Domaine Confuron-Cotétidot: Vosne-Romanée & Friends 2016 Burgundy Pre-Arrival Offer


Vignerons since the seventeenth century, the Confuron family even have a strain of Pinot Noir named after them – Pinot Confuron.

Pre-Arrival Offer Details

Allocations: This is a pre-arrival offer. Wines will be allocated on a 1st in 1st served basis. We’ll let you know what you’ve got as soon as we can. There is as little as 12 bottles available for the country for some wines.

Payments: You will be invoiced on confirmation of your allocation.

Expecting Arrival: Delivery is expected in November-December 2018.

Shipping: These wines are shipped in refrigerated containers and stored in climate controlled warehousing. Given the nature of the wines and likely weather on arrival, we’ll store these wines free of charge until the weather cools sufficiently for safe shipping.

About Domaine Confuron-Cotétidot

When La Revue du Vin de France 2012 edition made this domaine only the 10th domaine in the Côte de Nuits to be felt worthy of the magical three stars, alongside the likes of Roumier, Mugnier and Rousseau, it was black and white recognition of the dramatic progress this domaine had made over the previous five or six years.

Brothers Yves and Jean-Pierre Confuron have carried on the traditions at the historic Domaine Confuron-Cotetidot that would certainly make their ancestors proud; the family continues to lead the way in séléction massale as it has since the 17th century, and even boasts a clone of the noble Pinot Noir in their name.

The domaine remains one of the rare few to produce four village wines among 11 hectares in Burgundy’s prestigious Côte de Nuits (Nuits-St-Georges, Vosne-Romanée, Chambolle-Musigny and Gevrey-Chambertin), in addition to a number of premier cru and grand cru sites. Today, Yves directs the domaine and Jean-Pierre works in the cellar, while their parents Jacky and Bernadette work the vineyards as carefully as they have for more than fifty years.

The success of the house style has earned the two respected roles as consultants to neighbouring estates as well. Theirs is old-school red Burgundy at its best.

That the land has never seen synthetic herbicides or pesticides distinguishes Domaine Confuron-Cotetidot from the bulk of their peers in Burgundy, where more holistic vineyard practices can be a challenge. While they incorporate organic practices into their farming, they are not interested in being tied down by the strict confines that certifying agencies dictate. Regular ploughing and short pruning (with an occasional green harvest) keep yields low, between 35-45 hl/ha, on what are generally very old vines.

The Style

… the house style is decidedly old school and there’s no point buying these wines without the express intention of aging them over the longer-term.

Allen Meadows

Harvests are always later than most to ensure ripe stems. The grapes are then fermented in whole clusters, undergoing long cuvaisons of 2 to 3 weeks, and extended barrel-aging up to 2 years. New oak levels range from 10-20% in the village wines and up to 50% in the grand crus. Bottled unfined and unfiltered, the wines display incredible aromatic intensity, spicy fruit, and an elegant minerality from their exceptional terroirs.

One of the strengths of Confuron Cotetidot wines is their ability to age and develop, due to the low yields and old vines that are used, causing them to be more approachable in the medium to long term.

In the last few years even in their youth the wines have been wonderfully aromatic and seductive. Wines full of character, terroir, aromatics, accessibility and longevity. Yves’ signature wine if his Vosne 1er Cru Les Suchots, of which he has a very friendly two hectares, divided into two parcels, which border Echezeaux, the other Romanée-Saint-Vivant. This combination of elegance and power, spice and fragrance is a delight. If you like the serious built-to-age old school style, this is one of the very best addresses around.

The 2016 Vintage

Like so much of Burgundy, Comte Armand was hit with hail and frost through the growing season, dramatically reducing yields.

The Guillards, Gevrey-Chambertin, from 2016 were not affected by frost at all. They show a stunning expression of Pinot, transparent, fine delicious with great distinction between the terroirs.

This mirror Stephen Tanzers thoughts on the vintage as a whole.

Once again we are seeing the ability of great producers to optimise in challenging years.

