Tag: vosne romanee

ANOTHER CAPTIVATING 2019 VOSNE ROMANEE

First we’ll again make the point that, while we know our way around Burgundy pretty well, it isn’t necessarily our mission to focus on higher end fare. We are more the guys who look first for that diamond in the rough that doesn’t cost a car payment to purchase and plays above its station. But every so often we run across one of those ‘must have’ bottles that’s approaching three-digit price territory. Vosne Romanee is expensive real estate anyway and the produce from here is among the most sought after and highest priced. So something like this, that exhibits the personality of the village so eloquently, is very desirable. This version also comes from a source that has an exceptional track record for engaging reds which is even more important in a great vintage like 2019. Though most Burgundy fans know this, here’s a brief ditty on the producer. Maison Camille Giroud ranks among the most venerable boutique négociants in Burgundy. Founded in 1865, Giroud earned an impeccable reputation over the last 150 years as a specialist in traditional vins de garde. In 2001, Giroud was acquired by a group of investment bankers led by wine collector Joe Wender and his wife, Napa cult vintner Ann Colgin. They hired wunderkind David Croix not only to manage the distinguished cellar but also to begin acquiring grapes and making first-class wines. Croix accomplished this goal with flying colors and has now been succeeded by the highly-talented Carel Voorhuis. The Les Chalandins is located on the Flagey-Echezeaux side of the village at an altitude of 245 meters on a hill that faces south-east and extends up to the lower part of Clos Vougeout.  It sits on deep clay-silt soil laid atop the marl of Bresse. Barrel notes from Neal Martin of Vinous tell the story, “The 2019 Vosne Romanee Les Chalandins is matured with just under 50% whole cluster and 20% new oak. It ha a well-defined bouquet of brambly fruit, rose petal. and crushed rock aromas. The palate is medium bodied with supple tannins, a rounded texture and a harmonious silky smooth finish. A lovely wine from Camille Giroud...90-92 points.” Nice cellar notes from Burghound as well from a year and a half ago, “A spicy and very Vosne-like nose freely offers up its aromas of black pinot fruit, plum, hoisin and exotic tea. The suave and highly seductive flavors coat the palate with sappy dry extract while the finish displays focused power on the mildly warm finale. This needs to develop more depth but it should be able to do so if allowed a few years of cellaring.” The scores are pretty strong considering the ‘hierarchy’ as these folks make a lot of wines and a number of Grand and Premier Crus.  The Camille Giroud Vosne Romanee Les Chalandins 2019 is everything you could want from this part of the world.  That layered, super-spiced red cherry fruit that is distinct to this village, that lush yet suave, nuanced palate, it’s all here in an engaging style that should age nicely as well, though like most 2019s it is quite pleasing already.

DELICIOUSLY ‘TYPICAL’ VOSNE ROMANEE

There are a lot of reasons to talk about a particular wine.  In this case we are mentioning it because it is simply an outstanding example of why people love Burgundy.  The Olivier Gard Vosne Romanee Damaudes 2018 hits all of a Burgundy lover’s buttons.  At first sip, our seasoned veteran wine buying panel simply stopped for a moment to appreciate this little gem. 

As is usually the case in Burgundy, it starts with the dirt.  Les Damaudes is a lieu dit (a named vineyard considered elite among ‘villages’ plots) at the top of one of the wine world’s most special hills.  It abuts Premier Cru Malconsorts and Dessus de Malconsorts, not far (about 300 feet) from some of the ‘grandest’ of Grand Crus, La Tache, Gaudichots de La Tache, and Le Grande Rue.  Talk about a good neighborhood.

The age of the vines for the grapes Gard harvested were an average of 60-years-old. Gard practices sustainable agriculture, uses organic fertilizer and ploughs the rows.  The grapes are harvested by hand and sorted on a conveyor.  Half of the grapes are whole cluster and half destemmed, macerated at cool temperatures and fermented wit natural yeasts.  The juice remains in contact wit the fine lees in light toast Vosges and Allier oak casks, 50% new and 50% year-old, for 18 months

From our point of view, everything clearly went right for Gard in the ripe, generous 2018 vintage.  This is a textbook Vosne Romanee with that insistent red and dark cherry fruit lased with effusive spice notes and just a touch of earth.  This showcases this village completely.  Yes, at $85, it isn’t cheap.  But wines from this hill are expensive, with a few of them fetching four or five-digit prices.  Relatively speaking this is a bargain for a true, pure Vosne Romanee experience.

Reviews?  Not a lot.  Gard isn’t that widely distributed or even seen.  We’ve got this from Wine Enthusiast, “This wine’s shy nose gives away only a tantalizing notion of black cherry. Alive with both freshness and ripeness, the palate expands into a shimmering canvas of red and dark cherry, densely woven with an edge of conifer perfume. This wine is firm, fresh, elegant and delicious…94 points.”

But this wine isn’t about scores.  It’s about authenticity.  This is what really good Vosne Romanee is supposed to taste like, and it’s about the joy of consuming it now, or ten years from now.