No wine-growing area in the world combines the charm of a centuries-old history, the narration of the same with often mythical and legendary traits, and a quality of the wines produced, at a with an incisiveness and credibility greaer than Burgundy. All this is possible, within this fascinating land, thanks to the fact that there are more or less extensive areas that have rightly entered the myth thanks to their wines, a real milestones. This is the case of the Clos des Lambrays, the Grand Cru of almost 9 hectares in Morey-St-Denis, between Chabolle-Musigny and Gevrey-Chambertin, in the heart of the Côte de Nuits.
The history of this estate, and of its most famous wine, begins even in 1365 when, among the pertinences of the Abbey of Citeaux, is mentioned for the first time a land called Cloux des Lambrey. Despite such noble and ancient births, the Clos was expropriated during the French Revolution and divided into 74 owners, remaining in this state until the end of the 19th century. The real turning point came only in 1979 with the purchase of Clos by Roland de Chambure and the Saier brothers who, working together with the oenologist Thierry Brouin, led the wine homonymous name to obtain the status of Grand Cru just two years later, in 1981.
To speak more specifically of this wine it is worth, however, deepening the characteristics of this vineyard, given that never as in Burgundy is the plot of land (on which it is not possible to return even 10 centimetres of land from an adjacent plot at risk of losing its status) to have the prevalence on the vine. Well, the Clos de Lambrays is a Climat composed of 202 vineyards (with vines between 30 and 60 years) arranged on hills and valleys rather heterogeneous, characterized by an altitude difference of 60 meters, with three distinct lieux-dit: the low and heavy Meix-Rentier, the medium and calcareous/gravelly Les Larrets, and the high rocky/ferrous Les Bouchots. Once the grapes were harvested, despite the recipe in the last 40 years has undergone some logical improvements, the vinification is still inspired by that of Brouin. The grapes macerate at cold, with the whole bunch, and then ferment spontaneously, in steel tanks, with 5-6 fullings per day for about 2 weeks, and the temperature never exceeding 34 degrees. Malolactic fermentation (usually a little early) and aging take place in small oak barrels for 50% new.
The cool 2011 vintage brought in the glass a wine with a light ruby color, with an olfactory range that opens on notes of heartberry, black cherry, hints of blood and green branch of cinchona, followed by blood orange, pomegranate, pot pourri and roasted coffee, with final echoes of incense, blond leather, graphite and carpentry. The palate strikesg for the innate elegance that results from the great freshness, both citric and balsamic, balanced by the fruity, and partially glyceric, softness, and the silky tannin as rarely happens to drink; all this is enriched by the aftertaste recall of the fresh fruit, the blood-ferrous notes and the spices that accompany the sip to an excellent length finish.
Rating: 92/100
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