Tasted in Morey St.Denis with Jacques Devauges, 18 November 2021.
Société du Domaine des Lambrays
31, rue Basse
21220 Morey-Saint-Denis
Tel: +33 3 80 51 84 33
www.lambrays.com
More reports with Clos des Lambrays
There are 1.6 hectares of new vines here including Nuits 1er La Richemone which was previously part of Perrot-Minot’s exploitation, en fermage. It’s these vines that they have acquired – the smallest two cuvées have been assembled this year (2021) as the volume was too small for individual cuvées.
Jacques on 2021:
“We can say complicated! Evidently the frost – we lost 50% – and for at least 3 weeks the shock to the vines meant no growth at all but then they pushed very quickly – at least the parts not frosted! The secondary buds needed more time of course. It was our second vintage in biodynamics and we protected well the grapes that we had – though, of course, it was fewer grapes than we wanted!”
Jacques on 2020:
“A historic vintage for us – never so early – in 2003 it was 23-02 August – this year three days earlier and we’d already finished by the 26th. I like that we are 13.8° – ie under 14° – you can describe it as an extreme year but the north-south planting, across the slope, meant that at the critical time the grapes were shaded so didn’t cook like in many other places. Exactly the same volume as 2019 and 2021 – 15 hl/ha – a small half harvest…”
The wines…
Some great wines here in 2020 – and the grand vin is exactly that. Look out for the cuvées of Nuits next year too!
Probably looking to bottle in May – depending on the calendar and how the wines taste:
‘The rendement wasn’t bad – more than the red for sure – 38 hl/ha’
That’s a very floral nose – clean, exciting too. Proper tension, the merest suggestion of barrel and gas – mineral, widening, widening. Mouth-watering. A faint touch of austerity from some finishing bitters – that’s an excellent, potentially great Folatières.
A different shape – energetic roundness, faintly, nobly, reductive and mineral. Also in the mouth, we have a different shape – fuller, but so juicily mouth-watering. Vibrant, structural and growing in the finish – the greatest Clos I’ve tasted here – bravo!
Les Reds:
No racking for the reds – they are barreled with the fine lees:
2020 Morey St.Denis
Hlaf each of Les Larreys and En la Rue de Vergy, vines above both Lambrays and Tart
Quite a vibrant nose – floral and mineral – a suggestion of pyrazine but on an attractive level – let’s see. Really a freshness – almost incisive this wine – mouth-filling and juicily finishing. The last notes are very mineral and perhaps hiding a little pyrazine again. With super complexity though.
2020 Morey St.Denis 1er Les Loups
Two origins – half 1er cru (bottom of the slope, deeper soil and warmer too – from Riottes, Sorbet and Le Village) and half young vine Lambrays
That’s a really super nose – wide, really complex even a little accent of tobacco. Fuller, there’s concentration but the freshness keeps this mobile and active over the palate. Mouth-watering as I seem to say too often this year – but that’s a really good thing. Expanding in the finish – a great sign – darkly mineral and long-lasting. That’s a completely excellent 1er!
For cultivation the vines are split into 12 different zones depending on vine age, soil types etcetera. We taste the assembly – it takes a couple of minutes to extract samples from the barrels but then they are mixed:
This nose starts with a compact dimension but also with an elegant purity and complexity – that’s a great start – slowly the air brings a larger shape. Hmm – no lack of volume in the mouth – but here is volume and structure – not a bit hard – a wine that’s more about space and clarity. There’s a fluidity here that’s reserved for the best wines of the vintage. There’s a small note of discretion – but isn’t that Lambrays? – this will be a great wine!