93-Points by Jasper Morris - Inside Burgundy & Decanter.
Talented young winemaker Maxime Cheurlin uses fruit from four different parcels to produce this commendable village cuvée, which uses fruit from Aux Champs Perdrix as its core. Scented, succulent and bright, with deftly handled 40% new wood, it's a textbook modern Vosne with impressive texture and concentration, floral top notes and fine-boned tannins.
 
Vosne-Romanée it's a small commune in Burgundy's Côte de Nuits district is well-known its elegantly balanced Pinot Noir. Originally named just Vosne, the village took the suffix Romanée in 1866 in honor of its most prized vineyard, La Romanée (most communes along the Côte d'Or did this between the mid 19th and early 20th Centuries). The Vosne-Romanée commune sites are divided between six individual climats: La Grand Rue, La Tâche, Richebourg, La Romanée, Romanée-Saint-Vivant and the most famous, Romanée-Conti. Despite this small surface area, Vosne-Romanée Grand Cru red wines are some of the most respected (and most expensive) in the world.
 
Georges Noellat
They say, "Burgundy must be in Maxime Cherulin's blood". Though the young vigneron grew up in Champagne, he quickly adapted to the Bourgogne "mindest" when he took over the famed domaine at just 20 years of age. Before Maxime's takeover, Georges Noellat sold their produce to Negociants like Drouhin and Jadot. Now, with the young vigneron at the helm, the Domaine produces wines of stunning elegance utilizing soft infusion techniques and ample oak aging.
 
Georges Noëllat was the nephew of Charles Noëllat, who was once the proprietor of one of Vosne's greatest domaines. This domaine significantly contributed to Domaines Jean-Jacques Confuron and Hudelot Noëllat and even formed most of Domaine Leroy. As of 1990, Domaine Georges Noëllat sold its production to Jadot and Drouhin for 20 years. Enter 20-year-old Maxime Cheurlin in 2010, who consequently took over the management of the estate from his grandmother. Cheurlin grew up in Champagne, but it seems Burgundy wine is truly in his blood as he is a nephew of the Jayer family and a cousin of Emmanuel Rouget's sons. Thus, he complemented his winemaking studies at the Lycée du Viticole in Beaune with stages at Domaine Emmanuel Rouget and Domaine Gros Frère et Soeur in 2009.
Small but mighty, the 5.5-hectare domaine includes some of the most profound terroirs of Vosne Romanée and northern Nuits St Georges. Maxime inherited a large proportion of old vines that he intends to preserve, requiring special attention and care. The viticultural approach is thus lutte raisonnée, and treatments are only implemented in response to an imminent threat.
Even early in his winemaking career, Maxime has already earned a reputation for his elegant style. Grapes are hand-harvested, 100% destemmed (except in a few rare cases where up to 30% of stems may be included), and cool macerated for a few days before fermentation begins (native yeasts only). Maxime prefers "infusion" to extraction, so punch downs are rare and gentle. Deeming that the intensity of his terroirs can stand up to new oak, he uses 30 to 100% depending on the appellation and vintage. Aging lasts 14 to 20 months, and the wines are bottled generally without fining or filtration.