La Romanee is a tiny Premier Cru climat within the Gevrey-Chambertin appellation of the Cote de Nuits. This long, thin vineyard is planted entirely to Pinot Noir, making a rich, soft example of red Burgundy with some aging capability.
The vineyard lies at the western end of the Combe de Lavaux, a valley that traverses the Cote d'Or escarpment just to the west of Gevrey-Chambertin village. La Romanee is one of the most elevated sites in this part of Burgundy, with its top edge reaching 1170ft (355m) above sea level. Below La Romanee on the slope is the much larger Clos des Varoilles vineyard, while above it on the hill is forest.
Vineyards within the Combe de Lavaux have a different mesoclimate than the rest of Gevrey-Chambertin. Unlike on the edge of the southeast-facing Cote d'Or, these vineyards face almost due south, making for lengthened exposure to the sunshine during the day. However, this is tempered considerably by a cool westerly wind, which is funneled through the valley, slowing ripening and leading to a significant diurnal temperature shift. This means that wines from La Romanee are leaner than those from the more sheltered Grand Cru vineyards, Le Chambertin among them.
Despite these climatic challenges, La Romanee is still classified as a Premier Cru site, thanks in part to the high quality of its soils. Rich in limestone and clay, the rocky soils store sufficient water to hydrate vines, although good drainage means that the vines have to work hard for this hydration. As a result, leafy canopy growth is lessened, and instead small yields of high-quality fruit are produced, making concentrated wines.
La Romanee, like the Clos des Varoilles vineyard below it, is owned entirely by Domaine des Varoilles, making it a monopole. The climat's name is shared with many other vineyards in Burgundy, with which it should not be confused: the most notable of these is the famous La Romanee Grand Cru in Vosne-Romanee, six miles (10km) to the south.
