2007 Bonnes Mares Grand Cru red (92-94)
2007 Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru red (91-94)
2007 Chambolle-Musigny “Amoureuses” 1er red (91-94)
2007 Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru red (91-94)
2007 Echézeaux Grand Cru red (92-94)
2007 Grands-Echézeaux Grand Cru red (93-95)
2007 Richebourg Grand Cru red (92-95)
2007 Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru red (93-95)
2007 Vosne-Romanée “Gaudichots” 1er red (93-95)
2007 Vosne-Romanée “Malconsorts” 1er red (91-94)
Maison Lucien Le Moine (Beaune)
2007 Bonnes Mares Grand Cru red (92-94)
2007 Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru red (91-94)
2007 Chambolle-Musigny “Amoureuses” 1er red (91-94)
2007 Chambolle-Musigny “Charmes” 1er red (89-91)
2007 Chambolle-Musigny “Haut Doix” 1er red (89-92)
2007 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru red (91-93)
2007 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru red (91-93)
2007 Clos St. Denis Grand Cru red (91-93)
2007 Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru red (91-94)
2007 Corton-Bressandes Grand Cru red (91-93)
2007 Corton-Renardes Grand Cru red (91-93)
2007 Echézeaux Grand Cru red (92-94)
2007 Gevrey-Chambertin “Cazetiers” 1er red 92
2007 Gevrey-Chambertin “Lavaut St. Jacques” 1er red (89-92)
2007 Grands-Echézeaux Grand Cru red (93-95)
2007 Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru red (90-93)
2007 Morey St. Denis “Clos des Ormes” 1er red 88
2007 Nuits St. Georges “Les Cailles” 1er red (90-93)
2007 Nuits St. Georges “Les Damodes” 1er red (89-91)
2007 Nuits St. Georges “Les St. Georges” 1er red (90-92)
2007 Nuits St. Georges “Vaucrains” 1er red (91-93)
2007 Pommard “Epenots” 1er red (90-92)
2007 Pommard “Les Grands Epenots” 1er red 91
2007 Pommard “Rugiens” 1er red 91
2007 Richebourg Grand Cru red (92-95)
2007 Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru red (93-95)
2007 Volnay “Caillerets” 1er red (90-92)
2007 Volnay “Clos des Chênes” 1er red 90
2007 Volnay “Santenots” 1er red 88
2007 Vosne-Romanée “Beaux Monts” 1er red (89-92)
2007 Vosne-Romanée “Gaudichots” 1er red (93-95)
2007 Vosne-Romanée “Malconsorts” 1er red (91-94)
2007 Vosne-Romanée “Petit Monts” 1er red (90-92)
2007 Vosne-Romanée “Suchots” 1er red (90-92)
Mounir and Rotem Saouma established their two-person micro-négoce in 1999. They describe the 2007 vintage as one
where you had to get the harvest date just right and just right parcel by parcel. We saw plenty of fruit that had been picked
too early but also enough fruit that had been picked too late to have learned that timing accounted for a great deal in 2007. All of our fruit had potential alcohols of between 13 and 13.6%, which is just fine. One of the interesting aspects of the vintage is just how long it took for the real character of the wines to reveal themselves, in fact they continue to change and that’s why we believe that those who bottled early made a huge mistake. Yes, we are aware of those who reportedly fear that the wines will dry out in barrel if left too long but we really believe that the wines have changed so much because they were nourished by their fine lees. We added a lot of lees and then stirred them once a week since the beginning and because the wines are still full of gas and our cellars are glacial, they have been naturally protected. We also wanted to prolong the malos for as long as possible, again so they would be full of gas and thus protected. As to the wines, they are ultra transparent and very terroirdriven.
While a number of communes did well in 2007, we believe that the true star was Vosne as the wines are just fantastic”. As I have commented in the past, the Le Moine wines have a distinct house style which is partially explained by the fact that the lees are stirred with the reds, which gives the wines a certain suave and round mouth feel. Moreover, the wines always have noticeable residual CO2 in them and thus they should absolutely be decanted. While not true in the case of every
wine, I found that when taken as a group, the Le Moine ‘07s are slightly more interesting than their ‘06s. There are a number of very impressive wines in the range, and as Saouma suggests, several from Vosne but if you can find the Gaudichots, do not pass it up as it’s flat out spectacular.