The always forthright and direct Yves Confuron (who is also the régisseur at Domaine de Courcel in Pommard), describes 2016 as having the “growing season from hell because the frost damage was dramatic and even the vines that were less affected were weakened by it and thus the tender growth was more susceptible to the severe attack of mildew. Happily after the 14th of July the weather was essentially perfect and while it was at times very warm, we didn’t have the hydric stress that we did in 2015 and thus the tannins are finer. We waited to begin picking until the 5th of October and brought in very clean and ripe fruit with thick and firm skins. Both vintages produced excellent wines but the 2016s are slightly fresher and more Burgundian in style.” As the scores and commentaries will confirm, I was knocked out by the quality I found here though as I always underscore, the house style is decidedly old school and there’s no point buying these wines without the express intention of aging them over the longer-term. Allen Meadows

Yves Confuron has a stellar collection of 2016s in barrel at the family domain in Vosne-Romanée, but yields were pitiful: just 11 hectoliters per hectare on average for his 13 hectares of vines. He added that he produced 15 hectoliters per hectare in 2015, and that owing to his high proportion of old vines, yields rarely reach 30 h/h here. “The most-frosted vines in ‘16 gave the ripest wines,” he said in January, “just as the hailed-on vines in 2014 produced riper fruit.” Confuron’s ’16s have alcohol levels between 13% and 13.3%, without chaptalization.

As is his habit, Confuron harvested very late, beginning on October 5. One of the reasons he made so little wine is because he never uses fruit from the second set of buds. “It’s a bad idea,” said Confuron. “The tannins are usually underripe, there are frequently off tastes, and this fruit has more malic acidity, which is then lost during the malolactic fermentation.” And of course Confuron never destems his fruit, so the primary objective of his late picking is to get full phenolic maturity, which would be very unlikely from the second buds.

Confuron replants only as individual vines die. He uses the small percentage of young vines “for sugar,” which he says “supports extraction of the rest.” All of the Confuron-Cotétidot wines are aged in 15% to 20% new oak. Explains Confuron: “If the steak is great, why add sauce?” Stephen Tanzer

Where in the World is

Confuron-Cotétidot is based in Vosne-Romanée in the Côte de Nuits with holdings in Nuits-St-Georges, Vougeot, Chambolle-Musigny, Gevrey-Chambertin and Pommard. An epic 2 Ha of ‘Les Suchot’ in Vosne-Romanée, smack bang between Romané-Saint-Vivant and Grands Echézeaux, the historic jewel in the crown.

Click to view full sized map

Want to know more about Burgundy check out these articles from the Wine Bites Mag:

Getting Your Head Around Burgundy Part 1 – Vineyards, Classifications & Villages

Getting Your Head Around Burgundy Part 2 – Tiny Old Vines & Heaps of them!

Getting Your Head Around Burgundy Part 3 – Get it in your Gob. Tasting the Villages, Classifications, the Phases of Ageing


About the Wines


2016 BOURGOGNE Pinot Noir

87-89 Points

A relatively deeply pitched nose offers up ripe notes of plum, earth and a hint of the sauvage. There is unusually good concentration to the firm and sappy medium-bodied flavors that culminate in a serious, firm and impressively long finish. Wines at this level rarely get much better and if you want an age-worthy house red this would make for a fine choice. 2022+

Allen Meadows' Burghound, Issue 69

88-89 Points

There wasn't much frost on the plain in 2016, said Confuron, but mildew was a serious issue in 2016. Very pure aromas of dark raspberry, black cherry and flowers. Dense, sappy and fine-grained, with its medicinal dark fruit flavors lifted by a floral quality. Really transcends its appellation in concentration and chocolatey richness. The tannins are also fully ripe and refined.

