Pernin Rossin

History of Domaine Pernin-Rossin

The story of Domaine Pernin-Rossin begins in 1974, when André Pernin, a former agricultural worker turned winemaker, founded his estate in Vosne-Romanée with his wife, née Rossin. Very quickly, his name would establish itself among discerning lovers of the great Pinot Noirs of the Côte de Nuits. During the 1980s and 1990s, his wines were recognised as the purest and most moving expression of their terroirs, at a time when excessive chaptalization too often obscured the signature of the great Burgundian climats.

André Pernin was then among the rare winemakers who refused the excesses of modern oenology. Advised by Lebanese agronomist Guy Accad, he practised long cold pre-fermentation macerations — known as sulphitic macerations — which would lastingly define the estate's style and inspire several neighbouring winemakers. Patience at harvest, impeccable berry condition, refusal of over-chaptalization: everything contributed to deep, complex, age-worthy wines acclaimed by international critics. The estate, now located on rue Stephen Liégeard in Couchey, remains a cult name among collectors of great Burgundies.

Terroirs and Vines of Domaine Pernin-Rossin

The Domaine Pernin-Rossin vineyard covers 6.8 hectares as a single moral entity, spread across some of the finest climats of the Côte de Nuits. In Vosne-Romanée, the estate cultivates plots in Village and on the lieu-dit Aux Champs de Perdrix, as well as two iconic Premiers Crus (Les Beaumonts and Aux Reignots). In Nuits-Saint-Georges, it works the rare Premier Cru La Richemone. Further north, plots in Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru and Morey-Saint-Denis (Village, Premier Cru Les Monts Luisants and Grand Cru Clos de la Roche) complete a portfolio of remarkable nobility.

The soils, typical of the Côte de Nuits, are clay-limestone, with marly-limestone nuances on the slopes and outcropping limestone pebbles on the upper hillsides. This mosaic of terroirs, enriched by old vines ranging from 20 to 60 years of age, gives the estate's wines their precise aromatic expression and their capacity for long ageing. The encépagement is entirely devoted to Pinot Noir, the king grape of red Burgundy, which reveals here all the finesse, depth and complexity associated with the great Burgundian climats. Average production is deliberately controlled, between 20,000 and 25,000 bottles per year.

Winemaking at Domaine Pernin-Rossin

Winemaking at Domaine Pernin-Rossin stays true to the Burgundian tradition of the upper Côte de Nuits, while asserting a personal touch that has built its reputation. Harvesting is done by hand, followed by rigorous sorting and an extended cold pre-fermentation maceration (sometimes lasting several days) — the so-called Accad method — which gently extracts colour, primary aromas and noble tannin compounds without resorting to violent extraction. This signature gives the estate's wines a remarkable aromatic concentration and an atypical colour depth for Pinot Noir.

Fermentations are conducted in vat at controlled temperatures, without recourse to over-chaptalization, in a commitment to faithfully expressing the terroir. Ageing takes place traditionally in oak barrels from the neighbouring Cîteaux forest, crafted by small local coopers such as Baudinet, whose finely chosen wood integrates harmoniously into the wine's texture. The proportion of new barrels is measured, with the aim of supporting the wine's substance without masking it. Bottling takes place after a sufficient period of maturation to allow the estate's Pinot Noirs to gain in harmony and ageing potential.

The Cuvées of Domaine Pernin-Rossin

The Bourgogne Rouge is the estate's entry-level wine, crafted from young Pinot Noir vines on plots in the Côte de Nuits. Full-bodied, fruity, marked by aromas of cherry and fresh red fruits, it offers a fine introduction to the house style, with supple texture and careful ageing that makes it very approachable already.

The Morey-Saint-Denis Village comes from clay-limestone plots within the appellation. A deep, lightly spiced Pinot Noir, it combines brilliant black fruit, a fine tannic structure and a mineral backbone typical of Morey, with a long and harmonious finish characteristic of the estate.

The Vosne-Romanée Village is the estate's classic signature wine. A blend of several village plots, it displays a nose of black cherry, wild strawberry and forest floor, with a full, round and velvety palate supported by fine tannins. This is a Vosne of refined elegance, true to the great tradition of the village.

The Vosne-Romanée Aux Champs de Perdrix is a single-plot cuvée from the eponymous lieu-dit, located on the border of the greatest climats. The wine offers a dense texture, a pronounced mineral backbone and an aromatic expression between cherry, gentle spices and forest floor notes, in a highly qualitative register for a Vosne village wine.

The Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaumonts is one of the estate's flagship cuvées. From the celebrated climat shared with the greatest houses, it captivates with its fruity aromas of cherry and cocoa, sometimes veering towards Chambolle, with a suave, ample, round and voluminous texture, endowed with a velvety character and a penetrating perfume of irresistible natural elegance.

The Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Reignots is a prestigious climat situated on the upper slope, just above the mythical Romanée. The wine offers unfathomable depth, both in its evolved ruby colour and in its aromas (humus, minerals, civet, incense), with rare breed, complexity and harmony. This is a mysterious Vosne, built for long ageing.

The Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru La Richemone is arguably the estate's most celebrated cuvée, and was deemed hors concours by critics in the 1980s and 1990s vintages. An exceptionally bred Pinot Noir, complex and persistent, marked by game, black fruits (blackcurrant, blackberry), a mentholated touch and perfectly integrated oak, it blossoms after long ageing and symbolises the pinnacle of the Pernin-Rossin style.

The Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Les Monts Luisants comes from the upper slope climat of Morey, where the outcropping limestone gives Pinot Noir a particular finesse. The wine combines aromatic freshness, mineral tension and tannic depth in a sapid and refined expression of this renowned Premier Cru.

The Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru is a refined and delicate cuvée, true to the airy grace of the appellation. Floral and fruity nose (rose, violet, raspberry), an elegant and lively palate, silky tannins and a perfumed finish: a great classic of the estate for lovers of fine-boned Pinot Noirs.

The Clos de la Roche Grand Cru is the estate's flagship. From one of the most prestigious climats in Morey-Saint-Denis, it offers exceptional aromatic concentration (ripe black fruits, leather, forest floor, noble spices), a powerful and velvety structure, and phenomenal persistence, faithful to the greatness of a Grand Cru from the Côte de Nuits.