I have intermittently encountered the wines of Lucien Le Moine over the years and even spent an evening dining with the man behind it, Mounir, on one admittedly inebriated dinner a few years ago. But it was time to visit the winery tucked away down a side-street in Beaune, and taste through an enormous selection of wines with the man himself.
Since his first vintage in 1999, he has focused on buying fruit that expresses individual lieux-dits, so that his cellar consists of dozens of micro-Cuvees that take a whole morning to taste through. He is an extremely principled winemaker with strong, some might say controversial beliefs.
Even before entering the barrel cellar, he opined that too many white Burgundies are picked too late and that both the alcoholic and malolactic fermentations are completed too rapidly. Mornir likes two summers to complete the elevage and feels that too many vignerons bottle too early. He also used minimal sulphur for his wines, informing me that though his wines often start out deeper in color, they tend to become paler as they mature in bottle.
I asked him about his opinion on the two vintages that we tasted together, the 2010 and 2011. “The 2010 and 2011 vintages have a lot of common points: low yields, fresh summer, both starting fruity and perhaps a little uniform,” he explained. “Then a year later, their personalities started coming out. The evolution of both vintages is similar. After a year and half they began to gain depth.
When we picked 2010, people were talking about a light vintage, but now that is forgotten because they are so powerful. In 2011 they did the same. The 2010s achieved maturity naturally, but in 2011 we had to chaptalize most of the wines a little. I think it is an old style of Burgundy, how the wines were made before 1995.
In 2010 we talk about tannins, but in 2011 we talk about more dry extract. You feel the presence of the wine but they are not dry. The 2010s finish with firm tannins, so in terms of longevity I think they will close down in a couple of years and then need another eight years. But I don’t think this will happen with the 2011. They are more like 2001 and 2007 that show their harmony early. They will be enjoyable over the next 15 years. The purity of the terroir in 2011 is exceptional, whereas in 2010 you have the power.”
Apart from my marathon morning journey through Lucien le Moine’s 2011s, we sashayed over to the 2010s to see how a dozen were shaping up in bottle. These were bottled around August 2012 with a little sulphur in June. The bottles were double decanted at 90 minutes before tasting.
- Chassagne Montrachet Caillerets 89-91
- Chassagne Montrachet la Grande Montagne 1er Cru 88-90
- Chassagne Montrachet la Romanee 91-93
- Chevalier Montrachet Grand Cru 93-95 Young
- Chevalier Montrachet Grand Cru 94-96
- Clos de la Roche 93-96 2010
- Clos St Denis 92-94 Young
- Clos St Denis 92-94
- Clos Vougeot 90-92 Young
- Corton Bressandes 89-91
- Corton Charlemagne 91-93 Early
- Corton Charlemagne 90-92
- Corton Renardes 92-94
- Echezeaux 92-94
- Echezeaux 91-93
- Gevrey Chambertin Lavaux St Jacques 91-93
- Gevrey Chambertin les Cazetieres 1er Cru 92-94
- Grands Echezeaux 89-91
- Griottes Chambertin 93-95
- Mazis Chambertin 92-94
- Meursault Genevrieres 90-92
- Meursault Perrieres 91-93
- Meursault Poruzots 1er Cru 90-92
- Montrachet 94-96 Young
- Montrachet 94-96
- Morey St Denis 1Er Cru les Hauts Doix 90-92
- Morey St Denis Clos des Ormes 90-92
- Nuits St Georges les St Georges 90-92
- Nuits St Georges les Vaucrains 91-93
- Pommard Epenots 89-91 Young
- Pommard Epenots 88-90
- Pommard Grands Epenots 91-93 Young
- Pommard Grands Epenots 89-91
- Puligny Montrachet Garenne 1er Cru 89-91
- Puligny Montrachet les Folatieres
- Richebour 90-92
- St Aubin les Murgers des Dents de Chien 92-94
- Volnay Caillerets 93-95
- Volnay Clos des Chenes 90-92
- Volnay Santenots 91-93
- Vosne Romanee 1Er Cru Au Dessus de Malconsorts 88-90
- Vosne Romanee les Gaudichots 93-95
- Vosne Romanee les Malconsort 92-94
- Vosne Romanee les Suchots 88-90
