2023 Domaine Gerard Mugneret Vosne Romanee 1er Cru Les Suchots

At the top of the Vosne Romanee 1er Cru Les Suchots, in the sector local families have long called "Grands Suchots" to set it apart from the lower slope, Domaine Gerard Mugneret farms 0.39 hectares planted in 1939 and 1988. The clay here is shallow, stony and quick to drain, and Pascal Mugneret counts up to five distinct terroir units within the small parcel. Pascal took over from his father Gerard in 2005 after a first career as an engineer, ended herbicides and then synthetic sprays, and has worked the vines biodynamically, without certification, since 2011. The estate covers about seven hectares, assembled by his great-grandfather Rene and his father, and is a cousin branch of Mugneret Gibourg, one of the benchmark domaines of Vosne Romanee. It is fermented with native yeast and a large share of whole clusters and aged in about 30 percent new oak, a 1er Cru built for long cellaring.