Richebourg

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Richebourg vineyards in autumn 2009.

Richebourg is a Grand Cru classified vineyard on the Côte d'Or in French Burgundy . It is located in the municipality of Vosne-Romanée , has an area of ​​8.03 hectares and its own appellation . Only red wine is produced , mainly from the Pinot Noir grape variety .

Location, climate and soil

The Richebourg vineyard is located on a gently sloping eastern slope at an altitude of 260 to 280 meters above sea level . It lies between the Premier Cru vineyards Aux Brulées (north), Cros Parantoux , Les Petits Monts , Aux Reignots (west) and the Grand Crus Romanée-Saint-Vivant (east) and La Romanée and Romanée-Conti (south). The Richebourg site consists of two parcels (French: Lieu-dit and Climat): Les Véroilles (or Les Varoilles sous Richebourgs) and Les Richebourgs .

The climate is assigned to the Burgundian transitional climate , in which continental influences predominate over maritime ones. The mostly dry and hot summers allow the Pinot Noir to ripen, but great vintages are only created if there is no rain in autumn to impair the harvest. Due to the pure east location, the microclimate is relatively cool, but particularly sunny. Located just below the cut of the Combe de Concoeur , Richebourg is protected from night winds and late frosts.

The higher part of the vineyard rests on an oolite plinth from the Bathonium . The subsoil of the deeper part of the site is on Premeaux limestone. The brown, loamy-chalky rendzina layer of Richebourg is thinner in the upper part than in the lower part. The numerous limestones store the warmth of the day and radiate it back to the vines at night. They also ensure good drainage .

Wine

For the production of red wine Richebourg, besides the grape Pinot noir further Pinot Liébault and Beurot Pinot officially approved. According to wine law, up to 15% white grapes ( Chardonnay , Pinot gris and Pinot blanc ) may be used. The natural alcohol content must be at least 11.5  percent by volume. The chaptalization is - as everywhere in Burgundy - allowed. In the case of artificial enrichment with dry sugar, a maximum alcohol content of 14.5 ° is specified. The annual base yield is 35 hectoliters per hectare. This may be exceeded by a maximum of 20%. From 2003 to 2007, an average of 246 hectoliters were produced from this location every year. That is 30.6 hl / ha. The Grand Cru delivers a good 31,980 bottles per year.

From the point of view of wine connoisseurs, the quality of the wine consists primarily in its silky opulence, finesse and complexity. In some years it should come close to La Tâche .

The Richebourg Grand Cru vineyard is managed by eleven producers. Wine connoisseurs consider the best producers (as of 2011): Domaine de la Romanée-Conti , branches of the Gros family, Domaine Leroy (0.78 ha), Domaine Grivot, Domaine Hudelot-Noellat and Domaine Méo-Camuzet.

history

The history of the Grand Cru vineyards of Vosne-Romanée is inextricably linked with the abbeys of Cîteaux and Saint-Vivant in what is now Curtil-Vergy . On November 13, 1131, Hugo II, Duke of Burgundy bequeathed important lands to the monastery of Saint-Vivant in the area of ​​the present-day communes of Flagey-Echézeaux and Vosne-Romanée. The monks planted various vineyards over the years.

On January 17, 1791, the Parisian speculator Louis Jean Foucard bought the Richebourg site for 38,100 livres . Later the Richebourg location was divided between 8 owners. The reputation of Richebourg is documented, among other things, by a directory of the Louis XVI wine cellar . The Richebourg operates there alongside Chambertin , Clos de Vougeot , La Tâche and Romanée-Saint-Vivant .

The Richebourg site received the status of a Grand Cru on September 11, 1936. The decree on the Contrôlée appellation also covers the neighboring Grands Cru sites Romanée-Saint-Vivant , Romanée-Conti , La Tâche and La Romanée .

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Jancis Robinson: The Oxford Wine Lexicon. Hallwag Verlag, Munich 2003, ISBN 3-7742-0914-6 , pp. 812f.
  2. ↑ a b c Decree on the Appellations Romanée-Saint-Vivant, Richebourg, Romanée-Conti, La Romanée and La Tâche (PDF) last accessed on 23 October 2009.