All Roads Lead to Vosne Romanée: A Melbourne Wine Tasting

The adapted expression that “all roads lead to Burgundy” may be further amended to “all roads lead to Vosne Romanée”. Over the years, Vosne-themed wine tasting events have confirmed the high quality, unique allure and, often sensuality, of wines from this hallowed Burgundian village. It reminds me of vigneron Benjamin Leroux who once remarked how forgiving of winemakers the grapes from Vosne Romanée are - and that they produce the best wines.

It was therefore with considerable excitement that I attended last week’s Vosne Romanée private wine tasting at Bacash Restaurant in South Yarra, Melbourne. The theme was wines from the village with preferably at least 10 years of age so that they could be tasted at a stage when they are more open and resolved and arguably more expressive of their terroir. All bottles were served blind.

We began with a white from the Côte de Beaune, Jean-Marc Vincent’s 2021 Auxey-Duresses, Les Hautes. It was my first time tasting a wine from this acclaimed producer. This one is sourced from old vines planted in 1937 and has a reputation for punching above its weight in terms of quality relative to its “modest” appellation. I say modest but suspect that Chardonnay producers around the world would line up out the door to produce a wine from a plot such as this. In any event, wine writer Jasper Morris has said that it’s his favourite white cuvee from Vincent, who also produces some Premier Cru whites from Santenay. The wine was inviting with surprising opulence for the cool 2021 vintage. There was ripe lemon, white peach and whispers of tropical fruit together with a touch of cream and vanilla from oak. While relatively generous for the vintage, it maintained a linear and precise mouthfeel with a refined finish and bright acidity. This structural style was the reason why those attending guessed the wine was from Puligny-Montrachet. It would have been interesting to see how the wine evolved over the coming days but this was not to be!

Then came the reds with the first bottle poured being the oldest for the evening, a 2006 Domaine Bertagna Les Beaux Monts, 1er. Its perfume was rich and seductive with red cherry, spice, rose and undergrowth. The palate was full and velvety without being heavy. When questioned on the vintage, options of 2002 and 2006 were presented. Based on the nose alone, 2002 would have been logical with its complexity, evolution and intensity. However, the underlying drive of acidity suggested 2006 was a more appropriate choice. It was the wine of the night for me leaving the most marked impression. This is not the first time that wines from Bertagna have stood out at Melbourne wine tasting events (such as a superb 2002 Clos Saint-Denis last year).

The follow up was a 2015 Domaine de l’Arlot Les Suchots, 1er. This was produced with 100% whole bunch and two-thirds new oak, both of which were well-integrated. In fact, the presence of whole bunch was an afterthought with the herbal nuances in the background of the bright red fruit and touches of graphite. The wine had tension and verve and was in a fantastic place, still on the early side of development. I thought the wine was from a more restrained vintage owing to its poise and fresh fruit aromas. For a 2015, this wine possessed great freshness and elegance. Wine critic Neal Martin called it one of the best Les Suchots he has encountered in the vintage. It is a producer that I will seek out in future.

We moved onto a younger 2019 Aux Genaivrières from Jacques Cacheux, which had youthful ripe raspberry and blackberry that spoke of the warm vintage. The wine was balanced without overwhelming alcohol and a delight to drink. Finally, we tasted Gerard Mugneret’s 2012 Les Brulees, 1er, which I bought in Paris some years ago. It was also a first to try a wine from this producer, which I understand to be highly respected and slightly on the more natural side of the winemaking spectrum. There was no sign of funk here and the wine was racy and vivacious with tangy red cherry, cranberry and soil notes. This was another bottle that I would have liked to watch transform over the coming days. It was a wonderful way to end the evening, which confirmed, if we ever needed to be reminded, that you can never have too much Vosne Romanée in your wine cellar.

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