Domaine Dujac Vosne Romanee Aux Malconsorts 1er Cru 2020

Jacques Seysses started Domaine Dujac in 1968. He was not born in Burgundy, but winemaking is his true vocation. His love for wine comes from his father, a gourmet with a passion for fine wines. Even as a young boy, Jacques would meet the greatest winegrowers of the time in the company of his father. At the age of 25, after a few years working for the family-owned biscuit manufacturing company, he decided to move on from the business world. During the 1966 and 1967 harvests, he learned winemaking with Gérard Potel at the Domaine de la Pousse d'Or in Volnay. In 1968, he bought the Domaine Graillet in Morey-Saint-Denis, which he renamed Domaine Dujac (a pun on his first name, meaning the Estate that Jacques owns). In 1973, he married Rosalind, who quickly became a key member of the team.

Domaine Dujac in Burgundy was acquired by Jacques Seysses in 1967. The domaine in Morey-St-Denis had 4 hectares of vineyards and he has subsequently built it up to 11.5 hectares. Domaine Dujac now includes holdings in Clos de la Roche, Clos St-Denis, Bonnes-Mares, Echézeaux and Charmes-Chambertin . "Use knowledge and technology to counter accidents - for example, bad weather - but, if all is going well, don't interfere," says Seysses and this principle guides much of what happens in the vineyards and the cellars. Dujac wines are neither filtered nor fined and all of his premiers and grands crus are aged in 100% new oak. These are wines of the very highest order.

The first vintage, 1968, was one of the worst years on record so the wines were sold off in bulk, but 1969 was an entirely different matter, putting the domaine firmly on the map. In 1973 Jacques married Rosalind Boswell, a Californian girl who came to work the vintage and stayed for life. The first two of their three children, Jeremy (born 1975), Alec (1977) and Paul (1980) are now involved in the business, as is Jeremy’s wife Diana, also Californian, and a trained oenologist. In 2000 Jeremy Seysses also inaugurated, with his father, a small scale negociant business known as Dujac Fils et Père. The domaine has expanded over the years as additional parcels of vineyard became available, culminating in the acquisition of some exceptional vineyards from Domaine Thomas-Moillard in 2005. In 1987 the domaine moved to lutte raisonée, the reasoned application of treatments, and from 2001 to organic farming. Today 75% of the domaine, including all premier and grand cru vineyards, is farmed organically with experiments also along biodynamic lines.

Jacques Seysses is a leading advocate of including stems in the fermentation process, as much so as to avoid bruising the grapes during the de-stemming process as for a desire to include the stems themselves. However each vintage is treated according to its merits and the ripeness of the stems. The cellars in Morey St Denis have been extended in recent years to improve cellaring conditions. The barrels can now be kept at a cooler ambient temperature, enabling the malolactic fermentation to happen later and for the wines to be racked less frequently.

The lieu-dit Les Malconsorts lies southwest of the village of Vosne-Romanée, on the steeply sloping hillside (9%). The plot varies in altitude from 254 to 278 meters. The lieu-dit faces due east. The soil changes from east to west. The eastern part contains blunt limestone fragments, with some small oyster shells. In the middle of the lieu-dit, the soil is very stony, with angular Premeaux limestone fragments. At the top, angular limestone gravel is frequently present.

Three different types of substratum underlie Les Malconsorts. In the eastern part, there are Ostrea Acuminata marls (with small oyster shells), with Premeaux limestone in the central part, while bedded limestone scree (grèzes litées) covers the slope to the west.

This is the first wine to show any appreciable reduction though the whole cluster vinification does peek through the funk. Once again, the bigger-bodied and much more muscular flavors possess a highly attractive texture thanks to the generous dry extract that partially buffers the prominent tannic spine supporting the robust, powerful and gorgeously complex and persistent finish. This is a classic Malconsorts which is very much built to reward longer-term cellaring. Score: 93-95, Burghound.com, Issue 85: 10 January 2022, Drink: 2037+

The Finer Details
Style - Red Wine
Varietal - Pinot Noir
Country - France
Region - Burgundy
Vintage - 2020
Bottle Size - 750ml
ABV - 14%