Lucien Le Moine, Echezeaux Grand Cru 2010

robert_parker96

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

The 2010 Echezeaux opens with a mysterious, seductive bouquet. The wine is much more focused and linear on the palate, where the early appeal of the aromatics gives way to an energetic expression of fruit. A mineral-drenched finish coats the palate with bright saline notes. Today the 2010 is very, very young and the slow pace of the malo seems to come through in the wine's raw power and brawn. This is an immensely promising wine, but it needs to move through its infancy first. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2030. It is always fascinating to settle in for a tasting with proprietor Mounir Saouma. With the exception of Jadot, I can't think of a single maison that draws across such a broad range of top vineyards. When taken together, the whites and reds provide insight to the performance of dozens of the finest sites in the region. Saouma is not much for comparisons when discussing 2010, saying quite simply, -2010 is 2010.- The vintage was not without some disappointments. Because of the miniscule yields, there is no 2010 Romanee St. Vivant or Richebourg. As always, these are some of the most unmanipulated wines being made in Burgundy. When I tasted the 2010s in November 2011, the wines had never been sulphured or racked. Saouma had just finished bottling his 2009s (a vintage many bottled on the early side) in October 2011! Importers: Vintus LLC, Pleasantville, NY; tel. (914) 769-3000, Atherton Imports, Menlo Park, CA; tel. (650) 328-6639

robert_parker94

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

The 2010 Echezeaux comes from the lieu-dit of “En Orveau” on the border with Clos de Vougeot. The bouquet is entrancing: perfumed licorice-tinged red berry fruit that opens gloriously in the glass. The palate is harmonious on the entry with crisp raspberry and cranberry notes. There are very fine, slightly chalky tannins here, with great precision and poise toward the elegant finish that is satin to touch. What a lovely, harmonious Echezeaux! I have intermittently encountered the wines of Lucien Le Moine over the years and even spent an evening dining with the man behind it, Mounir, on one admittedly inebriated dinner a few years ago. But it was time to visit the winery tucked away down a side-street in Beaune, and taste through an enormous selection of wines with the man himself. Since his first vintage in 1999, he has focused on buying fruit that expresses individual lieux-dits, so that his cellar consists of dozens of micro-Cuvees that take a whole morning to taste through. He is an extremely principled winemaker with strong, some might say controversial beliefs. Even before entering the barrel cellar, he opined that too many white Burgundies are picked too late and that both the alcoholic and malolactic fermentations are completed too rapidly. Mornir likes two summers to complete the elevage and feels that too many vignerons bottle too early. He also used minimal sulphur for his wines, informing me that though his wines often start out deeper in color, they tend to become paler as they mature in bottle. I asked him about his opinion on the two vintages that we tasted together, the 2010 and 2011. “The 2010 and 2011 vintages have a lot of common points: low yields, fresh summer, both starting fruity and perhaps a little uniform,” he explained. “Then a year later, their personalities started coming out. The evolution of both vintages is similar. After a year and half they began to gain depth. When we picked 2010, people were talking about a light vintage, but now that is forgotten because they are so powerful. In 2011 they did the same. The 2010s achieved maturity naturally, but in 2011 we had to chaptalize most of the wines a little. I think it is an old style of Burgundy, how the wines were made before 1995. In 2010 we talk about tannins, but in 2011 we talk about more dry extract. You feel the presence of the wine but they are not dry. The 2010s finish with firm tannins, so in terms of longevity I think they will close down in a couple of years and then need another eight years. But I don’t think this will happen with the 2011. They are more like 2001 and 2007 that show their harmony early. They will be enjoyable over the next 15 years. The purity of the terroir in 2011 is exceptional, whereas in 2010 you have the power.” Apart from my marathon morning journey through Lucien le Moine’s 2011s, we sashayed over to the 2010s to see how a dozen were shaping up in bottle. These were bottled around August 2012 with a little sulphur in June. The bottles were double decanted at 90 minutes before tasting. Importers: Vintus LLC, Pleasantville, NY; tel. (914) 769-3000; Atherton Imports, Menlo Park, CA; tel. (650) 328-6639

vinous96

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

The 2010 Echézeaux opens with a mysterious, seductive bouquet. The wine is much more focused and linear on the palate, where the early appeal of the aromatics gives way to an energetic expression of fruit. A mineral-drenched finish coats the palate with bright saline notes. Today the 2010 is very, very young and the slow pace of the malo seems to come through in the wine's raw power and brawn. This is an immensely promising wine, but it needs to move through its infancy first.

vinous95

Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer

(from the clay-rich en Orveau section of this grand cru): Good medium red. Red fruits and a note of blood orange on the nose. Lovely lift and a touch of sweetness on the palate, showing beautiful balance already. Red berries are complemented by smoke and complex soil tones while retaining a juicy character. Builds slowly and steadily on the back end. Plenty of chewiness and structure here but this is almost surprisingly easy to taste today.