We’ve rolled out the red carpet for Confuron-Cotetidot countless times, visited their antiquated cellars, and tasted just about every wine they’ve had their magical hands on—so what have we missed? Today’s unbelievably ageworthy Bourgogne Rouge sourced from old vines in the famed village of Vosne-Romanée. This is power and grace in a bottle; full of intense minerality, incredible structure, and the sophistication that makes you wonder how this is possible at such a low price. Forget 5-7 years of evolution, this uber-traditional Burgundy has the balance and constitution to see past 2035!
Following in the footsteps of their parents, brothers Yves and Jean-Pierre “Jack” Confuron have stayed true to their “old school” philosophies while working with mature vines from world-famous terroirs and hand crafting wines in a tiny, what appears to be centuries-old cellar, utilizing whole clusters and minute quantities of new oak. Anyone seeking to build up their collection of wines will undoubtedly be floored by the incredible force that is Confuron-Cotetidot, and with the addition of the prolific 2015 vintage, this wine easily goes down as one of SommSelect’s all-time cellar-worthy values. It can certainly be consumed now, but the true magic will be revealed years down the road—if you’re one of the lucky few collectors familiar with Confuron-Cotetidot, you know exactly what I mean. This is the ultimate value cellar addition, just try to keep your hands off it!
By now, given how many of their wines we’ve offered, the Confuron-Cotetidot story should be a familiar one: This is a family operation, specializing in séléction massale—the process of propagating new plants by using cuttings from the best-performing vines in the vineyard. Parents Jean-Jacques “Jacky” (Confuron) and Bernadette (Cotetidot), who created the domaine in 1964, still work the vines today; Yves and Jack now handle day-to-day operations and winemaking, while simultaneously holding positions at other properties. The family farm is about 12 hectares of vineyards from ‘Bourgogne’ level to Grand Cru, and they’ve even developed a clone of Pinot Noir that carries their name: “Pinot Confuron.” Farming has always been done organically—holistically, really—without the use of synthetic pesticides or herbicides; their plots have never been introduced to chemicals.
Today’s Bourgogne Rouge was sourced from small, old-vine plots in the eastern section of Vosne-Romanée, all of which are tended by hand. All of their tools sit in front of the winery (more like a cottage) and though fully-functioning, they seem better suited for a museum showcasing early 1900s viticulture. Confuron-Cotetidot always utilizes whole cluster fermentation, followed by a multi-week maceration and ~16 months of aging in mostly neutral barrels. As with all of their wines, their Bourgogne Rouge is bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Confuron-Cotetidot’s 2015 Bourgogne Rouge is built for you to respect it, bursting with perfumed violets, rose petals, and a constant presence of crushed stone minerality. It pours a concentrated, deep ruby red moving out to pink and garnet hues on the rim. Though it reveals elegant aromatics and plenty of finesse on the nose, this is a ‘masculine’ wine in terms of structure due to whole clusters and long extraction which is a distinguished trait of Confuron-Cotetidot. Pronounced flavors of black cherry blossoms, black currants, black raspberry, and red plum skin are waiting to be discovered alongside black mushroom, forest floor, and crushed stones. Remember, this is made almost the exact same way as their ‘Cru’ wines so it doesn’t lack any boldness—it’s unbelievably complex and powerful with immense structure. I see this blossoming over the next 3-5 years, but not reaching its true potential until its 10th birthday and beyond. Even then, don’t expect this to start shutting down until 2040! This truly is a Bourgogne of epic proportions and its just waiting to flaunt its goods after years of cellar aging. Again, it’s one of the best cellar values we could ever hope to find. If drinking within the next couple years, decant for at least one hour (or pull the cork in the morning) and serve in large Burgundy stems around 60-65 degrees. A traditional wine such as this deserves a traditional pairing, last night I had this wine with Boeuf Bourguignon and it was lights out! This recipe is bonafide classic. Enjoy!
