Vosne Romanée "La Combe Brûlée" Vieilles Vignes AOC 2023

A Pinot Noir of pale colour and slender build. Bruno Clavelier says he seeks neither colour nor tannin; what he seeks is transparency and finesse. That is exactly what this wine delivers: red cherry, raspberry and violet over a cool, mineral spice.

The estate sits without a sign along the Route Nationale on the edge of Vosne-Romanée. Bruno Clavelier farms 6.5 hectares, the vines rooting deep into limestone subsoil. The domaine traces back to Joseph Brosson, his maternal grandfather, who rebuilt it vine by vine and parcel by parcel from 1935 onward. The first vintage under Bruno's own name appeared in 1992.

Almost exclusively Pinot Noir Fin, the traditional Burgundian clone, planted in the 1930s and 1940s; the oldest vines are now over 80 years old and naturally yield small crops. Fermentation takes place with indigenous yeasts in open, conical oak vats, with up to 30 percent whole clusters and manual punch-downs, over about three weeks. This is followed by 16 to 18 months in barrels from Tronçais and Allier, only a third of them new. Neither fined nor filtered, sulphur is kept to a minimum, and bottling is done under protective gas.

Dry, slender, silky, 12.5% ABV. Juicy red fruit, fine-grained tannin and linear acidity carry a long, clear finish, where undergrowth and delicate spice continue to resonate.

Duck breast with cherries, coq au vin, partridge or roast veal fillet. Equally fitting with porcini risotto or aged Époisses.

The label notes biodynamic farming. Each climat of the domaine is vinified separately. Already approachable now, it will gain further depth with a few years of bottle age.