2011 Lucien Le Moine Clos de la Roche Grand Cru

The 2011 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru has a pure bouquet of blackberry, boysenberry, cold stone and bay leaf that is very well-defined. The palate is structured and tightly wound, almost aloof at the moment, but there is certainly very good depth and harmony with a long, persistent yet somehow weightless finish. This is another impressive 2011 from Lucien Le Moine. Drink 2017-2035. Prior to launching into Maison Lucien de Moine’s 2012 reds with irrepressible winemaker Mounir Saouma, we revisited some of his 2011s that are now in bottle. To recap, Mounir is one of the last Burgundy producers to bottle his wines, since he is a great believer in extended elevage. There is a clutch of outstanding wines in this vintage, particularly at the grand cru level, where one must admire the consistency across the board. As always, readers are reminded that Lucien Le Moine’s wines are made in a stringently reductive method, therefore they always need more decanting time than other growers. Importers: Vintus LLC, Pleasantville, NY; tel. (914) 769-3000, Atherton Imports, Menlo Park, CA; tel. (650) 328-6639

Good medium red. Initially reduced and stunted on the nose, showing little but oak, but opened with air to reveal scents of strawberry, smoked meat, red licorice, brown spices and tar. Juicy and sharply delineated, with the penetrating, high-pitched red berry and spice flavors really vibrating in the mouth. With some time in the glass, this showed much more fruit than it did from barrel a year ago, along with perfumed notes of rose petal and peppery herbs. Very tangy, complex wine, sweeter and fruitier than the Echezeaux today.

(vinified with some whole clusters; finished its malolactic fermentation very late): Medium red. Very reduced aromas of smoked meat, potpourri, dried flowers and baked bread. Sweet on entry, offering flavors of strawberry, underbrush and rocks, plus an iron-like nuance. Finishes very long and saline, with good spicy, peppery, herbal lift and a hint of youthful bitterness. Not a particular fruity style and hard to assess today.