Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru "les Reignots"

Henri Audiffred spent 14 years at Domaine de la Romanée-Conti before returning in 2007 to reshape his family's 5-hectare estate — and the most consequential decision he brought back was the complete rejection of new oak, a direct counter to the new-wood-heavy orthodoxy of the Côte de Nuits. Aux Reignots sits on the upper slope of Vosne-Romanée at 280–320 m elevation, a steep 15% gradient with a due-east aspect and sandy topsoil over hard limestone bedrock — conditions that produce a slightly cooler mesoclimate than the Grand Cru belt directly below, tightening structure and extending aromatic development. The 1.62-ha climat sits immediately above La Romanée-Conti and La Romanée, sharing the same geological spine. Vinification begins with 100% destemming and a brief cold maceration, followed by wild-yeast fermentation in wooden vats over 15–18 days with pigeage and remontage at least three times daily. Élevage runs 16–18 months in exclusively old oak with two rackings; the wine is bottled manually, unfined and unfiltered. The special feature here is the zero-new-oak élevage on a Premier Cru that shares its geological address with two of Burgundy's most scrutinised Grand Crus — terroir transparency rather than oak-driven amplification is the explicit goal. The 2022 vintage delivered cool nights and a dry, even ripening season across the Côte de Nuits, yielding wines of precise structure and lifted aromatics; Reignots at this elevation will reward 5–12 years of cellaring.