Note: none of the wines had been racked even once and thus many of them were, not surprisingly, relatively reduced.
2007 Volnay “Santenots”: A ripe and earthy yet reasonably elegant nose of extract of red pinot fruit and blueberry aromas
complement the rich, round and very suave flavors that possess good concentration and a delicious, forward and accessible finish. 88/2011+
2007 Volnay “Clos des Chênes”: Here the nose is more complex if less elegant with sauvage notes that add nuance to the
mostly red berry fruit aromas that precede rich, textured and more precise middle weight flavors blessed with better extract
levels that do a fine job of buffering the notably firmer tannins. 90/2013+
2007 Volnay “Caillerets”: This too displays a sauvage character but it’s more subtle, allowing more elegant aromas of spicy and stony red and black pinot fruit to introduce layered, delicious and solidly concentrated flavors that possess a suave mouth feel before culminating in a mouth coating and persistent finish. Lovely. (90-92)/2013+
2007 Pommard “Rugiens”: A very fresh nose of red berry fruit, earth and evident minerality that continues onto the detailed,
pure and intense medium weight plus flavors that possess excellent delineation on the delicious, complex and classy finish. This should reward 6 to 8 years of cellar time. 91/2014+
2007 Pommard “Epenots”: (from Petits Epenots). A moderately reduced nose renders it difficult to evaluate though the
energetic and punchy middle weight flavors possess fine detail and a textured mouth feel on the balanced, firm and
impressively persistent finish. This has even better length if not the complexity of the Rugiens. (90-92)/2014+
2007 Pommard “Les Grands Epenots”: This is also fairly strongly reduced but even so the ripeness of the fruit is evident if
not the nuance. The very rich and round flavors are slightly bigger but not necessarily more precise or detailed but like all of
these Pommard 1ers, there is excellent underlying material and seriously impressive length. 91/2014+
2007 Morey St. Denis “Clos des Ormes”: A relatively high-toned nose of raspberry and cranberry evidences a touch of
vegetal nuances that blend into very fresh, detailed and borderline racy flavors that are at once supple and energetic, all
wrapped in a punchy and linear finish that displays a discreet soupçon of minerality. 88/2012+
2007 Gevrey-Chambertin “Lavaut St. Jacques”: Intensely reduced. The reasonably well delineated and racy flavors
though are pure Lavaut with an almost pungent minerality coming through on the delicious, serious and complex finish that
evidences impeccable balance. Lovely stuff and very Zen in style. (89-92)/2014+
2007 Gevrey-Chambertin “Cazetiers”: Here some of the reduction made it into the bottle and I would strongly advise
decanting it for 30 minutes first. The flavor profile is minerally, pure, detailed and mouth coating with fine volume and an
extraordinarily rich finish that is serious, complex and impeccably well balanced. Like the Lavaut, this is very Zen in style as
it’s a wine of perfect harmony. Note that my score assumes that the reduction will dissipate with air. 92/2014+
2007 Nuits St. Georges “Les Damodes”: A touch of wood spice and a subtle note of crushed herb add interest to the mostly red berry fruit aromas that precede rich, round and sleekly muscled medium-bodied flavors blessed with solid dry extract levels and coat the palate on the textured, dense and serious finale. (89-91)/2014+
2007 Nuits St. Georges “Les Cailles”: Moderate reduction can’t hide what is obviously ripe fruit and a hint of underlying
wood spice leads to rich, stylish and classy flavors that are supported by finer but firmer tannins and notably better length.
