"Confuron is clearly a talent and a young vigneron to watch" - Allen Meadows, Burghound.
I couldn't have said it any better! Edouard Confuron is continuing to rise up the ranks in his home town of Vosne-Romanee and with his third vintage now released, I can comfortably say he has hit his mark. Taking on his own 1.8 hectares of vines across 7 plots, Edouard has developed his style at Confuron-Gindre and branched off to articulate his own Pinot Noirs (with one Aligoté in tow).
Appreciating both the entry level vines and the esteemed, the first three cuvees of his label are gorgeous Bourgogne representations. With the Coteaux Bourguignons a blend of Gamay from Morey-Saint-Denis and Pinot Noir from Vosne-Romanee, it is a wine filled with rich and voluminous flavours to welcome you to the Confuron signature. Utilising more plots on Morey-Saint-Denis, Edouard works to produce both a lively Aligoté and energetic Pinot Noir to round out the welcome drinks.
The flagship region of the Confuron name, Vosne-Romanee, speaks for itself when it comes to the two 2023 wines on offer today. "Pre de la Folie" is a sensual whole bunch cuvee with a velvety mouthfeel that lingers with persistence. Taken from the original domaine holdings, the "Hautes Maizieres" plot produces a wine of spice and complexity and presents a compact and serious finale on the palate. These are wines not to mess around with.
Dark and dense, the Nuits-Saint Georges "Aux Allots" once again shines brightly this vintage, standing out with its delicious and accessible palate in 2023. Playing off well with the Gevrey-Chambertin "les Seuvrees" with its medium-weight and rustic touch. These are both great quality for village level cuvees that continue to please with age. Please enjoy the 2023 Edouard Confuron wines today.
Tasting Notes
COTEAUX BOURGUIGNONS 2023
Gamay from Morey and Pinot from Vosne, approximately half and half, aged in barrel with older wood. Mid ruby colour, beautifully perfumed on the nose, very clean, lighter extraction, all destemmed, but an attractive juicy finish on cherry fruit. Jasper Morris, Inside Burgundy.
Ripe, earth and peppery dark berry fruit aromas lead to nicely rich and voluminous flavours that possess a succulent mid-palate while exhibiting good punch on the rustic and sneaky long finale. Good quality for what this is. Allen Meadows, Burghound.
BOURGOGNE ALIGOTE 2023
One plot of older vines in Morey. 5 barrels worth have been made in tank, but in 2024 the Aligoté will be in wood. Pale colour with a green streak, lively nose as he kept the lees to give a smoky note though not fully reductive. Ripe enough to have plenty of flesh. Intended to be drunk young. 86-87 points - Jasper Morris, Inside Burgundy.
BOURGOGNE PINOT NOIR 2023
Vines in Morey and Vosne. 8 barrels made with one new. Bright fresh ruby. Not the most exuberant bouquet but the fruit is fine. 20% whole bunches. Energetic crisp red fruit on the palate, with a graceful finish. Jasper Morris, Inside Burgundy.
Here there is enough reduction to push the underlying fruit to the background. By contrast there is good freshness and verve to the attractively textured middle weight flavours that possess a slightly finer texture though the lingering finish still displays a touch of rusticity. This also offers fine quality for its level. Allen Meadows, Burghound.
GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN "LES SEUVRÉES" 2023
Old vines, heavily sorted though, to get ripeness. There are two new barrels out of the four, with 20% whole bunch vinification. A deeper purple colour. Showing the oak more on the nose. A dark fruit on the nose, medium bodied, fruit building more to the back of the palate. 89-92 points - Jasper Morris, Inside Burgundy.
Moderate but not invasive wood sets off pretty aromas of mostly earth-infused ripe red berry scents. Here too the medium weight flavours possess an appealing, even caressing, texture before firming up on the youthfully austere and mildly rustic finale. This offers fine quality for its level and is worth considering. 89-91 points - Allen Meadows, Burghound.
NUITS-ST-GEORGES "AUX ALLOTS" 2023
Dense darker colour. Clearly a more solid concentration of fruit darker berries, a little more structure though the tannins are refined. Blacker fruit here, with some length. A good illustration of the difference between the two vintages, more concentration in 2022 but delicious and more accessible fruit in 2023. 91 points - Jasper Morris, Inside Burgundy.
This is also firmly reduced and quite toasty. The rich, generous and bigger-bodied flavours also possess an appealing texture while displaying focused power on the dusty, balanced and sneaky long finale. Some patience will be necessary as this is compact today. 88-91 points - Allen Meadows, Burghound.
VOSNE-ROMANEE "PRE DE LA FOLIE" 2023
Four and a half barrels made, 100% whole cluster. Pale ruby to crimson colour. Pré de la Folie has a very sensual whole bunch nose, crushed alpine strawberries. Gorgeous in this style but less classical. Crushed strawberry continues through, well integrated oak, quite persistent. 91-93 points - Jasper Morris, Inside Burgundy.
An overtly floral-suffused nose speaks of spicy red cherry, exotic tea and a whiff of earth. The rich, caressing and punchy medium-bodied flavours possess a velvet-textured mouthfeel that contrasts mildly with the firm, youthfully austere and dusty finale that offers even better depth and persistence. This is a very good Vosne villages. 89-92 points - Allen Meadows, Burghound.
VOSNE-ROMANEE "HAUTES MAIZIERES" 2023
This isn’t quite as floral but it’s even spicier and a bit more complex as well on the cool and airy aromas that derive mostly from the red side of the fruit spectrum. As one would reasonably expect, there is more volume and more minerality to the larger-bodied flavours that possess acceptable density before terminating in a compact, firm and serious finale. This is also a very good Vosne villages. 90-92 points - Allen Meadows, Burghound.