Vosne Romanée Les Hautes Maizieres Domaine Arnoux - Lachaux, 2018

Vosne-Romanée Les Hautes Maizières 2018 from Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux is a quintessential expression of great Burgundy Pinot Noir: perfumed, precise and quietly powerful. Sourced from a single prized lieu-dit in the heart of the village, it captures the signature silk and spice that has made Vosne-Romanée legendary among collectors. The 2018 vintage adds a touch of generosity to the wine’s innate finesse, offering both immediate charm and serious aging potential.

Tasting Notes
In the glass, this Vosne-Romanée shows a luminous, medium ruby color with youthful vibrancy at the rim. The nose is intensely aromatic, unfolding with ripe red cherries, wild strawberries and raspberries layered over classic Vosne notes of rose petals, sweet spices, sandalwood and a hint of incense and forest floor. Subtle touches of vanilla bean, fine oak and crushed stone add nuance as it opens. On the palate, the wine is silken yet structured, with a refined, medium-bodied frame. Juicy red and black cherry fruit is woven together with spice-box, tea leaf, licorice and a gentle savory earthiness. The tannins are ultra-fine and powdery, giving shape without any harshness, while fresh, well-integrated acidity keeps the wine lively and precise. The finish is long and persistent, with lingering notes of red berries, flowers and spice that echo Vosne’s hallmark elegance. While already approachable in its youth with a brief decant, this 2018 has the depth and balance to evolve beautifully over 10–15 years, gaining complexity and tertiary nuances with time in bottle.

Production
Les Hautes Maizières is a single vineyard situated on the lower slopes of Vosne-Romanée, on classic Burgundian clay-limestone soils that naturally limit yields and enhance aromatic complexity. Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux farms the parcel with great care, following sustainable, organic-leaning practices, avoiding herbicides and encouraging deep root systems and biodiversity in the vines. The grapes are hand-harvested at optimal ripeness, rigorously sorted in the vineyard and again at the winery to ensure only perfectly healthy fruit is used. Vinification is traditional yet sensitive: whole clusters are often included to bring additional perfume and texture, fermentations proceed with indigenous yeasts, and extraction is gentle to preserve finesse rather than power. The wine is then aged in French oak barrels, with a restrained proportion of new oak, allowing the terroir and the purity of Pinot Noir to remain front and center.

Food & Serving
This Vosne-Romanée is a superb companion to refined dishes such as roast duck with cherry or plum sauce, herb-crusted lamb, veal with morel mushrooms, or game birds like pigeon or quail. It also shines alongside simpler but high-quality fare: mushroom risottos, truffle-inflected dishes, roasted root vegetables and aged, nutty cheeses such as Comté or Beaufort. Serve at 15–16°C (59–61°F) to emphasize its aromatic detail and silkiness. For a young vintage like 2018, a gentle decant of 30–60 minutes helps the bouquet blossom and the tannins soften; older bottles should be handled more delicately, with minimal decanting just to remove any sediment.

Producer
Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux is one of the rising stars of Burgundy, based in Vosne-Romanée and increasingly recognized as a benchmark for purity and terroir expression. The estate has family roots stretching back several generations, but its recent transformation under the guidance of the Lachaux family—most notably Charles Lachaux—has put it firmly in the spotlight. With holdings in some of the Côte de Nuits’ most coveted vineyards, including prestigious crus in Vosne-Romanée and neighboring villages, the domaine focuses on meticulous vineyard work, low yields and minimal-intervention winemaking. This philosophy has earned Arnoux-Lachaux a reputation for crafting wines of remarkable finesse, energy and longevity, making them highly sought after by Burgundy enthusiasts around the world.