expensive) in the world.

Its best vineyards lie just above the village, on the mid-slope of the Côte d'Or escarpment; this is where the grand cru sites are located. Around these prestigious sites are dotted the Vosne-Romanée Premier Cru vineyards and some entirely unclassified land. The difference between a grand cru vine and one deemed worthy only of the regional Bourgogne appellation is sometimes a matter of a few feet.

Below this mid-slope section the slopes are too shallow to offer any degree of elevation or increased exposure to the sun. On the higher slopes, as the ground rises towards the spine of the Côte d'Or, the mesoclimate cools slightly, reducing the likelihood of the grapes attaining optimum ripeness and complexity.

The Wine List

2022 Pernot Bélicard Bourgogne Cote d’Or blanc Chardonnay
Subtle creamy minerality in this wine. It has more depth than you’d expect from the appellation, which simply shows the talent of the producer. There’s a case in my cellar, which is probably more meaningful as a recommendation than 93 points. There is also a case of the 2020 beside it.
93 points, Michael Apstein, Wine Review Online
2022 Philippe Chavy Bourgogne Chardonnay
Clear pale colour, fresh apples on the nose, this is characterful and drier than some producers would make, but there is impressive purity and intensity on the palate. This has excellent potential. Fine length. Drink from 2024-2027. Tasted Oct 2023.
Jasper Morris, Inside Burgundy

First Course

Aurelien Verdet Bourgogne En Lutenière Rouge 2023 [New Arrival}
Our first tasting featuring our recent burgundy arrivals. No reviews currently available.
Pierrick Bouley Bourgogne Côte d'Or Vieilles Vignes 2023
Nearly half of Pierrick’s four hectares are below Volnay, nearly half below Pommard and the rest above Pommard. 44 barrels made! Mid purple. An exquisite perfume with greater density than the Passetoutgrains. Dark raspberry with floral overtones, excellent acidity, very good length here, a coming of age. Look out for this. Drink from 2026-2030. Tasted Oct 2024.
5 Stars and 90-91 Points - Jasper Morris, Inside Burgundy
Bruno Desaunay-Bissey Bourgogne Côte d'Or Pinot Noir 2022
The red 2022 Pinot Noir wines from Domaine Bruno Desaunay-Bissey are deeply coloured and powerful with a structured fruit concentration, a vibrant essence of terroir, and well-developed but polished, chalky mineral tannins revealing an abundance of dry extract. The vintage represents the perfect swansong for the great winemaking talent that was Bruno Desaunay, and his final selection of red wines stands as a fitting homage to a modest life lived in and around the vineyards he loved so very much.
Tasting Notes - Greg Sherwood MW, musignywine.com
Bruno Desaunay-Bissey Vosne-Romanée 2022
Already showing a bold, broody, dark fruited aromatics with intricate layers of black plum, earthy black currant, freshly tilled loamy earth, and subtle Sichuan pepper spice. The palate is beautifully polished and supple with chalky finegrained tannins that melt into seductive black cherry and saline creme de cassis fruits. A very seductive wine with notable precision and focus. Drink from 2025 to 2035+.
Greg Sherwood MW, 94/100 Wine Safari

Second Course

Aurelien Verdet Vosne-Romanée 1er cru 'Les Beaux Monts' 2019
Marked by aromas of sandalwood, rose hip, strawberry, cherry and iron, this red is expressive as well as firmly structured, with a matrix of dense, dusty tannins for support. There's plenty going on here, but just needs time to integrate. Best from 2025 through 2043. 20 cases imported.
94 Points - Bruce Sanderson, Wine Spectator
This comes from the upper part of Beaux Monts. Lively deep purple with an explosion of whole bunch fruit on the nose. Lots going on here with a certain silkiness. No more than medium bodied but very persistent. Tasted Mar 2021.
93 Points - Jasper Morris, Inside Burgundy
Bruno Desaunay-Bissey Vosne-Romanée 1er cru 'Les Rouges' 2018
…The Les Rouge 2018 was another standout expression showing plenty of opulent concentration, blue and black berry fruits, purple rock candy and all the textural power and drive that you could hope for from a top Vosne Romanee producer.
Greg Sherwood MW, 95/100 Wine Safari

Third Course

Confuron-Cotetidot Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots 2009
94 Points - Tim Atkin
Bright crimson. Very sweet indeed. At last some purity and integrity. Very concentrated and firm with polished tannins. Some real depth of flavour to this. A certain sap and savour. Neat with medium length. Lots of pleasure here. And potential. [Tasted 14 Jan 2011]
17/20 - Jancis Robinson, JancisRobinson.com
Jean Marc Millott Vosne-Romanée 1er cru Les Suchots 2010
A reserved nose of pure and exuberantly spicy aromas that are quintessential Vosne leads to beautifully complex, intense and mouth coating medium weight flavors that are blessed with good mid-palate concentration, all wrapped in an overtly austere but strikingly persistent and well-balanced finish. This is very Suchots in character with a lovely combination of finesse and generosity. Drink: 2018+
90-92 Points, Allen Meadows, Burghound
Aurelien Verdet Vosne-Romanée 1er cru 'Les Beaux Monts' 2010
Reveals bright cherry, black currant and mineral notes, backed by a firm, tactile structure. Sweet fruit, spice and smoke accents linger on the long finish. Best from 2017 through 2035. 40 cases imported.
93 Points - Bruce Sanderson, Wine Spectator

Fourth Course

Burgundy Series #5: Vosne-Romanée