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What can one say about the village of Vosne Romanee, it’s a text book of the greatest names on earth in wine.

The good and the great all huddle together in this sleepy village whose only change in the past 100 years is Louis Michel of Liger Belair’s La Cuverie, where coffee and a glass of wine is available. This is the only life in the village. It’s so sleepy, with the three teenagers of the village finding it difficult to do much apart from catching the bus to Dijon for a bit of excitement.

That’s probably because, human life is not as important here as life in the soils. The wind, the sun, the insects, the soil structures, and the few very great winemakers that inhabit this village are what’s really important here. Vosne is powerful yet so elegant on the nose, with layers of charm and fragrance, the wines from the very best producers seduce your senses and is why people pay so much for great Burgundy.

Bruno Desaunay has always been an under the radar winemaker. Interested little by gossip and fame, he has worked his well-kept holdings with passion till his passing a couple of months ago. His early passing was a great blow to the family as after a lifetime of hard work, his wines had finally reached that point where they were all on allocation and he was praised by his contemporaries as not only being a great winemaker and dedicated family man but as genuinely revered in the village. Indeed, at his funeral, it was great to see the Cathiard, Roumier family, Dominique Laurent and many more turn out to pay their respects in the packed church of Flagey Echezeaux. His son, Richard who has worked with his father since he was a teenager will continue his work.

We are pleased to have wonderful stocks of some of Bruno’s older vintages in our bond. Recently, we were tasting the Vosne Romanee les Rouges and thought it was time to offer some to Bruno’s many followers. The wine is supremely rich, polished and fills the room with scented rose petals. It’s a dream of a wine and one of the great Premier Cru’s of the village. A super bottle that will be great to drink from 2027 to 2032.  Les Rouges is firmer than his super elegant Les Beaux Monts, which generally drinks earlier. Like his Grands Echezeaux and Echezeaux which back onto Bizot’s parcel, his style is clear to see…these are fine parcels of vines planted in 1926 that Bruno tended with as little intervention as possible, which is why the fruit is so gentle. We highly recommend the 2019 Vosne Romanee Les Rouges if you don’t have it already.

Here is a picture of Bruno and his wife Marie-Christine at a dinner that I organised last year at the Chateau Gilly in Flagey Echezeaux, with Jean Yves Bizot, Claire Naudin, clients, and friends of mine. A lovely moment in time, everyone coming together to enjoy wonderful food and a glass of Vosne in this sleepy hotel’s excellent dining room in the even sleepier, yet utterly mesmerizing and beautiful Flagey Echezeaux.