Domaine Dujac Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru Aux Malconsorts 2011

Aux Malconsorts sits at the southern extreme of Vosne-Romanée's premier cru hierarchy — and at the very top of the conversation about which single vineyard in Burgundy most deserves grand cru elevation. Dujac's holding of 1.57 hectares has been in the family since 2005 and never fails to impress, and the parcel carries a secret worth knowing: the grapes come from the northern edge of Malconsorts, which overlaps into Les Gaudichots — better known today as La Tâche — though this is not indicated on the label. The domaine farms biodynamically and vinifies with characteristic restraint, using predominantly whole-cluster fermentation with only indigenous yeasts, the winemaker's hand kept as invisible as possible in deference to what the terroir has to say. 

What Malconsorts says, at Dujac, is something altogether more powerful and structured than the estate's more perfumed Morey-Saint-Denis expressions. More savory and mineral than its neighbours, it delivers cracked black pepper and sage alongside dark berry fruit, with a fine bead of acidity, a lovely grainy texture, and a refinement that makes it the kind of Vosne-Romanée you want to linger over indefinitely. Filigree tannins, a sapid and refined palate that gently builds towards a tensile, focused finish — this is a wine that will age beautifully over 20 to 25 years and beyond. It is at once unmistakably Dujac and unmistakably Vosne — one of the most compelling arguments for what a premier cru can achieve.