The 2012 Latricieres-Chambertin Grand Cru is more open on the nose compared to Lalou’s other grand crus with plenty of rich, generous blackberry and mulberry fruit with hints of wild mushroom just lurking underneath. The palate is lively and precise on the entry. The acidity is very keen here; lending nervosite and freshness, informing the tense citrus-fresh finish that is more like a Vosne-Romanee! This is entrancing and in my opinion it is better than the 2011. Lalou Bize-Leroy’s domaine wines are not the easiest to procure, but given that in 2012 the average rendement was a paltry 9hl/ha then I am envisaging a few lively “discussions” on the touchy subject of allocations. Lalou, suffering the sniffles when I visited but as energetic as always, was ecstatic about her 2012s, regaling them for their mineralite and terroir expression. She started picking on 17 September, a little earlier than others, and told me that the malo-lactics were a little tardier than usual because of the fresh acidity levels. Certainly some of the samples demonstrated a lot of reduction, more than Lalou was care to admit, but peering through them, there really were some quite astonishing wines in her midst. I speculate that the better Lalou’s wines, the more excited her two dogs behave during the tasting, and our two hour degustation was interspersed by manic tail wagging, the occasion tussle and one growling stand-off at the precise moment I had her magisterial Musigny in my glass. The journey through the grand crus was exhilarating, each suffused with untrammeled energy and tension, more expressive of their terroirs than the 2011s that I tasted back in July. There is a part of me that wants to by cynical given the stratospheric prices demanded, as if to say to Lalou: “Prove it.” And that’s the thing – they go ahead and prove that these are some of the finest Pinot Noirs produced on Earth. Readers should not that Lalou invited me to taste her 2012s either from barrel or later in bottle, whichever I prefer but not both due to miniscule quantities that are often just a single barrel, a position I completely respect and support. I would have chose the latter if I was being selfish, but the former to offer some guidance and some juxtaposition with other vignerons. Also, I did not taste the wines from Domaine d’Auvenay simply because the quantities are so depleted in 2012. Importer: Martine’s Wines. Novato, CA; tel. (415) 883-040 and through Justerini & Brooks (UK)

This red exudes a licorice note aligned to a lush texture, along with black cherry and mineral flavors. Very pure and silky, yet dense, powerful and refined, with mouthcoating saturation. Shows excellent balance and energy on the long finish. A superb Latricières.—Tasted non-blind in Burgundy (January 2015). Best from 2020 through 2045.??–BS??Region: France / Burgundy / Latricières-Chambertin Select to Add