Vosne-Romanée is a small commune in Burgundy's Côte de Nuits district, known mainly for its red wine from the Pinot Noir grape. Originally named just Vosne, the Village took the suffix Romanée in 1866 in honor of its most prized Vineyard, La Romanée. It is often grouped together with the neighboring commune of Flagey-Echézeaux; while the villages are entirely separate, their finest vineyards are clustered together immediately North 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.
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. 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 is only 27 hectares (67 acres – about half the Size of the single Clos de Vougeot climat just across the commune boundary). This is divided between six individual sites: 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.
Vosne-Romanée's best vineyards lie just above the village, on the mid-slopes of the Côte d'Or; this is where the grand cru sites are located.
Pinot noir is an important red grape variety in Burgundy and Champagne, and its reputation is well known! Great wines such as the Domaine de la Romanée Conti elaborate their wines from this famous grape variety, and make it a great variety. When properly vinified, pinot noit produces red wines of great finesse, with a wide range of aromas depending on its advancement (fruit, undergrowth, leather). it is also the only red grape variety authorized in Alsace. Pinot Noir is not easily cultivated beyond our borders, although it has enjoyed some success in Oregon, the United States, Australia and New Zealand.
wines from the region of Vosne-Romanée go well with generally quite well with dishes of beef, veal or game (deer, venison) such as recipes of sweet and sour turkish dumpling soup (eksili köfte), roast veal orloff with mushrooms or whole duck casserole with white wine.
On the nose in the region of Vosne-Romanée often reveals types of flavors of licorice, cassis or oak and sometimes also flavors of spices, red fruit or black fruit. In the mouth in the region of Vosne-Romanée is a with a nice freshness.
