On one of our visits, almost a decade ago, everywhere we went on the Cote was gearing up for the annual Festival of St Vincent, the Saint of Wine. This involves decorating houses, shrubbery and trees with colourful paper flowers followed by processions. The Noellat brothers were clearing up after the St Vincent Festival in Vosne-Romanee. After the procession, they were this hosts for St Vincent himself. Based in the village of Vosne-Romanee, the Noellat brothers Alain and Jean-Marc inherited the Domaine from their father Michel in 1989. They have a great range from Bourgogne Rouge, Fixin, a charming Village Nuits-St-Georges (from the Vosne side), several Vosne-Romanee 1er Crus up to Clos Vougeot and Echezeaux. They have just 0.47 of a hectare in two parcels in the Clos Vougeot, one from their father and one from their aunt, Madame Corbet-Tremblay. Both are very nicely positioned. All their wines are made in an upfront, plump style with concentrated, brambly fruit and minimal oak.
Alain Noellat’s daughter Sophie did a very short stint with us as an intern. This unfortunately coincided with some serious love-sickness. She had fallen in love with Arnaud Sirugue, the son of another wine-making family, from around the corner, less than 100 metres from her home. That, plus the extreme contrast between her quiet home village and a flat in Brick Lane, made her revise her plans. Shuttle forward 18 months and the two were married in the summer of 2013. Baby Oscar was born a year later, followed by another boy, Victor, in January 2016.
