Gilles Remoriquet is not a winemaker who rests on his laurels. He is forever looking for ways to improve his wines. Most recently he has been to the Jura to see a specialist about selecting the right blend of manure and has bought a second sorting table which eliminates under-ripe berries by flotation! Cuvaisons are long, giving a light colour yet concentrated, intense fruit flavours. Remoriquet is one of the top estates in Nuits but the prices have yet to catch up. At the top of the range the Vosne-Romannée 1er Cru au dessous des Malconsorts is situated next to La Tâche and tastes like it is!
The Remoriquet domaine dates back to the end of the 19th century and the property is now managed by 4th-generation Gilles Remoriquet, oenology graduate of the acclaimed University of Dijon. We're very much at home in 'traditional' Burgundy here - Gilles strongly believes in horse-ploughing, limiting yields, hand-harvesting and barrel maturation. But he's also an extensive traveller, visiting vinous colleagues around France to see what others are doing with regards to soil quality and the like.
Many of the Remoriquet wines benefit from time maturing in bottle to soften their astringent tannins and to coax out their rather shy fruit. Once they are in their stride, however, these are wines of suppleness and generosity, heavily perfumed and lusciously textured. Whilst it is a shame that the Remoriquet name isn't better known in the UK, it means that these wines represent terrific value - that can rarely be said of Burgundy.
