Tasted in Vosne-Romanée with Nicole Lamarche on July 19 2018.
Domaine François Lamarche
9, rue des Communes
21700 Vosne Romanée
Tel: +33 3 80 61 07 94
www.domaine-lamarche.com
Nicole on the recent vintages:
“Well for 2018 our fingers are definitely crossed! I’m afraid every time we see the clouds – it’s stressful. We’ve already done a little green harvesting, and at the moment we’re looking at 5-10 September for the harvest – right now…
“It used to be August as the hottest month, but in the last years it’s been July followed by a less good August, followed by an Indian Summer. Anyway, 2017 is a good vintage. There’s a good quantity but we kept it in check with some green harvesting in that vintage too.”
With the exception of the ‘Cuvée 1959 – which uses 50% – all the 2017 wines were fermented with 30% whole clusters, even the Passetoutgrains.
The wines…
Just an absolutely, deliciously, drinkable selection of wines at the domaine in 2017. Not the impact of 2015 or 2016 but with a balance that will see them age gracefully. Super wines!
2017 Bourgogne Passetoutgrains
Tank sample, the malo just finished. 60% pinot
A wide nose though a little compact up and down. Juicy, fresh – such an explosion of tastiness. Excellent!
2017 Bourgogne Pinot Noir
A lovely nose of fresh, floral, perfumed fruit. Hmm, this wine is also full of energy, almost excitement. A long finish too – two great wines to start.
2017 Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits
A red-fruited width of aroma. Hmm, even more mouth-watering, opening wider with fresh flavour. Simply delicious wine…
2017 Vosne-Romanée
Almost a mint accent to the red fruit here. Fuller, a fine base of tannin, more line and showing a mineral side in the finish.
2017 Vosne-Romanée 1er Les Chaumes
Such a lovely perfume here – open and fresh. A little more structure, based in tannin, but still with an open fruit that is so very accessible.
2017 Vosne-Romanée 1er Les Suchots
“It’s because it’s in a hole that its only a 1er cru and that also meant that we lost 80% of it to the frost in 2016.”
A deeper nose, because a little reduction. More depth, a hint of salinity. Extra complexity. Very successful!
An aromatic of floral spice. Hmm, mouth-watering, more concentration and intensity, there are layers of flavour here. This is just a beautiful wine!
2017 Vosne-Romanée 1er Aux Malconsorts
Here is a bigger nose, again floral but a different flower. Flowers, structure and spice on the palate. The Croix Rameaux is the more tasty today – but this is even more complex. Super wine!
Really a fine depth of aroma here, some herb too. Structured complexity, beautiful clarity. Not for today, but great.
2017 Echézeaux
Narrow but with fine depth. Opens out quickly over the palate and then fills the mouth. Concentrated, faintly saline. Weight< but a little compressed today, but I'm sure that it will be super.
A high-toned width of aroma. Hmm, melting, fresh flavour – and lots of volume – my favourite so far. So intense and mouth-watering, Bravo!
2017 Grands-Echézeaux
A deeper red fruit, with clarity and freshness above – and a very faint reduction below. Fuller, rounder, with a faint base of tannin, layers of melting flavour in the finish. Fine!
Malo only finished 10 days before.
A fainter but very fine perfume – captivating! Mouth-filling, more precision to the complexity, beautifully changing. Easily the best combination of flavours and shape. Bravo!
2017 La Grand Rue Cuvée 1959
The cuvée name indicates the date of an exchange of vines between this domaine and DRC of which these vines were a part. “Cuvée 1959 is more masculine, actually it’s practically La Tâche and the Gaudichots vines haven’t been replanted since 1933. I decided to do whole clusters – 50%. Our first vintage was 2014, but there’s only two barrels…”
This is the only wine tasted direct from barrel, and the nose is the only one that’s tight. Hmm, it’s beautiful in the mouth though, the most beautiful texture of all the wines tasted today!