2021 Vosne-Romanée Vieilles Vignes

Cécile Tremblay is multi-tasking when I visit to taste through her 2021s with her able assistant. “I didn’t lose too much from the frost,” she calls over from the desk, “but the Premier Crus were hit 50%, and I blended the two crus to make a Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru. I was fortunate to have made a lot of Grand Cru and Village Cru. It is not a disaster compared to other growers. I worked a lot in the vineyard to prevent oïdium - I hate it. But we had to cope with mildew. I used a spray to treat the vines: petit lait [whey] and sulphur on the bunches. We started picking on 26 September for five days. You had to choose the right stems and have done good work in the vineyard. One winemaker stopped me in my car a week before harvest and commented - do you think 2021 is like 2013?” Though I cannot answer whomever that winemaker was, the answer is no. I can confirm that Tremblay’s 2021s are generally magnificent this year; almost quixotic wines that exude panache and reflect the growing season, yet are imprinted with Tremblay’s style.