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 domaine in Vosne-Romanée with his wife, née Rossin. Very quickly, his name would establish itself among discerning lovers of great Pinots from the Côte de Nuits. In the 1980s and 1990s, his wines were recognized as the purest and most moving expression of their terroirs, in a period when excessive chaptalization too often obscured the signature of the great Burgundian climats.

André Pernin was then among the rare winemakers to refuse 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 mark the domaine's style and inspire several neighbouring winemakers. Patience at harvest, impeccable sanitary condition of the grapes, refusal of excessive chaptalization: everything contributes to deep, complex, age-worthy wines acclaimed by international critics. The domaine, located today 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 of a single moral holding, spread across some of the finest climats of the Côte de Nuits. In Vosne-Romanée, the domaine cultivates plots in Village and on the lieu-dit Aux Champs de Perdrix, as well as two emblematic 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 great 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 domaine'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 remains faithful to the Burgundian tradition of the Haute Côte de Nuits, while asserting a personal touch that has made its reputation. Harvesting is done by hand, followed by rigorous sorting and a prolonged cold pre-fermentation maceration (sometimes lasting several days) — the so-called Accad method — which gently extracts colour, primary aromas and noble tannic compounds without resorting to the brutality of aggressive extraction. This signature gives the domaine's wines a remarkable aromatic concentration and an atypical depth of colour for Pinot Noir.

Fermentations are conducted in tank with controlled temperatures, without recourse to excessive chaptalization, in a commitment to faithfully expressing the terroir. Ageing takes place traditionally in oak barrels sourced from the nearby forest of Cîteaux, crafted by small local coopers such as Baudinet, whose finely selected wood blends harmoniously into the substance of the wine. The proportion of new barrels is measured, the aim being to support the substance without masking it. Bottling takes place after a sufficient maturation period to allow the domaine de Cîteaux's Pinot Noirs to gain in harmony and ageing potential.

The Cuvées of Domaine Pernin-Rossin

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

The Morey-Saint-Denis Village is sourced from clay-limestone plots of the appellation. A deep, lightly spiced Pinot Noir, it combines vibrant black fruit, fine tannic structure and a mineral framework typical of Morey, with a long and harmonious finish characteristic of the domaine.

The Vosne-Romanée Village is the domaine's classic signature wine. A blend of several village plots, it displays a nose of black cherry, wild strawberry and undergrowth, on a fleshy, round and velvety palate, supported by fine tannins. This is a Vosne of refined elegance, faithful to the great tradition of the village.

The Vosne-Romanée Aux Champs de Perdrix is a single-plot cuvée from the eponymous lieu-dit, situated on the boundary of the greatest climats. The wine offers a dense substance, a pronounced mineral framework and an aromatic expression between cherry, soft spices and notes of undergrowth, in a very high-quality register for a Vosne village wine.

The Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaumonts is one of the domaine's emblematic cuvées. Sourced from the celebrated climat shared with the greatest houses, it seduces with its fruity aromas of cherry and cocoa, sometimes reminiscent of Chambolle, with a suave, ample, round and voluminous substance, endowed with a velvety texture and a penetrating perfume of irresistible natural elegance.

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

The Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru La Richemone is arguably the domaine's most celebrated cuvée, and was, in the 1980s and 1990s vintages, deemed in a class of its own by critics. A Pinot Noir of exceptional breed, complex and persistent, marked by game, black fruits (blackcurrant, blackberry), a menthol touch and perfectly integrated oak, it blossoms after long ageing and embodies the pinnacle of the Pernin-Rossin style.

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

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

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