2017 Vosne-Romanée, Aux Malconsorts, 1er Cru, Domaine Dujac, Burgundy

The village of Vosne-Romanée produces the region's most acclaimed and famous wines, all made entirely from the Pinot Noir grape. Despite the monopoly control of four of the six Grands Crus by Domane de la Romanée-Conti, the village has at least 40 growers sharing its vineyard area. The Grands Crus are Romanée-Conti, La Romanée, La Tâche, Richebourg, Romanée-St Vivant, and La Grande Rue: La Romanée-Conti Grand Cru The vines, otherwise untouched since pre-Phylloxera days, were replanted in 1947-48, with the first new vintage being made in 1952. The former Cros des Cloux vineyard was renamed Romanée in the 17th century, with Conti being added after it was purchased by the Prince de Condé (or Conti) in 1760. He wanted the very best and kept it only for his own use and that of his immediate circle. Wine writers and critics across the centuries have singled out La Romanée-Conti as Burgundy’s greatest vineyard.

Richebourg Grand Cru Just under half the vineyard (3.51 hectares out of 8.03) belongs to Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, the rest is shared among nine other growers, counting such Burgundian heavyweight names as Richebourg, Domaine Leroy, branches of the Gros family and Domaine Méo-Camuzet. This is always a robust wine, deeper in colour than the Romanée St Vivant but not necessarily as elegant. La Tâche Grand Cru The domaine purchased most of the 6.06 hectares of La Tâche in 1933, completing the vineyards by exchanging small plots in Les Gaudichots. It stretches from the top to the bottom of the mid-slope band containing the Grands Crus, thus covering a complexity of terroirs. It is a more flamboyant wine than La Romanée-Conti but needs a minimum of 10 years for all its aspects, including the tannins, to integrate. Romanée St Vivant Grand Cru Domaine de la Romanée-Conti's holding covers 5.28 hectares in one single block out of the appellation's nine hectares. This formerly belonged to the Marey-Monge family but was farmed and made by the domaine from 1966, and purchased by it in 1988. It is a beautifully refined, stylish wine, perhaps having more in common with La Romanée-Conti itself than the more rugged Richebourg. Domaine Leroy and Louis Latour's Domaine de Corton Grancey are the next largest owners. La Grande Rue Grand Cru The 1.4 hectares of La Grande Rue are located between La Tâche and La Romanée-Conti Grands Crus, originally classified as Premier Cru but later upgraded. The vineyard is a monopoly of Domaine Lamarche.

Jacques Seysses created Domaine Dujac in 1967 having decided to turn his passion into his vocation. He purchased, a somewhat rundown, Domaine Graillet in Morey-St Denis and quickly turned things around to make a showstopping debut with the 1969 vintage. About Domaine Dujac This is every bit the family business. Jacques’ wife Rosalind arrived from California to work the harvest and never left. They married in 1974 and today their sons Jeremy and Alec, together with Jeremy’s wife Diana, run the estate day to day. They remain under the watchful eye of their parents. In the vineyard Jacques first purchase was a small estate of 5ha, which today has grown to around 17ha. The jewels of the domaine are the seven plots in Grand Crus. Away from these exalted sites there are impeccable village vineyards and magnificent 1er crus, including Aux Combottes in Gevrey and Les Malconsorts in Vosne. Both of which are immediate neighbours of Grand Crus and produce extraordinary wines. Sustainability Jacques and Rosalind began running the vineyards according to the principles of lutte raisonée (where minimal chemicals are used) in 1987. Working consistently towards a more natural approach, in 2001 they experimented with organic viticulture in 4ha of their prime sites. Then adding biodynamic farming principles to the repertoire in 2003. They were so encouraged by the results in the bottle they made the switch to organic for the entire estate in 2008, earning certification in 2011. Their intensive work to create a natural and varied ecosystem is driven by their belief that the health of the soil is the key to unlocking great quality and producing more expressive wines. In the winery The evolution of the winemaking at Dujac has been guided by the principle that the largest imprint on the wines should be from the vineyards themselves. The approach is all about simplicity. The use of whole bunches in fermentation is a distinctive feature here and something for which Jacques has been a leading advocate. Jeremy feels that they add complexity and give silkier tannins, but they must be ripe so the approach is carefully adjusted according to the vintage. In the winery they have sought to reduce manipulation wherever possible. After crushing the must is gravity fed into the cellar, avoiding the need for pumping which can exert too much force on the nascent wine. They have also been able to regulate alcohol and malolactic fermentations more precisely with improved temperature control. Dujac’s wines are not renowned as the most powerful and nor do they want them to be. These are wines of polished finesse and restraint, elegant aromatics, and depth of fruit. They are nothing short of beguiling.

Pinot Noir is probably the most frustrating, and at times infuriating, wine grape in the world. However when it is successful, it can produce some of the most sublime wines known to man. This thin-skinned grape which grows in small, tight bunches performs well on well-drained, deepish limestone based subsoils as are found on Burgundy's Côte d'Or. Pinot Noir is more susceptible than other varieties to over cropping - concentration and varietal character disappear rapidly if yields are excessive and yields as little as 25hl/ha are the norm for some climats of the Côte d`Or.
Because of the thinness of the skins, Pinot Noir wines are lighter in colour, body and tannins. However the best wines have grip, complexity and an intensity of fruit seldom found in wine from other grapes. Young Pinot Noir can smell almost sweet, redolent with freshly crushed raspberries, cherries and redcurrants. When mature, the best wines develop a sensuous, silky mouth feel with the fruit flavours deepening and gamey "sous-bois" nuances emerging.

The best examples are still found in Burgundy, although Pinot Noir`s key role in Champagne should not be forgotten. It is grown throughout the world with notable success in the Carneros and Russian River Valley districts of California, and the Martinborough and Central Otago regions of New Zealand.