The ‘17 Vosne-Romanee.

Drinking window

Tasting note

The Maison Leroy Vosne-Romanee 2017 presents in a vivid, luminous ruby of considerable depth and precision, the color reflecting both the 2017 vintage's warm ripeness and the extraordinary concentration that Leroy's ultra-low yield sourcing delivers in a frost year. The nose is layered and complex from the first pour, opening with perfectly ripe strawberry of exceptional freshness and clarity, the red fruit dimension at its most harmonious and precisely defined point in the 2026 expression. Blueberry adds depth and a cool-toned blue-fruit aromatic dimension that lifts the nose beyond the straightforward warmth of the vintage and signals Leroy's sourcing from vine parcels that retained freshness even through the 2017 summer heat. Blackcurrant provides the structural aromatic foundation with concentrated depth that exceeds what village-appellation Vosne-Romanee typically delivers, a direct reflection of the frost-reduced yields that concentrated every remaining cluster on the vine to near-premier-cru density levels. Rose petal adds the floral aromatic lift that is Vosne-Romanee's most celebrated quality as a village appellation, the particular combination of Pinot Noir on limestone-clay soils in the heart of the Cote de Nuits producing the most floral and perfumed village wine in Burgundy, and roasted cocoa appears as a complexity dimension that emerges from the combination of old-vine fruit concentration and Leroy's careful aging approach. A myriad of spices complete the aromatic complexity, the particular spice character that Leroy's biodynamic-sourced Vosne-Romanee consistently produces across vintages as a function of the deep old-vine root systems that access mineral complexity below the topsoil layer. On the palate the wine shows Pinot Noir in full richness with the touch of austerity that Leroy's Vosne-Romanee always carries as a structural signature: the silky tannins are long and precise, the mid-palate is broad and generously fruited without heaviness, and the finish is persistent and mineral.

The 2017 vintage

The 2017 Burgundy growing season was defined above all else by the catastrophic late spring frost event of late April 2017, one of the most damaging frost nights in Burgundy's recorded modern history, which struck the Cote de Nuits and Cote de Beaune vineyards during the critical period of bud development and reduced yields by 50 percent or more across many of the region's finest appellations. Vosne-Romanee and its surrounding villages were among the hardest-hit areas, with the flat and low-lying portions of the appellation suffering near-total crop loss while elevated and sheltered parcels survived with partial yields. The frost damage that eliminated most of the 2017 crop in Vosne-Romanee was followed by an exceptionally warm and dry summer that concentrated the remaining fruit on surviving vines to levels of sugar, extract, and phenolic ripeness that compensated structurally for the reduced volume. The combination of frost-reduced yields and summer heat concentration produced Vosne-Romanee 2017 wines of extraordinary concentration and intensity that substantially exceed what the village appellation typically delivers in more complete growing seasons. Maison Leroy's ultra-selective sourcing specifically sought the most concentrated surviving fruit from the frost-affected vineyards, amplifying the already extreme concentration of the vintage through Leroy's own selection process layered on top of the natural selection imposed by the April frost event itself.

About Maison Leroy

Maison Leroy is the negociant arm of Lalou Bize-Leroy, one of Burgundy's most celebrated and controversial figures: co-owner of Domaine de la Romanee-Conti until 1992 and the founder of both Domaine Leroy (the domaine) and Maison Leroy (the negociant house) that together represent the most uncompromising expression of biodynamic viticulture and ultra-low yield winemaking philosophy in the Cote de Nuits. While Domaine Leroy owns its own vineyards, Maison Leroy sources fruit from carefully selected growers under long-term contracts that specify biodynamic or organic farming practices, yield caps far below the already-low Burgundy appellation averages, and Leroy's absolute right to reject any fruit that does not meet the standard for inclusion in the estate's wines. The result at village appellation level is a Vosne-Romanee that charges premier cru and grand cru pricing because the concentration and complexity of the fruit sourced under Leroy's ultra-selective regime is indistinguishable from grand cru quality in its structural depth: yields of 12 to 18 hectoliters per hectare at village level, compared to the appellation average of 35 to 45, produce fruit of extraordinary density that Leroy's minimal-intervention winemaking then brings to the bottle with exceptional fidelity to the terroir and vintage character.

From the cellar: pair with

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• Aging Burgundy Pinot

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• When to drink wine

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