Tasted in Saint Aubin with Olivier Lamy, 20 October, 2017.
Domaine Hubert Lamy
20 rue des Lavières
21190 St.Aubin
Tel: +33 3 80 21 32 55
http://www.domainehubertlamy.com
Olivier on 2017:
“We ha more frost here in 2017 than in 2016, so it’s a lower volume harvest – it was 2 degrees colder here than in Puligny, and for 4-5 days. We couldn’t effectively protect every day, but it was different vines that frosted in 2017 versus 2016. Perhaps I did just too little treatment – I treated every 8 days or-so, instead of every six in 2016, and I lost a little at flowering to mildew, but because of the lower yields the ripeness was higher than some of my neighbours despite harvesting earlier. The grapes were 13-13.2°, some neighbours were at 11.5 at the same stage. Some people had to harvest a full month later in Dents du Chien. But I’m happy for the quality despite frost in 8 hectares. No new oak for the 2017s – I have kept cancelling orders in the last few years because of the low yields!”
And on 2016?
“In 2016 I had nothing in Chassagne-Macherelles but 35 hectolitres per hectare in Chassagne-Chaumées – my father said the frosted vines looked just like they did in 1981. Fortunately the pruning method here meant that though the first bud was frosted, the two neighbouring buds less so, so I still managed to make about 15 hectolitres per hectare – which, in the end, is about a half volume harvest. The vintage is far from homogeneous across both vineyards and producers.”
The wines…
When I visited, all the wines were still in barrel, reds and whites.
Always close to the top of the pile – another benchmark year for the domaine – bravo…
2016 Santenay Clos des Hâtes
Generally a little less whole-cluster for all the reds here in 16 vs 15.
Really a ripeness of fruit both in aroma and on the palate – but with a fine structure and freshness. Good length…
From 65 year-old vines, made with fewer than 80-90% stems of last year. Newer barrels, no sulfur yet.
Fresh, ripe, more width – lovely, faint minerality too. Lovely freshness, here, and really mouth-watering too with a little floral. This is for the patient, but I love it!
2016 St.Aubin 1er Derrière Chez Eduard
From 57 year-old vines on a steep slope. Only racked a few days earlier.
Fresh, punchy but elegant with florals merging with the fresh fruit. A little like the Chassagne in style, with a drag to the tannin. Love this freshness and complexity. Little waves of complex finishing flavour some herb in there too. This will be delicious but also to wait for…
A warm area that matures very fast – it’s steep, with hard limestone here. 40 year-old vines.
Not the most forceful aroma, but really the most invitingly complex nose of all the reds. Hmm, delicious fruit which then grows with the tannin – lovely purity of fruit here. This is really super and this is my new favourite!
Les blancs…
2016 Bourgogne Les Chataigniers
From hill above St.Aubin, no new barrels, all large barrels, limestone and a dry soil. A mix of frost and not frosted, a little declassified villages too in 2016
Fresh with a nice ripe core of fruit. Bright, a long line of beautifully pure flavour, practically grapefruit, but not sour. Not a weighty wine but one with a modest but beautiful and pure line. Austere today if you don’t like acidity, but this will soften…
Multiple parcels, with multiple exposures and vine ages
A fine and fresh nose, super precise. Bright, super citrus, not sharp though. Not a big wine but full of fresh complexity, actually, super complexity. I love…
2016 Chassagne-Montrachet Le Concis du Champs
Young vines, only 13 years old and one of the earliest vineyards to ripen here.
A big broad nose. A hint of reduction and almost agrumes. Softer yet beautifully transparent, with an equally beautiful citrus finish.
2016 Puligny-Montrachet Les Tremblots
A blend of 40 year-old and 70 year-old fruit – more 40…
A fresher nose, citrus, with energy too. Lots of gas. Slowly the wine melts over the palate, fine and fresh, almost delicate a beauty
Very young vines in a sort of continuation of the Clos de Tavannes. A mix of two vine-ages, one large part (actually 90%) only 6 years old. This year, the first vines to be harvested.
A clean nose that reminds me of 2010s from barrel. Again plenty of gas. A little more weight behind the energy with some minerality too, just a suggestion of spice in the finish. Another beauty and my new favourite. And priced lower than the Puligny!
2016 St.Aubin 1er Clos du Meix
0.7 metres planting distance here – so 14,000/ha planting density. Vines sited below the church.
A little more volume of aroma. More volume in the mouth too – ever-changing, good energy, with waves of flavour. Styled like a 2014, lovely…
2016 St.Aubin 1er Derrière Chez Eduard
Not the ‘hd’ cuvée, but this is still planted at 14k/ha
More depth of citrus – practically agrume. Gas. A modest reduction, plenty of volume and a beautiful definition to the flavour and texture. Layers of super-fine finishing flavour – almost a Chablis dimension here. Excellent.
80 and 6 year-old vines.
Wide, nicely complex, though this nose a little tighter. Ooh, lovely, a mineral depth but complex. Beautiful in the precise finish… my new favourite!
South-facing and warm here.
Big, bright, super-fresh. Ooh, the combination of ripe fruit and fresh energy is really addictive!
2016 St.Aubin 1er Les Murgers des Dents du Chien
Old vines that produce small berries, ‘more character.’
A hint of reduction, lifting to bring a beautiful aromatic complexity. A little more fat here, but behind is a delicious energy and fruit – almost agrume but with pear perhaps. This needs a hint more of rigour more, but I expect that will come with more elevage.
From two parcels.
A more composed nose of depth, again almost pear fruit, but today not with the same aromatic energy as others. In the mouth this is really fantastic – no, thrilling! – more energy yet with almost the same ripeness. This is my new favourite – such a great visit/cellar again!
2016 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Les Chaumées
Ooh, different, slowly opening with a more green citrus fruit. Hmm, a little extra flesh, but beautiful freshness, again a little green fruit but with a sweetness. Mouth-watering but with modest intensity, if certainly not a modest length…
2016 Puligny-Montrachet Les Tremblots Haute Densité
20k/ha planting density
A reductive nose, then a phase of agrumes. Just the most beautiful clean, precise intensity. Beautiful finishing. The last drops in the glass slowly coming free of reduction but saying little further. Needs more elevage.
Some, but less reduction, like the last going through a phase of agrumes as the reduction fades. An extra burst of width and sucrosity, I hesitate with that last descriptor as the wine is so fresh, but it’s also so balanced. Easier to see the greatness of wine than with the Tremblots HD, today.
This grand cru is now planted at high density – 24 thousand vines per hectare! 2013 was the first vintage labelled ‘HD’
Here a hint of oak together with the aromatic freshness, becoming ever-more vibrant. Extra density, a little flesh on the bone, really mineral, accented with some oak, but really fabulous finishing length – I don’t always note such a difference between this and the previous ‘HDs’ but this persistence is simply fabulous. Clearly one of the best wines tasted this year…
And to finish…
Round, with a slowly evolving citrus aroma. Round in the mouth too; complex, ripe but fabulously balanced for this vintage – a saline complexity then a burst of finishing flavour, long, long… Olivier was rightly a reference in this vintage…
A little reduction, slowly towards stuck match. Some ripeness, freshness, a hint of reduction here too. Just great wine – to carafe – one of the best 2010s for a while!
2009 St.Aubin 1er Derrière Chez Eduard
Seems younger, again with a reduction. Wide, freshness, waves of flavour. Almost a hint of bitters in the finish. Super wine.
Blind Wine
A ripe core of fruit surrounded by a complex freshness. It’s 08 En Remilly – I guessed an 07 – wide, melting delicious wine…