Louis Latour Vosne-Romanee Chaumes 1er Cru

When the Latour family built the Corton Grancey Cuverie in 1832–1834 — the first purpose-built winery in France — they engineered five hillside levels so that gravity, not pumps, would move every litre of wine. That same infrastructure handles this Vosne-Romanée Premier Cru today. Les Chaumes sits on the southern flank of Vosne-Romanée on clay-limestone soils; the site's moderate elevation and easterly exposure temper ripening, preserving the taut, iron-edged character that separates Vosne's southern Premiers Crus from the more opulent northern cluster around La Croix Rameau. 100% hand-harvested Pinot Noir, fully destemmed and crushed, ferments for approximately 14 days in large open wooden vats with manual pigeage; gravity-only transport throughout the Corton Grancey Cuverie. Aging proceeds in French oak barrique (15–35% new, medium toast, 10–12 months), staves air-dried 24–36 months at the house's own cooperage. The defining — and openly contested — house signature: flash pasteurisation at approximately 72°C for 2–3 seconds before bottling, eliminating fining while ensuring microbiological stability, a practice no other major Burgundy house applies consistently across its red range. The 2017 vintage in the Côte de Nuits delivered precise, mid-weight Pinot with firm acidity and restrained fruit concentration; drinking well now through the late 2020s.