In Burgundy, what's the difference between Vosne-Romanée, premier cru and grand cru?
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Dear Dr. Vinny,
What’s the difference between a Vosne-Romanée, a premier cru and a grand cru? And how long are they supposed to age?
—Allan, Corvallis, Ore.
Dear Allan,
To start, those are all designations in Burgundy, and Burgundy is complicated! It has a thick tapestry of regions, villages and vineyards, and a classification system. Let’s start with that.
There are only four levels of classification. From least to most prestigious, those are: regional appellations, village or commune appellations, premiers crus and grands crus. Even though the word “premier” means “first” (and is often abbreviated as “1er” which means “1st” in English), it’s confusingly one step below grand cru, which represents only about 1 percent of the total production of Burgundy.
So where does Vosne-Romanée fit in? Vosne-Romanée is one of the most prized of the villages in Burgundy, located in the Côte de Nuits region, home to six grand cru vineyards, and some of the most expensive and prized wines in the world. And Wine Spectator senior editor Bruce Sanderson has a handy video devoted entirely to the topic of Vosne-Romanée!
If you like aged wines, the very best of the Burgundies from the best vintages can age up to 50 years or more. If you’d like to when a specific wine should be tasting its best, WineSpectator.com members can look up individual reviews in our Wine Ratings Search, which include a recommended drinking window.
—Dr. Vinny