Stephen Tanzer

2016 NUITS-ST-GEORGES

89-92 Points

From 80+ year old vines in Bas de Combes. It’s possible to appreciate the proximity of this vineyard to Vosne as it’s quite spicy yet the sauvage and underbrush characters of a fine Nuits are in evidence too on the mostly dark berry fruit aromas. The sleek, intense and lightly stony flavors are even more tautly muscular while offering the same fine depth and length on the tightly wound finale. This too is a terrific and ageworthy villages. 2028+

Allen Meadows' Burghound, Issue 69

89-91 Points

Bright ruby-red. High-pitched scents of blueberry, blackberry and violet. Quite dark and mineral-driven, conveying lovely purity and energy (the yield here was just 14 hectoliters per hectare, according to Confuron). Very intensely flavored, minerally wine with a broad, spreading finish featuring dusty, fully ripe tannins and lingering black fruits and violet.

Stephen Tanzer

2016 VOSNE-ROMANEE

89-92 Points

A ripe, fresh and brooding nose is notably spicier with its dense aromas of cassis, black cherry and sandalwood hints. The mouthfeel of the palate coating flavors is both finer and more seductive with excellent depth and length. This very firm effort is a very fine Vosne villages built for medium-term cellaring. 2026+

Allen Meadows' Burghound, Issue 69

90-92 Points

Bright ruby-red. The most floral on the nose of these village wines, with its aromas of dark raspberry, licorice and bitter chocolate also conveying an almost minty coolness. Juicy but a bit bound-up, showing strong mint, spice and violet qualities as well as firm acidity; this is tough to taste following the exceptional Gevrey villages. Finishes bright and long, with savory mineral and spice notes and very suave, building tannins that eventually turn more dusty and granular.

Stephen Tanzer

2016 CHAMBOLLE MUSIGNY

90-92 Points

From hillside fruit. A higher-toned, pure and elegant mix features notes of red and dark currant, floral and plenty of soft spice wisps. The lacy, refined and more obviously mineral-inflected flavors possess excellent midpalate density while retaining a refined mouthfeel on the dusty, tight and impressively long finish. This too is very much built-to-age but even so, among these four villages level wines, it will probably be the most approachable young. In sum, ageworthy Chambolle villages level wines don’t get much better. 2028+

Allen Meadows' Burghound, Issue 69

90-92 Points

Bright red-ruby; a bit less saturated than the Nuits-Saint-Georges but still deep for the year. Lively aromas and flavors of black raspberry, violet and minerals. Dense, very ripe and juicy, conveying a lovely combination of sweetness and energy. Finishes very long, with a serious mass of ripe tannins and enough ripe acidity to leaven its pronounced sucrosité and stimulate the salivary glands. "Like a Spanish lady educated in Switzerland" is how Confuron described this very ripe but lively wine.

Stephen Tanzer

2016 GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN

89-91 Points

The majority of this comes from Champs-Chenys, which is situated next to Charmes and it tends to be more elegant than most Gevrey villages wines. Here the nose is somehow perfumed yet very Gevrey with its plum, wild currant and underbrush scents. The tighter, more muscular and more powerful middle weight flavors exude a subtle minerality that can also be found on the austere, backward and very serious finish. Excellent quality in a robust style. 2026+

Allen Meadows' Burghound, Issue 69

91-93 Points

Bright, dark red-ruby. Explosive aromas of black cherry and black raspberry complicated by game, spices, soil and licorice. Compellingly deep, lively village wine with the class of a premier cru: wonderfully refined and primary, conveying an almost Syrah-like ripeness to its black cherry and licorice flavors. This wine has a relatively high 3.75 pH but conveys an impression of harmonious acidity and balance. Tannins spread out horizontally to saturate the very long finish, which displays excellent medicinal reserve. Made almost entirely from Confuron's vines in Champs-Chenys, just below Charmes-Chambertin. I'd like to revisit this stunning village wine in about ten years.

