Aux Cras is a 3-hectare Premier Cru climat in Nuits-St-Georges. The vineyard is situated in the portion of Nuits closest to Vosne-Romanée and lies just south of Aux Boudots and downhill from Les Damodes. Not surprisingly for a vineyard whose name derives from a word meaning “rocky,” the soil is dominated by brown limestone and gravel over a pink Comblanchien limestone base. The vineyard faces east from an elevation of 250-270 meters.
Archive for the ‘Vineyards’ Category
Vineyard Description: Nuits-St-Georges, AUX CRAS, Premier Cru
Posted in Appellations, Burgundy, Vineyards, Wine on March 31, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Vineyard Description: Vosne-Romanée, LES CHAUMES, Premier Cru
Posted in Appellations, Burgundy, Vineyards, Wine on March 30, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Les Chaumes is a 6.46-hectare Premier Cru vineyard situated in the commune and appellation of Vosne-Romanée , which is located in the Côte de Nuits sector of Burgundy. Les Chaumes lies immediately downslope from Aux Malconsorts and La Tâche, and adjacent to the border with Nuits-St-Georges, as the hill levels out heading toward Route National-74. The soil is accordingly a little richer and deeper and with a somewhat higher proportion of clay. The vineyard faces East from an elevation of about 250 meters.
The word chaumes is related to the word charmes, derives from the Latin calmis and means field or pasture.
A superb example of Les Chaumes is made by Louis-Michel Liger-Belair at Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair.
Vineyard Description: Vosne-Romanée, LES PETITS MONTS, Premier Cru
Posted in Appellations, Burgundy, Vineyards, Wine on March 27, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Les Petits Monts is a small 3.67 hectare Premier Cru vineyard in Vosne-Romanée that lies above Richebourg. Facing east, northeast from elevations ranging between 280 and 340 meters, the soil is quite rocky. The origin of the name is straightforward and suggests only the size (petit=small) of the hill on which the vineyard is situated.
Vineyard Description: Vosne-Romanée, AUX BRÛLEES, Premier Cru
Posted in Appellations, Burgundy, Vineyards, Wine on March 27, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Aux Brûlees is a 4.53 hectare Premier Cru vineyard in Vosne-Romanée that lies just to the north of Les Veroilles ou Richebourgs. Facing south from an elevation averaging 280 meters, the soil is mostly hard limestone. The origin of the vineyard name, which means burnt in French, is consistent with the hot, southern exposure. Alternatively, it could suggest that the vineyard was originally burned as a means of clearing it for viticulture.
Vineyard Description: Vosne-Romanée, LES SUCHOTS, Premier Cru
Posted in Appellations, Burgundy, Vineyards, Wine on March 27, 2010| 3 Comments »
Les Suchots is a 1.62 hectare Premier Cru vineyard in Vosne-Romanée that lies immediately north and level with Romanée-St-Vivant. The elevation of Les Suchots ranges between 250 meters and 270 meters. Facing east southeast, the topsoil is deep and very rich in clay and lies over a base of limestone. The etymology of Suchots likely relates to a regional slang word for hillock.
Fine examples of Les Suchots are produced by Sylvain Cathiard, Louis-Michel Liger-Belair and Robert Arnoux.
Vineyard Description: Vosne-Romanée, AUX REIGNOTS, Premier Cru
Posted in Appellations, Burgundy, Vineyards, Wine on March 27, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Aux Reignots is a small 1.62-hectare Premier Cru vineyard in Vosne-Romanée that lies on a steep 15% slope above iconic Grands Crus La Romanée, La Tâche, and La Romanée-Conti. The elevation of Aux Reignots ranges between 280 and 320 meters with an exposition toward the east. This vineyard has a very sandy topsoil over a limestone base.
Many connoisseurs contend that Aux Reignots, along with Aux Malconsorts, consistently produces Grand Cru level wine. Superb examples of Aux Reignots derive from Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair and Domaine Sylvain Cathiard.
Vineyard Description: Flagey-Echézeaux, ECHÉZEAUX, Grand Cru
Posted in Appellations, Burgundy, Vineyards, Wine, tagged Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair on March 27, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Echézeaux is a 37.69 hectare Grand Cru vineyard situated in the commune of Flagey-Echézeaux (which is viticulturally joined with Vosne-Romanée). It lies upslope of the Clos de Vougeot and wraps around Grands-Echézeaux on the latter’s southern and western sides; and is bordered by Chambolle-Musigny on its north. One of the largest Grand Cru vineyards in Burgundy, Echézeaux is itself comprised of different lieux-dits: En Orveaux, Les Champs Traversins, Les Poulaillères, Les Rouges-du-Bas, Les Echezeaux-du-Dessus, Les Loachausses, Les Criots-en-Vignes-Blanches, Clos St-Denis, Les Treux, Les Quartiers de Nuits
The name “Echézeaux” derives ultimately from the Latin casalis meaning a rural house. Casalis was Gallicized to chesal which was pluralized into chesaux. In time, les chesaux became Echézeaux. The ealiest mention in official records was in 1287. The vineyard was acquired by the Abbot of Citeaux in 1353, in exchange for 3 livres tournois (“Tour pounds”) plus some vineyards in Chambolle.
Echézeaux faces east from an elevation that reaches 300 meters at the top and 260 meters down below. The slope varies from 10% at the base to 13% at the top. The soil, not surprisingly for such a large vineyard, varies significantly. In general, the base is Bajocian limestone and the soil is silty with considerable gravel and rocks. At the lower and flatter elevation, the soil is richer with a higher component of clay.
Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair has two parcels of Echézeaux, the first a .4 ha. piece in Les Criots-en-Vignes-Blanches, and the second a .2 ha piece in Les Champs Traversins.
Vineyard Description: Vosne-Romanée, LA ROMANÉE, Grand Cru
Posted in Appellations, Burgundy, Vineyards, Wine, tagged Comte Liger-Belair, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Gaston Roupnel, La Tache, Louis-Michel Liger-Belair, Romanée-Conti, Vosne-Romanée on March 27, 2010| Leave a Comment »
La Romanée, Grand Cru: This diminutive .85 ha. Grand Cru climat in Vosne-Romanée is the smallest Grand Cru in the Côte-d’Or and the smallest appellation contrôlée in France. Arguably one of the finest vineyards in France, the poet Gaston Roupnel extolled La Romanée as “La perle du milieu dans le collier bourguignon“ (loosely, “the central jewel of the Burgundian necklace”). It lies just to the west and uphill from La Romanée-Conti, to the south of Les Richebourgs and to the north of La Grande Rue. It was originally a part of La Romanée-Conti, belonging to the Croonenbourg family from the Fifteenth Century until it was partitioned off in 1760 and sold to the Prince de Conti. A monopole, La Romanée has belonged to the Liger-Belair family since 1815. It was the only major vineyard retained by the family when the remainder of its holdings were auctioned off in the 1930’s. Facing east, the vineyard lies on a steep 16% slope at an elevation of about 280 meters. The subsoil is friable Prémeaux limestone; the topsoil is a sandy-clay mixed with pebbles. Under the skilled and sensitive direction of Louis-Michel Liger-Belair, the wines of La Romanée are said once again to rival in quality the iconic vineyards, La Tâche, and La Romanée-Conti.
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