The opportunity to work with iconic winemaker Philippe Pacalet on an exclusive barrel of Vosne-Romanée is an honour, and today we're taking a closer look at where Philippe has sourced the grapes for this wine, specifically, Les Barreaux & 1er Cru Aux Brulées. These two illustrious sites occupy some of the Cote d'Or's finest terroir and punch well above their weight. To characterise the cuvée as just a village Vosne would be a gross understatement... just take a look at the map below!
Aux Brulées is a superb 1er Cru that straddles Richebourg Grand Cru (!) and the vaunted 1er Cru Les Suchots. This is one of the warmer sites on the slope with lots of sunlight, and the combination of this with the cooling influence of Vosne's westerly wind means the grapes are regularly among the riper in Vosne with excellent balanced acidity. This has made Aux Brulées a favourite among many of Burgundy's most illustrious domaines; Leroy, Meo-Camuzet and Comte Liger-Belair all own plots here (the latter for over two centuries!), and the site was also favoured by the legendary Henri Jayer. In the right hands this site has the intensity and richness of a Grand Cru with scores up to 96 points from Burghound, and who wouldn't trust Philippe to craft something special here!
Les Barreaux sits at the top of the slope with incredible views over Vosne towards Richebourg, La Tâche and Romanée-Conti, and its addition here brings extra freshness to the cuvée, perfectly balancing the richness of Aux Brulées. The estemeed Petits Monts 1er Cru touches the southerly aspect, where Philippe also makes a beautiful wine, though most exciting is the iconic 1er Cru Clos Parantoux that sits below the vineyard. A Grand Cru in all but name, famously this 1ha plot was an artichoke farm during the Second World War until Henri Jayer blew up the site (quite literally, using dynamite) and replaced it with Pinot Noir. Jayer Clos Parantoux was famously ranked as the world's third most-expensive wine in 2015, and even under Emmanuel Rouget (his successor), bottles here regularly fetch over £3000 each! Anne Gros makes a cracking wine in Les Barreaux, and the quality of this higher altitude site is becoming increasingly noticeable in these warmer vintages. How Les Barreaux remains a village cru in this context is a total enigma.
We were uttery blown away by barrel samples of Philippe's village Vosne when tasting at the maison back in November. Using only the free run juice from the press, the crème de la crème, the specific barrel was carefully selected by Philippe “for its floral, elegant and structured character” and it will be bottled by hand and with a special label for syndicate members. Formerly winemaker for Domaine Prieuré-Roch, with specific responsibility for their Vosne-Romanée sites, Philippe's reputation here is legendary, and the balance of Aux Brulées and Les Barreaux means the cuvée has richness and finesse in equal measure; a true expression of the majesty of Vosne.
This really is an incredibly special opportunity and one which we are delighted to be able to offer to you.
2022 VOSNE ROMANEE "CUVEE HONEST GRAPES"
PHILIPPE PACALET
£1,980 IB PER SHARE (12x75cl)
£990 IB PER 1/2 SHARE (6x75cl)
Always Philippe’s most sought-after village cuvée, he was able to increase production for 2022 up from two barrels with the addition of some choice parcels including 1er Cru Aux Brulées and ‘Les Barreaux’, which sits directly above Richebourg, ‘Cros Parantoux’ and ‘Les Petits Monts’. The average age of the vines is 45-years. Red fruit perfumes of raspberries, hedgerow strawberries and cranberries abound, with notes of white stone dust, violets and exotic sweet spice. Very pure and tensile attack, which fans out in to a succulent, sweet and juicy mid-palate. This shows the joie de vivre of the vintage, but the balance of energy and length is pure Pacalet. The additional parcels this year have ensured this is Philippe’s finest Vosne to date and we have the best barrel!