New owner of Richebourg!

Vineyards are history, family, pride and feelings – great wines and cool cash. Sometimes, some very prominent vineyards are sold … and as the number of plots on these vineyards is very limited, this is a rare occurance.

This is sensitive stuff as the story includes real people, families and a lot of investor interests. This is why I don’t go around spreading rumors without evidence or very strong indications.

I have asked the presumed seller and the new producer of Richebourg, but they didn’t react, so, some detective work was needed.

The Richebourg rumors

Last year (in 2024), rumors started to spread, that an owner in one of the big Grand Crus in Vosne-Romanée was to be put on the market, presumably to settle some inheritance within the family.

Rumours expanded – exploring the maps

When I start to explore a sale, I first check the cadastre maps. Are there any changes that could be linked to the rumours?

Here, we see a change in the cadastre maps in a core plot of Richebourg, where some plots have been split into two.

Map before

Map after

Checking the vineyards

Before naming producers, I normally check if there is real fiscal evidence that the plots have been split.

Here, I check the changes on the ground in Vosne – have the markers between the different parts of the divided plot changed – and does this indicate a change of owners?

We now have two sets of markers, where the red markers are presumably a new owner or grower, and the blue/yellow markers (old owners) are used in another part of the vineyard.

The divided plot

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