Wine Advisor
Bruno Clavelier, Vosne Romanee La Combe Brulee Vieilles Vignes 2009
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
(80-year-old vines on calcaire-rich soil) Bright red. Raspberry and flinty minerality on the nose. Ripe and thick on entry, then more sharply delineated and energetic in the middle than the Hauts de Beaux Monts, with complicating saline and flinty nuances. A less easygoing style, building in power on the back end. This soil-driven wine will require some bottle aging.
About the Producer
Domaine Bruno Clavelier is located in the Vosne-Romanee region of the Cote de Nuits in Burgundy, France. This region is known for producing some of the finest and most expensive Pinot Noirs in the world, and is the source of the famous Romanee Conti. Founded in the late 18th century, the estate suffered from phylloxera, downy mildew and powdery mildew from 1935 to 1955, before gradually developing under the leadership of Joseph Brosson, and in 1935 it was run by Antoine Clavelier, whose dedication to quality made the estate famous. In 1987, the winery was taken over by Antoine's son Bruno Clavelier, a former rugby player who went on to study winemaking at the University of Dijon. His knowledge of the region's geography and climate, as well as viticultural techniques and the characteristics of French oak, enabled him to bring the winery into the ranks of Burgundy's finest wines, and in 2003 his wife, Valerie, joined him. The vineyards are located in the Vaughan-Romanée, Chambolle-Musigny, Corton-Rognet and Nuits-Saint-Georges regions. The vines in the vineyards were replanted after the phylloxera outbreak of 1930-1940 and are mostly Pinot Noir vines over 80 years old. These old vines produce very limited yields and have deep roots, allowing them to absorb the minerals in the soil. The vines are cultivated using traditional methods and biodynamic methods, with only a small amount of organic fertiliser. In addition, the vineyard uses capsules containing female moth pheromones to interfere with moth reproduction in order to reduce pest infestation and avoid the use of insecticides. The winery's philosophy is to minimise human intervention so that the wines can perfectly reflect the terroir of the region. The grapes are selected and harvested by hand during the harvest season. The grapes are returned to the cellar in small baskets for secondary sorting. Depending on the characteristics of the vineyard and the vintage, around 5-20% of the grapes are kept whole, while the rest are destemmed. The grapes are then poured into conical oak barrels and gently pressed by hand to extract the flavours from the skins. The fermentation process lasts around 3 weeks and the wine is monitored at regular intervals twice a day. After fermentation, the wine is stored in oak barrels from the Troncais and Allier regions of France for 16 to 18 months. The wines are then bottled in the cellar at a time to suit the season and weather conditions. The wines are not filtered or clarified before bottling and are filled with inert gas after bottling to maximise the aromas of the wines. The wines of Vosne-Romanee La Combe Brulee, Vosne-Romanee Les Hautes Maizieres Vieilles Vignes and Aux Brulees Vieilles Vignes have won many awards. The 2009 vintage of Aux Brulees Vieilles Vignes was awarded 94 points by Wine Spectate.
