Tasted in Vosne-Romanée with Yves Confuron, 20 April 2023.
Domnaine Confuron-Cotetidot
10 Rue de la Fontaine
21700 Vosne-Romanée
Tel: +33 3 80 61 03 39
More reports with Domaine Confuron-Cotetidot
It’s been far too long a wait to visit this domaine!
There have been Confurons working the vines since the 17th century. They have also been working with vines as nurserymen, producing grafts not just for their own domaine. The current domaine in Vosne-Romanée was created in the 1960s by Jack & his wife, Bernadette. Today, it is the sons of Jack, both oenologists, Jean-Pierre and Yves – both of whom have, or had, jobs at other domaines too – Jean-Pierre at Maison Chanson in Beaune and Yves at Domaine de Courcel in Pommard.
The family domaine consists of thirteen hectares of vines, mainly in the Côte de Nuits but there’s also a little Pommard too. Their vineyards are ploughed and short-pruned, they also avoided the generational vogue for treating with herbicides or synthetic pesticides. Their yields would be considered as ‘low’ when compared to those of many other producers. The domaine is also well-known for their winemaking choices – only optimal maturity aided by their low yields – stringent sorting and, of course, keeping whole-clusters for their fermentations. Elevage can be between 1-2 years. “If you make lite wines you lose the marker of the vintage – you can like that marker or not… You could say we don’t sell fish, we sell monkfish – the price isn’t the same. It’s like saying Bourgogne is fish but we sell Richebourg. Even well oaked pinot is still not burgundy – Richebourg is burgundy.”
Yves Confuron on 2021:
“The vintage is classic. There is maturity to the aromatics but the spice of the vintage is the marker of the vintage. The vintage volume is not too bad here – as our volume always tends to be low as we search for the quality of grape… Those that lost volume were typically the ones who pruned earlier… we had 13.5° natural – so I would say that’s normal.”
The wines…
A pleasure to taste these wines – they offer concentration that you must be prepared to wait for – patience. Despite their concentration, there are still wines here that cannot hide how wonderful, indeed how great, they are!
None of the 2021s were bottled – they planned to start after the summer…
2021 Vosne-Romanée
Wide, concentrated, almost some chocolate accents to this aroma. Direct flavours, plenty of fine tannin – broad, concentrated – impressive power. Super villages!
2021 Nuits St.Georges
Extra high tones, some perfume here. More direct, lots of intensity fine bitters – much more aromatic in the mouth too. I love this!
2021 Gevrey-Chambertin
A more direct nose, still with some perfume – silky red fruit too. More mouth-filling and energetic, vibrantly flavoured, even. A broader wine, extra finishing sweetness too – I like this velvet texture.
2021 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Craipillots
Even more direct, very fine perfumed. Very red fruited and open, framed with a fine but ripe grain of tannin.
2021 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Lavaux St.Jacques
Wider, almost textured, silky, nose – almost a hint menthol. More juicy but also more structured – lots of red fruit flavours here – impressive and much more for keeping. Super wine!
2021 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Petite Chapelle
More depth, more rose notes – yes and more wood! – A faint but attractive reduction, larger scale with more tannin but, yes, with less grain. A large wide wave of finishing flavour.
2021 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Derrière la Grange
Less colour. Such a different aromatic – almost a blend of almond blossom and minerals. Well done! Lighter, open but at the same time cushioned, slightly almond creamy – wide and quite generous. Super length…
2021 Nuits St.Georges 1er Vignes Rondes
Even more intensity of higher tones. Impressively mineral, ‘I find more spiced’ – we have ripeness of fruit, never black, tannin that balances and refreshes with a small spoon of cream – there’s a wonderful balance here.
The open vibrance of the last with more colour and silk to the red fruit. Direct, silky, cool fruit – the tannin slowly showing itself – there is so much class here – density to the (long…) finishing flavour too. Bravo – what a wine!
2021 Echézeaux
Smaller but forward and exquisitely perfumed. More incisive, there’0s extra quality to these tannins too – micro-grained – salt and pepper – lots of tannin yet bringing energy and vibrancy to this finish. Super, even for grand cru.
Starting much more airy – delicate, pretty red fruit – very attractive but compact versus its brother and sister 2021s. Dynamic – super energy – the architecture of Clos de Vougeot with growing tannin – again micro-grained still hardly velvet – nearly silk. Plenty of finishing bitters from the tannin but only with youthful austerity, rather than ‘austerity.’ Exploding over the paöate in the finish – some salinity here too. Yes!
Another nose of modest volume but not modest purity or attraction. Cool, fluid, mobile, complex – obviously great wine – the tannin practically an anecdote despite how much there is – lots of red fruit complexity – but what red fruit! Hyper-sophisticated wine. Bravo!
A smaller but ultra-involving nose – yes – it draws you into the glass. The class of the Charmes but with a more direct and lithe-muscled shape – never fat, always mouthwatering. Tons of brilliant red fruit – slightly saline. The tannin seems just an afterthought – yet still so present. Another simply great wine – with such balance… It’s a more Jazzy Chambertin!
Something bottled?
2019 Vosne-Romanée 1er Suchots
Here is colour. More fruit spice, darker, riper fruit – yet still with freshness. Broad and energetic – a cooked element to these flavours – the middle to finish with some extra structure – tannin of course, but never heavy. I personally prefer the 21s in style but here is a lot of interest…
2018 Vosne-Romanée 1er Suchots
More width and clarity to this fruit today. Supple, concentrated – layered wine with much intensity from the supporting tannin – almost some stone fruit here eg cherry stone… More impressive showing than the 19 today…
Dark, sometimes obvious, sometimes more guarded fruit. Full, concentrated but juicy – tons of structure – but such is the flavour, who cares?! Mouth-filling, concentrated and ultra-complex – top!
2017 Vosne-Romanée 1er Suchots
Plenty of aromatic volume though more airy and red in style after the 2018s. Broad, fine energy – a little more – in the context of here – elegance. Still, a style that’s direct and mouth-watering but supported with impressive structure. That’s a simply super finish too…
2007 Vosne-Romanée 1er Suchots
A little browning. The nose full of turned leaf complexity – but a freshness and almost mintiness of top note complexity too. Super freshness – but broad, mouth-filling and with energy too. A cool vintage but impressively done. Broad and powerful finishing – ultra long!