Wine Advisor
Lucien Le Moine, Bonnes Mares Grand Cru 2014
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Deep, bright medium red. Knockout nose combines dark raspberry, clove, licorice, white pepper, minerals and earth. Conveys incredible inner-mouth lift considering its thickness of texture and spicy intensity. Really spreads out to saturate the palate. Saline, superconcentrated, pungently mineral wine with a firm tannic spine, integrated acidity and extraordinary rising length and solidity. This is almost painful today. A great Bonnes-Mares: in the end, Mounir Saouma blended his lots from the Chambolle (two-thirds) and Morey (one-third) sides of the cru.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
(I tasted samples from white soil on the north side of the appellation and from redder soil on the Chambolle side, then an approximation of the final blend): From white soil: Bright, dark red. Musky aromas of raspberry and crushed stone. Penetrating, sharply delineated flavors of red cherry, red raspberry and mint enlivened by pungent calcaire. The firm tannin of this extremely mineral wine reach the front teeth. From red soil: Good full red. Higher-toned aromas of limestone and clove oil. Leaner and tighter today than the sample from white soil, with strong acidity and thrust from the active limestone. Most impressive for its penetration and cut. An approximation of the final blend: Deep red. Sexy aromas of red cherry, spices and pepper show a faint medicinal quality. A real high-wire act in the mouth, delivering a rare combination of density and energy to its powerful raspberry, spice and mineral flavors. This taut, brilliantly delineated Bonnes-Mares stains the mouth with perfume on the very long, nobly tannic finish. A real essence of Burgundy.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2014 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru, a blend of the north and south parts of the vineyard (here blended together) has a plush redcurrant, cranberry and strawberry scented bouquet with fine delineation. The palate is crisp and taut with red cherries and wild strawberry, steely and focused with a touch of white pepper on the long finish. This is one of the best reds from Lucien Le Moine in 2014, not a flamboyant Bonnes-Mares, but correct and blue-blooded.
About the Producer
Domaine Lucien Le Moine is a small-scale, boutique winery based in Burgundy, France. It was established in 1999 by Mounir and Rotem Saouma, who named the estate after their son, Lucien. The winery is known for its meticulous approach to winemaking, focusing on producing limited quantities of high-quality wines. The philosophy behind Domaine Lucien Le Moine revolves around the concept of "micro-negotiant." Rather than owning their own vineyards, Mounir and Rotem carefully select grapes from trusted growers across various appellations in Burgundy. This allows them to have control over every aspect of the winemaking process, from vineyard management to the final bottling.The winery's production is extremely limited, with a focus on premier cru and grand cru vineyards.