Stephen Tanzer

2016 NUITS-ST-GEORGES "Vigne Rondes"

91-94 Points

Here the wood is somewhat more obvious with its layered and ripe nose that displays notes of plum, cassis, earth and plenty of spice elements. The mouthfeel of the concentrated and vibrant flavors is a mix of power and refinement as the mid-palate is relatively supple yet the finish immediately tightens up on the balanced and long but very serious backend. 2028+

Allen Meadows' Burghound, Issue 69

91-93 Points

Bright red-ruby. Restrained aromas of currant, raspberry, smoke and spices. Pure but very tight and discreet, and yet this wine is clearly more pliant and ripe than the Lavaut Saint-Jacques (it finished its malo last April and was much closer to being a finished wine in January). More density here to support the rather suave tannins. In spite of its deeper-pitched saline soil tones, this wine conveys an impression of weightlessness and finishes with very good spicy lift. Confuron owns a full hectare of vines here but produced just five barrels of wine, the equivalent of less than 12 hectoliters per hectare.

Stephen Tanzer

2016 VOSNE-ROMANEE "Les Suchots"

92-94 Points

The domaine is the largest holder in Suchots with an incredible 2.16 ha. Moderate wood sets off an intensely floral and highly-spiced nose that exhibits aromas of dark cherry, cassis, plum and sandalwood. The blatantly powerful, concentrated and once again very serious large-scaled flavors possess volume on the gorgeously long, balanced and focused finish that is both austere and very clearly built-to-age. In a word, excellent. 2031+

Allen Meadows' Burghound, Issue 69

94-97 Points

Full ruby-red. Knockout nose combines tangy black raspberry, black cherry and licorice aromas lifted by high notes of flowers and blood orange. A dense, sappy, compellingly smooth wine with grand cru texture and class. Incredibly silky, broad flavors of dark fruits, violet, coffee and cocoa powder convey a weightless quality. Confuron's large parcel of vines (2.13 hectares) lies very close to Domaine Leroy's Romanée-Saint-Vivant. Finishes with utterly refined, late-arriving tannins and extraordinary building length that leaves the taste buds vibrating. Confuron compared this wine to the legendary '47 and '49 vintages.

Stephen Tanzer

2016 CHAMBOLLE MUSIGNY "Derriere la Grange"

91-93 Points

A deft application of wood easily allows for the appreciation of the array of red cherry, plum, spice and violet-scented nose. The racy, intense and markedly stony medium weight flavors that possess a much more refined mouthfeel compared to that of the Lavaut and this is much less muscular and austere. 2026+

Allen Meadows' Burghound, Issue 69

91-93 Points

Less than ten hectoliters per hectare produced. Full red-ruby. Very dark, primary, sappy aromas of black raspberry, licorice, crushed rock, minerals and flowers; more perfumed and less subtle than the Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Vignes Rondes but shows lovely lift. Densely packed and fine-grained in the mouth, offering an attractive sweet/savory balance to its dark plum, mineral, spice and soil flavors. This fully ripe, smooth Chambolle spreads out spectacularly to saturate the palate on the finish. Most of Confuron's '16s should drink well young or old but, with its savory tannins, this one is a particularly good bet to provide early pleasure.

Stephen Tanzer

2016 GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN "Lavaut St Jacques"

91-94 Points

From a .30 ha parcel. Here too there is enough reduction and wood influence to overshadow the underlying fruit. There is superb intensity and mid-palate density to the overtly muscular, detailed and powerful broad-shouldered flavors that brim with both dry extract and minerality before delivering outstanding length and depth on the balanced if markedly austere and backward finish. This is terrific but I underscore that it would be largely pointless to open a bottle of this beauty young. 2031+

Allen Meadows' Burghound, Issue 69

90-92 Points

Bright red-ruby. Deeper-pitched aromas of medicinal cherry and musky herbs come across as less ripe than those of the Petite-Chapelle. In a distinctly leaner style, showing less stuffing to its rather laid-back flavors of cherry, minerals and herbs. Here the tongue-dusting tannins arrive earlier, giving the wine a rather disjointed impression. This wine strikes me as a bit less tasty than most of the foregoing samples, but I should note that it only finished its malolactic fermentation in September, which may partly explain its reserved character.

