Vosne Romanée 1er Cru "Les Beaux Monts" Vieilles Vignes AOC 2023

Bruno Clavelier says of himself that he seeks neither colour nor tannin. The Les Beaux Monts shows what he seeks instead: velvety depth of dark cherry, violet and fine smoke, translucent rather than broad. A Premier Cru that doesn't flaunt its power but plays it out in length.

The domaine sits unassumingly on the main road at the edge of Vosne-Romanée and farms 6.5 hectares in Burgundy's most prestigious sites. It was built up by Joseph Brosson, Clavelier's maternal grandfather, from 1935 onward, after phylloxera and the world wars. Most of the vines date from the 1930s and 1940s, with the oldest over 80 years old. They root deep into the limestone subsoil and naturally yield little.

Almost exclusively Pinot Noir Fin, the traditional Burgundian clone. Fermentation takes place in open, conical oak vats with up to 30 percent whole clusters, using indigenous yeasts and hand punch-downs rather than mechanical extraction, for around three weeks; malolactic fermentation follows naturally in spring. This is followed by 16 to 18 months in barrels made of Tronçais and Allier oak, only a third of them new. Neither fined nor filtered, sulphur is kept minimal, and bottling takes place under protective gas.

Silky tannins, vibrant acidity and mineral character carry the dark cherry fruit; the finish remains long and precise. Dry, 13.5% vol.

Biodynamic viticulture, stated on the label. Each of the roughly fifteen climats from five communes is vinified separately, and all the wines carry the designation «Vieilles Vignes». The first vintage under Bruno Clavelier's own name was released in 1992.