Description
Domaine Fabrice Vigot, Vosne-Romanée “La Colombière”
A self-evident truth? No matter the cuvée, we hardly ever have enough Fabrice Vigot to offer our subscribers. And while that’s been increasingly tough to stomach over the years, I’m afraid the news has just worsened: 2016 marks the final vintage of Vigot’s rip-roaringly lush and powerful Vosne-Romanée “La Colombière.”
So what happened to their nanoscopic trove of vines, which are stationed just a few hundred yards from the immortalized Grand Crus of “La Tâche” and “Romanée-Saint-Vivant?” Due to a discontinued crop-sharing agreement, it went back to legendary Domaine Mugneret-Gibourg, which now produces its own label, with the exact same raw material, for $400+ (if you can find it). So, while today is indeed a bittersweet moment, I’m betting your sorrows evaporate once realizing Vigot’s final bottling is a mere $90. Many of you know we’ve had our heels dug into the Vigot soapbox for quite some time now, as we believe their Pinot Noirs are some of the most limited and best-kept secrets in all of Burgundy. And although today’s stunningly layered 2016 “La Colombière” is quite literally a now-or-never offer, trust us when we say Vigot went out with a deafening bang and that this will emerge as one of the greatest luxury Pinot deals this year.
The wines of Vosne-Romanee deliver a restrained and elegant power that goes unmatched around the world. That statement isn’t limited to its top Grand Crus like Richebourg, Romanée-Saint-Vivant, and La Romanée-Conti either: wines across the quality board show powerful levels of finesse, polish, and minerality. With their final 2016 “La Colombière,” Vigot has achieved another level of precision, texture, and opulence. The wine serves as a prototype of the vintage, yes, but also the unrivaled style of Vosne and its noble Pinot Noir grape.
Domaine Vigot is run by Fabrice and Christine Vigot, who founded the estate in 1990 by combining the landholdings of their respective families. Most notably, Fabrice’s father worked with the famed Dr. Georges Mugneret in the 1960s, and agreed to work with some of their most prized vineyards in a sharecropping agreement. Unfortunately, that came to an end in 2017 after a string of low-yielding and hail-filled vintages led to financial hardships.
“La Colombière” is a Vosne-Romanée lieu-dit that hugs the eastern side of the village—on the opposite side, you’ll run directly into Grand Crus “La Tâche” and “Romanée-Saint-Vivant! Planted in 1979 and 1980, this small parcel of vines—owned by Mugneret-Gibourg but farmed for decades by the Vigot—has been tended organically, with a recent focus on biodynamics. In the cellar, the grapes are hand-harvested and partially de-stemmed, leaving around 30% of the clusters intact for a native-yeast fermentation. After macerating for nearly three weeks in stainless steel, the wine spent 18 months in 228-liter barrels, 20% new. Bottling took place without fining or filtering.
Before you even think about purchasing this gem, we must strongly suggest two things: (1) order multiple bottles and let them stretch as long as you possibly can and (2) if opening one in the next three years, decant, decant, decant! For our bottle, we double decanted (pull cork, vigorously decant, pour it back into original bottle) and then tasted it over the course of three days. By the end of day one and into day two, a powerful, pedigreed red Burgundy was revealed, exploding with pronounced black cherry liqueur, dried black raspberry, wild strawberry, dewy violets, crushed earth, rich baking spice, licorice, and hints of umami. The palate is medium-plus bodied, intense, and richly layered with dark, almost brambly, forest berries and a pulsing mineral core that emphasizes the 2016 vintage and Domaine Vigot’s elite command of Vosne-Romanée. Although the label is no more, we won’t be forgetting this wine anytime soon. Enjoy now and over the next 10-15 years.
