Vosne-Romanée

Home to Domaine Leroy, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and its monopole Grands Crus (La Romanée-Conti and La Tâche), as well as La Romanée of Domaine Comte Liger-Belair and Domaine Lamarche’s La Grande Rue, Vosne-Romanée is the most aristocratic of the villages in the Côte de Nuits – a small but arguably perfectly formed village. The archetypal “iron fist in a velvet glove”, the village’s wines are – at their best – utterly regal, combining substance and finesse to create beguiling Pinot Noir.

Alongside the aforementioned monopoles, the enviable array of Grands Crus here includes Richebourg, Romanée-Saint-Vivant, Echézeaux and Grands Echézeaux. There are some very fine Premiers Crus here too, sites that give many Grands Crus a run for their money – such as Suchots, Malconsorts, Cros Parantoux, Gaudichots, Brûlées and Beaux Monts.

Now the stuff of history and legend, Henri Jayer (the holdings now farmed by Emmanuel Rouget) and René Engel (now part of the Artémis group and known as Domaine d’Eugénie) will forever be associated with the village, with mythical status among Burgundy-lovers, and have only contributed to Vosne-Romanée’s reputation.

Beyond this iconic pair, the producers located here represent a roll-call of some of the region’s most alluring names – with Sylvain Cathiard, Mugneret-Gibourg, Jean Grivot, the various Gros estates, Georges Noëllat, Arnoux-Lachaux, Méo-Camuzet… and the list goes on – but a new generation is on the rise too. Look out for the wines of Coquard Loison Fleurot.

NB The vineyards of neighbouring Flagey-Echézeaux are encompassed by the Vosne appellation.