Bernard Rion
Domaine Armelle et Bernard Rion is a classic Côte de Nuits estate in Vosne-Romanée, producing wine from nine hectares of vineyard spread across several villages. Whatever the source, the wines are richly fruited, balanced and display their origins beautifully.
The domaine dates back to the end of the nineteenth century, and has been helmed by Bernard and his wife Armelle since 1973. Today their three daughters manage much of the day to day running of the estate. Alice is primarily responsible for winemaking. The family are also well known as leading French truffle suppliers, and breed their own truffle-hunting dogs, the Lagotto Romagnol breed.
The Wines
Bourgogne Côte d’Or rouge 2023 Tech Sheet | Label | Bottle Shot
Marsannay 2022 Tech Sheet | Label | Bottle Shot
Chambolle-Musigny Les Echézeaux 2022 Tech Sheet | Label | Bottle Shot
Nuits St Georges Premier Cru Marcel Héritage 2022 Tech Sheet | Label | Bottle Shot
Vosne-Romanée Premier Cru Les Chaumes 2022 Tech Sheet | Label | Bottle Shot
The Bourgogne Côte d’Or comes largely from plots around Volnay, and displays typical Côte de Beaune red fruits and a glossy texture. The Marsannay could not be more different: this is textbook Côte de Nuits in its dark fruit and firm structure. The 2022 shows the bountiful fruit of the vintage and is particularly juicy and irresistible. It is sourced from the single lieu dit of En Sampagny in the Couchey commune, a warm site and the first of the domaine’s Côte de Nuits wines to be harvested. By contrast the Chambolle-Musigny village level wine comes from the cool Les Echézeaux, a plot at the top of the village which is among the domaine’s last to be harvested. This is a wine of glorious Chambolle suave texture and violets perfume.
Among the Premiers Crus, the Nuits St Georges Marcel Héritage is a blend from Murgers and Chaignots, a pair of Premiers Crus located on the north side of the town close to the Vosne-Romanée border. Marcel was an ancestor and would be proud of this generous wine, the product of 80 year old vines. The Vosne Chaumes comes from the top of the Premier Cru, only a lane separating it and Malconsorts and La Tâche. This is Vosne-Romanée in all its glory: spicy, intricate and fine-boned.
The domaine is certified sustainable HVE (Haute Valeur Environementale), a prestigious French certification which covers all aspects of the domaine’s output. The family only spray against mildew when strictly necessary; no herbicides or pesticides are used. After manual harvest, the grapes are destemmed and fermented using natural yeast in large concrete vats and undergo manual punch downs. The wines are then racked to cask in the underground cellar for 12-15 months. The proportion of new oak ranges from 10% in the Bourgogne Côte d’Or to 55% in the Premiers Crus.
The Rion wines combine a sultry succulence of dark fruit with lovely terroir expression, resulting in wines of distinctive Côte de Nuits class and authenticity.