Stephen Tanzer

2016 ECHEZEAUX

92-94 Points

From a .45 ha parcel in Les Treux where Clos de Vougeot meets Grands Echézeaux; from yields of only 11 hl/ha in 2016. The wood is a bit more prominent on the ripe if reserved nose that closely resembles that of the Suchots. The exceptionally rich and lavishly concentrated big-bodied flavors possess a velvety mouthfeel thanks to the almost thick dry extract that serves to also buffer the notably firm tannic spine on the incredibly powerful finish. This won’t win any awards for refinement but it is certainly impressive in its fashion. 2033+

Allen Meadows' Burghound, Issue 69

91-94 Points

The estate's vines are situated in the northeast corner of Les Treux, against the Grands-Echézeaux of Domaine d'Eugénie. Bright ruby-red. More medicinal and less relaxed on the nose than the Suchots (like the Lavaut Saint-Jacques, this wine completed its malo in September and was thus farther from being finished in January). Impressively concentrated but youthfully ungiving, conveying a medicinal quality to its flavors of black cherry, dark berries, spices and earth. Quite dry and savory in the early going, with its fruit sweetness under wraps. Finishes with noteworthy length but the granular tannins are tough going today. This extract-rich wine from a severely frosted site needs more élevage to stretch out.

Stephen Tanzer

2016 CLOS de VOUGEOT

92-95 Points

From vines situated next to those of Faiveley and Prieur near the bottom of the slope on the Vougeot side. A ripe but cool and restrained nose features relatively elegant violet and rose petal aromas as well as those of earthy red cherry liqueur and spice nuances. Here too there is terrific concentration to the intense, palate staining and perceptively muscular flavors that again coat the mouth with dry extract while offering a superbly persistent finish that is blatantly structured but not particularly austere; indeed this could even be approached young. 2034+

Allen Meadows' Burghound, Issue 69

91-94 Points

Healthy dark red with ruby tones. Black cherry and licorice aromas are lifted by a violet topnote. Tight and minty on entry, then a bit more pliant in the middle, conveying an impression of medicinal reserve to its dark flavors of black cherry, spices and minerals. Finishes with substantial tooth- and tongue-dusting tannins. This wine also had a late malo and comes off as very backward today, in need of more élevage to gain in flesh and sweetness.

Stephen Tanzer

2016 CHARMES CHAMBERTIN

92-94 Points

From a .30 ha parcel in Charmes proper. Confuron indicated that this had just finished its malo and not surprisingly the nose was firmly reduced. The rich broad-shouldered flavors possess excellent volume and power with fine power if a bit less muscle and minerality compared to the Mazis. Very solid quality here. 2031+

Allen Meadows' Burghound, Issue 69

93-96 Points

Still finishing its malolactic fermentation. Dark ruby-red. Deep aromas of black cherry, licorice and minerals are a bit disturbed by a faint malic note. Very densely packed, powerful Charmes with extremely primary black fruit flavors leavened by a sweet/savory character and subtle soil tones. Very sappy wine with terrific balance and spine; the chewy tannins are substantial but not hard. This very unevolved Charmes-Chambertin is less showy and exotic than the 2015 was last year, but finishes with considerable power and insidious violet lift.

Stephen Tanzer

2016 MAZIS CHAMBERTIN

93-95 Points

From a tiny .08 ha parcel of 40+ year old vines located in Mazis-Haut that normally produce only one barrel. A more deeply pitched nose displays ripe yet wonderfully fresh aromas of cassis, humus, underbrush, smoke and the classic sauvage notes. The imposingly-scaled flavors possess a similar mouthfeel to those of the Clos de Vougeot with excellent power, density and muscle though here there is markedly more minerality on the hugely long finish that is shaped by a very prominent tannic spine. This is clearly built for the long-term and is going to need extended cellaring. 2036+

Allen Meadows' Burghound, Issue 69

92-95 Points

Bright red-ruby. Wild aromas of black raspberry, smoked meat and underbrush. Wonderfully dense, seamless and pure if a bit youthfully unyielding; just this side of thick. Shows very ripe flavors of framboise, cocoa powder, chocolate mousse and épices fines. Finishes with a serious spine of dusty tannins that will require patience. A seriously suave wine with terrific material and potential.

Stephen Tanzer


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