2016 Vosne-Romanée, Emmanuel Rouget, Burgundy

Pinot Noir is probably the most frustrating, and at times infuriating, wine grape in the world. However when it is successful, it can produce some of the most sublime wines known to man. This thin-skinned grape which grows in small, tight bunches performs well on well-drained, deepish limestone based subsoils as are found on Burgundy's Côte d'Or. Pinot Noir is more susceptible than other varieties to over cropping - concentration and varietal character disappear rapidly if yields are excessive and yields as little as 25hl/ha are the norm for some climats of the Côte d`Or.

The village of Vosne-Romanée produces the region's most acclaimed wines, all made entirely from the Pinot Noir grape. Despite the monopoly control of four of the six Grands Crus by Domane de la Romanée-Conti, the village has at least 40 growers sharing its vineyard area.