La Romanée

La Romanee is a classified as grand cru vineyard in the Côte -d'Or in the Burgundy region in France. It is located in the town of Vosne -Romanée, has an area of ​​0.8452 hectares and its own appellation. La Romanée, making it the smallest vineyard with Appellation d' Origine ( AOC short ) - status throughout France. Produced exclusively red wine.

Location, climate and soil

The vineyard La Romanée is on a slightly rising in the eastern slope 275-300 m above sea level. To the north it borders the Grand Cru Richebourg. East of the location adjoins the famous Grand Cru Romanée -Conti. To the south is the Grand Cru La Grande Rue. La Romanee is a monopoly position of the winery Domaine du Comte Liger -Belair.

The climate is associated with the Burgundian transitional climate, outweigh the continental influences over maritime. The mostly dry and hot summer, let the Pinot Noir to ripen though, great vintages emerge only when there is no rain in the fall affects the reading. Due to the pure east facing the micro-climate is relatively cool but very sunny. Exactly located below the notch of the Combe de Concoeur, Romanée -Saint- Vivant is being protected from nocturnal fall winds and late frosts.

The higher part of the vineyard rests on a Oolithsockel from the Bathonian. The underbody of the deeper part of the document is on Premeaux limestone. The brown, clayey - calcareous Rendzinaschicht of La Romanée is significantly thinner in the upper part than in the lower.

Wine

La Romanée is generally produced exclusively from Pinot noir. As another Pinot and Pinot Liébault Beurot are allowed. Theoretically, up to 15 % white grapes ( Chardonnay, Pinot gris and Pinot blanc) are used. The natural alcohol content must be at least 11.5 percent by volume. A Chaptalisation is - as everywhere in Burgundy - allowed. In the case of an artificial enrichment by dry sugar a maximum alcohol content of 14.5 ° is fixed. The base yield is 35 hectoliters per hectare per year. This may be exceeded by a maximum of 20%. From 2003 to 2007 31 hectoliters were produced from this vineyard a year on average. These are 34 hl / ha. This provides the Grand Cru good 4,030 bottles per year.

History

The history of the Grand Crus of Vosne -Romanée is inextricably linked to the abbeys of Citeaux and Saint- Vivant in today Curtil -Vergy. On November 13, 1131 bequeathed Hugh II Duke of Burgundy to the monastery of Saint- Vivant significant lands in the area of ​​today's communities Flagey Echezeaux and Vosne -Romanée -. The monks laid over the years to various vineyards. In 1232 the monastery was given the vineyard Cloux de Saint- Vivant donated by Alix de Vergy, second wife of Otto III.von Burgundy. The vineyard Cloux de Saint- Vivant was according to a statement from the year 1512 from the districts of Le Cloux cinq Journaux, Le Cloux des quatre Journaux, Le Cloux of neuf Journaux and le Cloux you Moytant. While the plot of Le Cloux cinq Journaux (1.71 ha) was sold to Daniel Cousin in 1584 and later the nucleus of the situation Romanée -Conti represented, the remaining plots remained in the possession of the monastery. In a lease agreement from 1765 the name Romanée Saint Vivant is first written records. At the same time, there were within the vineyard is now known as Richebourg a district called Aux Échanges, considered the origin of La Romanée, and 1 Ouvrée great was ( a Ouvrée = 0.428 hectares).

The monasteries operated until 1791 viticulture. In France the Revolution, the possessions of the Church were declared national property and auctioned. Aux Échanges was purchased by Madame Lamy de Samery. Since their children were forced to flee due to the revolutionary turmoil, the winery was again seized after the death of de Samery in 1797 and sold to the wine merchant Claude -François Viénot Rameau and Bruet - Crétinet. Only three years later, the situation went to Nicolas- Guillaume de Basire. Through the marriage of his daughter with the General Louis Liger -Belair of the estate passed into the family Liger -Belair. In the next 12 years he acquired successively small plots. In July 1827 Liger -Belair La Romanée could make the situation in the land register of the municipality Enter as his sole possession.

The following crises such as the phylloxera disaster, the occurrence of and downy mildew as well as the First World War forced the family to the partial sale of its vineyards, partly because of inheritance disputes ( after the death of Henri Liger -Belair in 1924 and his widow in 1931 were two of the ten children not yet of age ). At the location of La Romanée the winemaker René Engel was interested. During the auction, the vineyard was bought by Just Liger -Belair, a priest. He leased the vineyard to the family Forey, who also carried out the vinification; Construction and bottling took place, however, by various dealers, including Maison Leroy 1950-1962, 1963-1975 by Maison Bichot, 1976-2001 by Bouchard Pere & Fils. After the death of Just Liger -Belair in 1991 his nephew Henri Vicomte Liger -Belair inherited the position. Since 2002, his son Louis -Michel Liger -Belair is responsible for vines and wine-making, but had until 2005 to cede half the harvest of Bouchard Pere & Fils. Only since 2006, there is a single bottling by Liger -Belair.

The status of a Grand Cru La Romanée was given the position on 11 September 1936. Decree on the Controlled Appellation simultaneously captures the neighboring Grand Crus La Tache, Richebourg, Romanée -Conti Romanée -Saint- Vivant and.