While Les Cailles is hardly under appreciated, it is every bit as interesting as Vaucrains and Les St. Georges in my view if
perhaps not quite as long-lived. (90-93)/2015+
2007 Nuits St. Georges “Vaucrains”: A heavily reduced nose renders it impossible to accurately read though the big, rich,
powerful and solidly muscled flavors possess good density and real volume as well as a subtle hint of minerality on the vibrant and explosive finish that delivers the best length of any of these Nuits 1ers. This is very Vaucrains in terms of size and weight yet it’s not a monster. (91-93)/2015+
2007 Nuits St. Georges “Les St. Georges”: A discreet application of oak sets off notably ripe red berry fruit and pretty violet
aromas that are in keeping with the mildly earthy, rich, round and suave middle weight flavors that possess a beguiling texture on the mineral suffused finish that is both vibrant and impressively long. (90-92)/2014+
2007 Chambolle-Musigny “Charmes”: This is very ripe, indeed to the point where there are notes of mocha, coffee and
dark berry fruit that merge into rich, round and generous flavors that are like the name, charming in their fashion, all wrapped in a sappy finish that evidences an attractive minerality and good verve. (89-91)/2014+
2007 Chambolle-Musigny “Haut Doix”: Here the nose is cut from the same cloth but is slightly less ripe and the underlying
fruit runs more to the blue side of the spectrum while introducing rich, round and generous medium-bodied flavors that retain a fine sense of detail with firm tannins buffered by plenty of extract on the delicious and elegant finish where a beguiling trace of minerality appears. (89-92)/2014+
2007 Chambolle-Musigny “Amoureuses”: A highly complex, fresh, layered and airy nose offers up an interesting array of
spice, wet stone, raspberry and cranberry aromas that precede elegant, pure and equally stony flavors that possess some of the finest detail in the entire range while culminating in a focused, linear and mouth coating finish. Stunning. (91-94)/2015+
2007 Vosne-Romanée “Beaux Monts”: A gentle hint of wood frames cool notes of cranberry, cherry and raspberry fruit
aromas that are nuanced by hints of clove and anise that can also be found on the cool, fresh, minerally and detailed middle weight flavors that finish with lovely purity and fine vibrancy. An understated wine of harmony and balance. (89-92)/2013+
2007 Vosne-Romanée “Petit Monts”: The altitude shows here as well with very cool, pure and minerally red berry fruit
aromas nuanced by subtle spice hints that are also reflected by the round yet detailed middle weight flavors that are carrying a certain underlying reserve on the textured, stony, mouth coating and tension-filled finish. A really lovely wine of
understatement and style. (90-92)/2014+
2007 Vosne-Romanée “Suchots”: A quintessential Vosne nose of spicy red, blue and black pinot fruit trimmed in a bit of
warm earth that can also be found on the sappy, velvety and utterly delicious medium-bodied flavors that possess good
amounts of dry extract on the mouth coating and solidly structured finish that displays very good length. A classic Vosne in
every respect. (90-92)/2014+
2007 Vosne-Romanée “Malconsorts”: A discreet application of oak frames very spicy and pure aromas of red currant and
blue berries that carry ample influence from earth and underbrush that continues onto the rich, intense and hugely complex
flavors that are impressively concentrated and seriously long. This is a very classy effort that should repay up to a decade in a cool cellar. (91-94)/2015+
2007 Vosne-Romanée “Gaudichots”: This is stylistically quite different from the other Vosne 1ers, indeed from most of the
wines in the range as the aromatic profile is intensely floral, so much so that it suggests another vinification approach. The
nose is ripe, pure, spicy and drop dead gorgeous and serves as the perfect introduction to the minerally, firm and strikingly
precise medium weight flavors that possess enormous depth and genuinely knockout length. This is a stunner of a wine that has that ‘wow’ factor. If you can find it, do not miss it and while there are a few other wines here that can match it qualitatively speaking, in terms of style alone this was my favorite of the entire range as this is very serious juice. (93-95)/2015+
2007 Corton-Bressandes: Relatively strong reduction knocks down the nose but the rich, full-bodied, detailed and mineraldriven medium plus weight flavors possess a textured and suave mouth feel and outstanding length. This is very Bressandes in that it has both minerality and in the context of a Corton grand cru, finesse. (91-93)/2015+
2007 Corton-Renardes: By contrast, here the nose is pure, fresh and expressive with distinctly sauvage dark berry fruit laced liberally with plenty of warm earth and underbrush nuances that continue onto the rich, full and more powerful still flavors that possess excellent volume and mid-palate concentration, all wrapped in a finish that also displays outstanding length. This is a bigger and more robust effort but it doesn’t have the same class as the Bressandes. A choice. (91-93)/2015+
