Domaine des Rouges-Queues

The love story of Domaine des Rouges-Queues

In 1989, Jean-Yves and Isabelle Vantey settled on the heights of the Côte de Beaune, on the Maranges terroir. Surprisingly, you are in Saône-et-Loire here, but the appellation is indeed part of the Côte de Beaune, in Burgundy. It was south of Meursault, in the Maranges valley, that the couple saw themselves becoming winegrowers. Visiting the place, they fell in love with it.
Jean-Yves Vantey already had a foot in the wine world thanks to his studies, and Isabelle wanted to build a project together.
The dream began to come true in 1998, when they bought their first hectare of red vines. Before they could live from their passion, Jean-Yves worked at various estates until 2007. Today, Domaine des Rouges-Queues covers 6 hectares of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, a full-time job for both of them.

The terroirs of Domaine des Rouges-Queues

Jean-Yves and Isabelle Vantey put respect for the environment at the heart of their priorities. The estate has been certified organic since 2002 and has worked biodynamically since 2008, with Ecocert and Demeter labels. Their vines, set among wild hills, hold no secrets for them. Every plot is different and they know each one in detail: they want to stay as close to the land as possible, to understand it and support it. One plot, one wine, to best express the terroir they love so much.
Little or no machinery is used, especially on the two Premiers Crus and the Maranges blanc, where ploughing is done with a horse. The soil under the vines is hoed by hand, with no weedkillers or insecticides: here, nature is left to live.
In the cellar, Jean-Yves and Isabelle intervene just as little: native yeasts, little or no filtration, and sulphur used in homeopathic doses.

The cuvées of Domaine des Rouges-Queues

Jean-Yves and Isabelle Vantey make exceptional natural Burgundy wines, combining finesse and expression of terroir beautifully. Domaine des Rouges-Queues is something of a “rising star of Maranges”: a fine signature.
Most reds are made with whole bunches, fermented in tanks and barrels, with punch-downs or pump-overs as each wine needs. Meticulous work that shows in wines that break with classic Burgundy: fruit that bursts on the palate, complexity, finesse and elegance. Wines to drink young, but also to keep in the cellar for the more patient.
Isabelle knows how to guide her wines so they best express the Maranges terroir. Like the Maranges Vigne Blanche, from limestone and white soil on a south-west-facing slope: the Pinot Noir there is very fine, with incomparable fruit.
The Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Beaune red reveals a Pinot Noir that is both fruity and airy.
The Maranges En Buliet is the vineyard that won the couple’s heart: a generous, deep Pinot Noir with silky tannins.
Another great terroir, the Maranges 1er Cru La Fussière comes from a small plot with an exceptional aromatic palette, elegant and intense. Taste it, but above all keep it in the cellar until it reaches its peak.
The estate also makes a Santenay red with melted tannins and lovely roundness, and a Gamay-based Coteaux Bourguignons, light and fruity and invigorating.
Among the whites, the Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Beaune white, 100% Chardonnay, bursts with fruit and freshness: an ideal white Burgundy for sunny days. The Maranges blanc, gently aged for 10 months, combines roundness, minerality and aroma, and benefits from a little time in the cellar.
Domaine des Rouges-Queues is one to watch closely: Isabelle’s talent is a gem for Burgundy lovers.