Description
Domaine Confuron-Cotetidot, Bourgogne Passetoutgrain
In the late 1920s, the New York Yankees were given the nickname “Murderer’s Row” because their lineup—which included Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig—was so fearfully good. That moniker comes to mind as I survey the wide-ranging vineyard holdings of Domaine Confuron-Cotetidot, one of Burgundy’s enduring classics.
Parents Jean-Jacques “Jacky” (Confuron) and Bernadette (Cotetidot), who created the domaine in 1964, still work the vines; Yves and Jack now handle day-to-day operations and winemaking, while simultaneously holding positions at other properties. The family farms about 12 hectares of vineyards in sites from ‘village’ level to Grand Cru, and they’ve even developed a clone of Pinot Noir that carries their name: “Pinot Confuron.” Vines are an average of 65 years or older, hand-harvested, and cared for tirelessly to produce low yields. Farming has always been done organically, without the use of synthetic pesticides or herbicides, and wines are unfiltered and unfined. They apply 100% whole cluster fermentation, followed by a multi-week maceration and up to two years in the barrel—the amount of new oak dependent on the appellation.
“Passetougrain” is a traditional red wine style in Burgundy, codified into law back in the 1930s, but not many producers continue to make it—especially not in Confuron-Cotetidot’s home village of Vosne-Romanée, home of some of the most expensive reds on earth. The name effectively translates as “throw it all together,” and is applied to wines that combine Burgundy’s two red grapes, Pinot Noir and Gamay. It’s the kind of aromatic, brambly, slightly rustic style of red many experts associate with “traditional” winemaking in Burgundy, and there’s no more tradition-minded producer in the region than Confuron-Cotetidot. Theirs are some of the most soulful, longest-lived reds in the region, and this Passetoutgrain is the quintessential example of a classic field blend—and it’s grown in Vosne-Romanée, no less! Two-thirds Pinot Noir, one-third Gamay, 100% delicious.
