Note: from a 1.32 ha holding in the climats of Les Rouges du Bas, Les Cruots and Clos St. Denis
Producer note: Nicole Lamarche succinctly told me that the 2019 growing season "was about as hot as 2018 but even drier which induced some hydric stress in the vines but not so much as to cause them to shut down. There was also the risk of oidium, so it was necessary to be quite vigilant though in the end, it turned out to be more worry than an actual problem. Otherwise, it was a relatively easy season to manage and I picked from the 7th of September and harvested clean and very ripe fruit but importantly, not too ripe as the highest potential alcohol was 13.7%. Yields were actually pretty good as volumes were only down slightly from what we realized in 2018. I used between 10 and 30% whole clusters and the skins were quite thick so it was clear that you couldn't push the vinifications too hard without risking having very extracted wines. As such, I chose to vinify very lightly as I also absolutely wanted to avoid blurring the terroir transparency. As to the wines, I really like them as they're more terroir-driven than 2018 and perhaps a bit more elegant as well." I was impressed by the quality of the 2019s as well as the four 2018s that I reviewed below, and which had been bottled in April 2020.
Tasting note: Here too the aromatic profile is ripe but cool with its much spicier assortment of red raspberry, dark cherry, anise and floral nuances, all of which is trimmed in discreet wood. There is both excellent volume and punch to the rich though quite compact finale that, unusually for this wine, exhibits a touch of rusticity on the beautifully long and slightly warm finale. This is another wine in the Lamarche range that will need extended patience.
