Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Rouges Clos Frantin - Albert Bichot 2018

Lot presentation

Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Rouges Clos Frantin - Albert Bichot 2018

The wine

Maison Albert Bichot is comprised of four domains, including Clos Frantin in the Côte de Nuits, stretching over nearly 7.3 hectares. This Premier Cru stems from Pinot Noirs vines established on the gentle slopes of a pebbly terroir in Flagey Echézeaux, just above Les Echézeaux. The grapes, organically grown for the past decade, are handpicked before macerating in temperature-controlled truncated-shaped wooden vats where fermentation is achieved with natural yeasts. The wine is then matured for 14 to 18 months in barrels of which about one third are new.
Revealing red fruits in their youth, bursting with Burlat cherry and redcurrant, Les Rouges soon assumes a spicy character, backed by liquorice and violets. Classic and elegant, this Premier Cru offers a beautiful volume backed by a mineral structure, delivering a nice freshness until the finish. A wine that will reveal its full potential after a few years of ageing and will pair wonderfully with a duck breast with honey.

About the Producer Clos Frantin - Albert Bichot

The Albert Bichot house is lucky enough to possess 1.75 hectares of this exceptional premier cru, located right next to a few mythic plots (Romanée-Conti is less than 400 metres away and Richebourg less than 600!). The vines, aged between 35 and 40 years, are east/south-east facing, on limestone soil. The Clos Frantin, owned by the Albert Bichot house, makes the following wines: in grands crus, Richebourg, Chambertin, Clos-de-Vougeot, Grands-Echézeaux and Echézeaux, in premier cru, Vosne-Romanée ""Les Malconsorts"" and in village appellations, Gevrey-Chambertin ""Les Murots"", Vosne-Romanée Les Maizières, Vosne-Romanée Les Damaudes and Nuits-Saint-Georges. The Clos Frantin covers 13 hectares, eight of which are premiers and grands crus. Fertilisers and weed killers have been replaced with compost and tilling. In order to produce a high quality fruit, the soil is carefully respected, the vines are pruned dramatically and thinning is carried out if necessary. The domain's wines are vinified in the historical building at the entrance to Nuits-Saint-George. In the vat-house, gravity-flow has replaced the mechanical operations in the winemaking process, which improves the quality and the grapes' aromatic potential. Today, the Albert Bichot house has 100 hectares of vines, at Chablis, Côte de Nuits, Côte de Beaune and Côte Chalonnaise, over four domains:-Château Long-Depaquit, Chablis (65ha)-Domaine du Clos Frantin, Nuits-Saint-Georges (13ha)-Domaine du Pavillon, Pommard (17ha)-Domaine Adélie, Mercurey (4.5ha)The Bichot family has been in Burgundy since 1350, but it was only in the 19th century that they became interested in vineyards and wine. Albéric Bichot, who is in charge since 1996, is the sixth generation.

Detailed characteristics