Vosne Romanée "Les Hautes Maizières" Vieilles Vignes AOC 2023

A Vosne-Romanée that puts finesse above power: dark cherry and violet over a hint of forest floor, paired with a silky texture and an almost translucent clarity. "I'm looking for neither colour nor tannin," says Bruno Clavelier. What he is looking for is in this glass: transparency and pure terroir.

The domaine sits without a sign in an unassuming building on the main road on the edge of Vosne-Romanée. From there, Bruno Clavelier, one of the most sought-after winemakers in the Côte de Nuits, farms 6.5 hectares in Burgundy's most prestigious sites. The vines root deep into the limestone subsoil and naturally yield low quantities.

Pure Pinot Noir, almost exclusively the traditional Burgundian clone Pinot Noir Fin, from vines planted in the 1930s and 1940s; the oldest are over 80 years old. Fermentation takes place in open, conical oak vats with up to 30 percent whole clusters, using indigenous yeasts and hand punch-downs, for around three weeks, followed by malolactic fermentation in spring. This is followed by 16 to 18 months in Tronçais and Allier barrels, only a third of them new. The wine is bottled under inert gas, without fining or filtration, with minimal sulphur.

Silky and precise, with lively acidity and a fine tannin that stays in service of the fruit. The old vines lend concentration without making the wine heavy. 13.0% vol.

Duck breast with cherries, partridge with truffle jus, or beef tenderloin with wild mushrooms. For cheese, a young Comté.

Biodynamic farming, organically certified since 1999 (Ecocert). The foundation was laid by Joseph Brosson, who rebuilt the domaine vine by vine from 1935 onward; the first vintage under Bruno Clavelier's own name was released in 1992.