1999 Domaine Robert Arnoux Vosne Romanee Les Hautes Maizieres

Since 1990, Pascal Lachaux, the late Robert Arnoux’s son in law, has been in charge of the famous estate in Vosne-Romanee. The domaine has been in the Arnoux family for five generations. With holdings in some of Burgundy’s greatest vineyards -- Romanee-St-Vivant, Clos Vougeot, Echezeaux, and Nuits-St-Georges and Vosne-Romanee Premiers Crus – Domaine Robert Arnoux wines are among the finest expressions of these privileged terroirs. The domaine has the unique advantage of having uniformly old vines in all of its parcels, making for a consistency of style. Starting with the 1990 vintage, which was particularly successful at this domaine, the wines have been made by Pascal Lachaux. Lachaux has lowered yields and improved vinification and bottling methods. He usually employs a short pre-fermentation maceration and a longer cuvaison which he lovingly watches over, to use his expression. The wines are aged for 18 months in 20% to 100% (for the Grands Crus) new oak barrels from various suppliers. Lachaux aims for wines of great finesse and concentration, which reflect their respective terroirs.

The Vosne-Romanee Les Hautes Maizieres is a very special wine because it is actually Premier Cru quality. The Arnoux’s parcel is contiguous to Les Suchots and Echezeaux. In addition, the grapes are always millerandes, that is, very small, and this results in a very concentrated yet approachable wine. It is usually the first of the Arnoux Vosne’s to show well. It is packed with dark cherry fruit with a note of sous bois, or wood-mushroom.

Tasting Note: The dark ruby-colored 1999 Vosne-Romanee Les Hautes Maizieres has a gorgeous raspberry, violet, cherry, perfume, and rose-scented nose. Medium-bodied, satiny-textured, and plush, it is a tangy, sweet, red berry-flavored wine. It has excellent depth of fruit and a long, supple finish. Drink it over the next 6 years. 89 points.
Wine Advocate #136 (Aug 2001) eRobertParker.comcolor>
Additional notes sourced from Robert Arnoux