Francois Confuron-Gindre Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru Les Brulees 2021

Les Brûlées is the most powerful and architecturally serious of the four Confuron-Gindre premier crus — and its address helps explain why. The climat sits in the Combe Brûlées, a small closed valley at the northern end of Vosne-Romanée, with the domaine's parcel representing vines of over 50 years old from the 110-hectare climat — a neighbour of Richebourg, one of Vosne's most profound grand crus. The terroir is a neighbour of Richebourg — and obviously, that changes everything: a silky, lively and vibrant wine, with cassis and a touch of spices, an honest and welcoming attack that is neither too much nor too little, with a sense of balance — more tannic than purely fruited, but that is what patience is for. The domaine bottles following the lunar calendar, matures in traditional oak barrels for 18 months, and allows a long malolactic fermentation given the cool temperature of the cellar — an unhurried approach that the structure of Les Brûlées rewards entirely. 

A powerhouse of the appellation with a fine nose and fresh red fruit — but powerhouse is relative in Vosne: this is not brute force but density with elegance, the weight and concentration of old vines on a grand terroir carried with the poise that only this village reliably delivers. Silky, lively and fruity, with hints of blackcurrant and spice — the attack lively, the palate pleasant and balanced with lovely, fruity notes in its more accessible moments, building over years in bottle into something richer and more complex. Cellar for five years at minimum and allow it the decade it deserves — this is Vosne-Romanée premier cru of genuine depth from a site that makes no secret of its grand cru ambitions.