2007 Clos St. Denis: (from 90+ year old vines). A layered, fresh and lacy nose features of cranberry, raspberry, spice and
earth nuances that are also picked up by the detailed, minerally and textured flavors brimming with dry extract, all wrapped in a delicious, intense and beautifully well balanced finish. A lovely blend of power and elegance. (91-93)/2015+
2007 Clos de la Roche: A more deeply pitched red and blue pinot fruit nose that has a slightly animale component to it as
well as a floral note combines with focused, intense and broader medium full flavors that possess a more subtle minerality on the driving finish. A focused wine that epitomizes the phrase “power without weight”. (91-93)/2015+
2007 Clos de Vougeot: A somber but gorgeously complex nose that is actually surprisingly elegant with lovely aromatic
purity to the very densely fruited nose that complements notably ripe, earthy and serious medium full-bodied flavors brimming with dry extract and supported by firm but ripe structural elements on the generous yet precisely detailed finish. I quite like this as it’s powerful and intense but focused and extremely persistent. (91-94)/2015+
2007 Echézeaux: (from En Orveaux). A ripe, pure and very spicy nose that is not particularly elegant but it is strikingly
complex, layered and stylish with ripe, powerful, concentrated and mineral-driven flavors dripping with dry extract that really
coats the palate and completely buffers the structural elements on the wonderfully long finish. This is a most impressive
example and proves that Echézeaux is capable of delivering grand cru quality even if it often does not. (92-94)/2015+
2007 Grands-Echézeaux: This is notably more reserved than the Echézeaux and also a good deal more elegant if perhaps
just a touch less ripe with airy, cool and ultra pure floral red and blue pinot fruit, spice notes and a soupçon of warm earth that leads to powerful, focused and solidly structured big-bodied flavors that have a borderline chewy quality to the supporting tannins, all wrapped in finish that manages to come across as refined despite the chewiness. Terrific and one of the stars of the range in 2007 but note that patience will be required. (93-95)/2017+
2007 Charmes-Chambertin: (from Charmes proper). Mild reduction cannot completely hide the notes of red berry fruit and
earth lurking beneath the funk that lead to vibrant, intense and rich flavors that possess a certain fullness yet with no loss of
detail on the delicious, complex, sappy and impressively persistent finish. There is fine balance as well as plenty of underlying material that enable this to age well into the next decade. (91-93)/2015+
2007 Mazis-Chambertin: (from both Mazis-Haut and Bas). A wild raspberry, cranberry, warm earth and softly oak suffused
nose is followed by nicely detailed if less well concentrated medium full flavors that are quite supple and accessible, indeed even forward with superb focus and length. This is an unusual Mazis in that it’s elegant and while not powerful, it’s extremely stylish. In sum, I wouldn’t call this typical yet it seems to work anyway. (90-93)/2014+
2007 Chambertin-Clos de Bèze: Mild reduction still allows the natural spiciness of Clos de Bèze to be expressed and it
continues onto the rich, detailed and quite pure middle weight flavors that are perhaps not as big and powerful as one might expect but the focus and intensity are most impressive as the finish is both strikingly long and palate staining. I really like the depth here and it’s one of the more complex wines in the entire range. (91-94)/2015+
2007 Bonnes Mares: A background touch of wood toast sets off a pure, complex and notably ripe nose of red and blue pinot fruit, earth and a hint of game that is also picked up by the intensely mineral suffused big-bodied and muscular flavors that possess a supple mid-palate but tighten up on the palate staining, detailed and wonderfully persistent finish. (92-94)/2015+
2007 Romanée St. Vivant: Aromatically, there is a resemblance to the Gaudichots as the intensity of the floral elements are
quite distinctive with every bit as much airy elegance and purity with the classic RSV spice notes continuing onto the detailed, minerally and beautifully precise flavors that possess an underlying reserve and a finish that is nothing but sheer class. In short, this is a knockout. (93-95)/2017+
2007 Richebourg: This is also perfumed, cool and kaleidoscopic in its aromatic breadth and depth with remarkable spiciness and I love the floral component, particularly rose petal and violet, that adds nuance to the largely red and blue fruit that slides gracefully into the rich, full and focused broad-shouldered flavors that possess excellent phenolic ripeness and simply gorgeous length though it’s not quite as long as the very best here. Still, this could easily surprise to the upside as young Richebourg has a way of adding lots of depth in bottle. (92-95)/2017+
