2023 Domaine du Clos Frantin Bichot Vosne-Romanée Aux Malconsorts 1er Cru

The 2023 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Malconsorts offers up aromas of cassis and plums mingled with notions of vine smoke and petals. Medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy, it's satiny and textural, with a chassis of sweet, powdery tannins cloaked in succulent fruit. This is one of the high-points in the Bichot portfolio this year.

Cask sample. Certified organic (Ecocert). Hand-picked 11 and 12 September. Fermentation in thermo-regulated wooden vats, 25% whole bunch. Aged in oak barrels, 35% new, for 16–17 months. Will be bottled January/February 2025. This is wonderful. Tissue-paper texture. Vibrant fruit. Blood orange and wild strawberry. Slightly peppery. Ruched tannins and satin ribbons of energy. This wine really flows – sinuous. Every molecule is singing and vibrating. (TC)

The 2023 Vosne-Romanée Les Malconsorts 1er Cru was picked on September 9 with 25% whole cluster and 35% new oak. It offers pretty cranberry and wild strawberry scents on the nose, well-defined, if not quite as complex as its peers. The palate is well balanced with crisp, slightly crunchy red berry fruit on the entry. There is something "playful" about this Les Malconsorts. It doesn't take itself too seriously, yet there is ample tension and considerable mineralité on the finish. Not to be underestimated.