Domaine Rene Engel

Domaine Rene Engel came into being shortly after the First World War, when Rene – having escaped a POW camp and returned from the trenches, took the helm of the family’s holdings; vineyards were bought into the family by the second husband of Rene’s mother, a Faiveley, whose family had already worked the vines of Vosne for four generations. Rene and a group of like-minded producers created a storm in Cotes des Nuits, pioneering experimental wines and unique marketing methods. Remember, this was a time when there was little scientific knowledge involved in winemaking. The reins were eventually passed to Rene’s son, Pierre, Mayor of Vosne for many years during the 20th century. He fell ill in 1970, however, eventually passing away in 1981, during which time the domaine became rather neglected. Of his four children, only one—Philippe—showed any interest in wine-making, and despite his young years (he was just 26 when he took over), Philippe and his mother began work on turning the domaine around. In 1988, for the first time, all of the domaine’s production was bottled in-house, and after a decade of hard graft, Domaine Rene Engel was bought into the top tier of Vosne producers.

The flagship of the 6 hectare domaine was a wonderful Clos Vougeot from near the top of the Clos, along with a very fine Grands Echezeaux. These were supported by a third grand cru, Echezeaux, premier cru Vosne Romanée Les Brulees and a delicious village Vosne Romanee. Five wines were made: a village Vosne-Romanee from numerous plots totalling 2.5 hectares; a premier cru Les Brulees (1.05 hectares) from old vines, the youngest being planted in 1956 by a combination of Rene and Pierre Engel who somehow did not quite get their rows to meet; and three grands crus, Echezeaux (0.55 hectare), Clos Vougeot (1.37 hectares) and Grands Echezeaux (0.50 hectare). It seemed to vary according to the year which Clos de Vougeot and Grands Echezeaux turned out to be the finest wines. Both were usually outstanding, and they were a clear cut ahead of the Echezeaux. The Clos came from a single plot, very well situated on the upper-mid slopes just south of the château itself.

Tragedy struck in 2005, when Philippe died suddenly and unexpectedly of a heart attack while on holiday, aged just 49. Unmarried and without children, the domaine was plunged into limbo, before being sold to Francois Pinault (of Chateau Latour fame), and renamed Domaine Eugenie, which today produces wines under its own name.

Domaine Rene Engel suffered a few setbacks in its time, not least the period of neglect preceding Philippe’s takeover in the 1980s. Were it not for his hard work, it’s unlikely the domaine would feature at all prominently in Burgundy’s wine history. However, work hard he did, and that great effort, coupled with the unhappy tale of his premature passing, has made the domaine’s wines highly sought-after—more so, of course, as there is now only a finite supply available. As such, prices are extremely high and rising all the time. It’s not uncommon for serious investors to spend five-figures on a single bottle of the Echezeaux Grand Cru, for example. In a recent auction, the average price achieved for Engel's wines rose across the board, between 35 and 100% on their estimate. Those in possession of a Rene Engel vintage would do well to hang on to it, while those interested in investing should do so sooner rather than later.