2011 Chassagne Montrachet Caillerets
RATING: 89-91 points
The 2011 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Caillerets is not a million miles away from the La Romanee, although with not quite the same intensity. The palate is fresh and vibrant with notes of lemon, oyster and a dash of spice toward the long finish. This is complex and inviting, though the La Romanee exudes the sophistication at the moment. – Neal Martin
2011 Chassagne Montrachet la Grande Montagne 1er Cru
RATING: 88-90 points
The 2011 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru La Grand Montagne comes from a small parcel of limestone high up the slope. It offers a light, pleasant bouquet with touches of chalk dust and smoke. The palate is clean and fresh on the entry, attired with simple apricot and white peach notes, leading to a citric fresh finish adorned by apricot lingering on the aftertaste. Fine. – Neal Martin
2011 Chassagne Montrachet la Romanee
RATING: 91-93 points
The 2011 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru La Romanee has a refined bouquet with fine delineation: hints of citrus peel, dried apricot and smoked walnut. The palate is fresh and vibrant with crisp tannins, lively peach-tinged fruit and a beautifully defined creamy finish. Lovely. – Neal Martin
2011 Chevalier Montrachet Grand Cru
RATING: 94-96 points
The 2011 Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru has a lifted, refined bouquet with touches of cold stone, dried peach and lemon sorbet. The palate is medium-bodied with superb delineation, subtle spice notes and a harmonious, multi-layered finish that seems effortless. This is probably going to out-perform the 2010. Wonderful. – Neal Martin
2011 Clos de la Roche
RATING: 93-96 points
Moving up the slope, the 2011 Clos de la Roche has an expressive bouquet with lifted raspberry, crushed strawberry and red currant notes that blossom in the glass. The palate is very well-defined on the entry with crisp red fruit, cold stones, citrus fruit and a touch of black currant. The acidity is very well-judged, the finish sophisticated and beautifully poised. Excellent. – Neal Martin
2011 Clos St Denis
RATING: 92-94 points
Walking up the slope further, the 2011 Clos Saint Denis has a lively, vibrant bouquet not that dissimilar from the Clos de la Roche, but perhaps less well behaved. The palate is brimming over with fresh red cherries, strawberry and orange zest while the persistency in the mouth is just wonderful. It does not quite possess the sophistication of the Clos de la Roche but in a way, it is more fun in your glass. – Neal Martin
2011 Corton Bressandes
RATING: 89-91 points
The 2011 Corton Bressandes Grand Cru has a very taciturn nose despite coaxing – difficult to penetrate after the expressive trio of Volnays. It reluctantly offers scents of raspberry, a hint of tomato leaf with time. The palate is finely balanced with more forward tannins. It is fresh in the mouth with a firm, quite masculine structure toward the comparatively foursquare finish. Fine. – Neal Martin
2011 Corton Charlemagne
RATING: 90-92 points
The 2011 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru is quite introverted at the moment, especially after the 2010. It gradually opens to offer hints of white flowers and cold stone. The palate is medium-bodied, taut and tense with plenty of fresh apricot-tinged fruit and it is only right at the finish that is really lets go. This will probably need a few years in bottle once released. – Neal Martin
2011 Corton Renardes
RATING: 92-94 points
The 2011 Corton Renardes Grand Cru offers a touch more red berry fruit on the nose, maintaining the clarity demonstrated by the Bressandes. The palate has more flesh and substance than the Bressandes with a silky, feminine, beautifully defined almost Vosne-like finish. Beautiful. – Neal Martin
2011 Echezeaux
RATING: 91-93 points
The 2011 Echezeaux Grand Cru has a stony, undergrowth-tinged bouquet that only gradually opens in the glass – broody and introspective after the 2010. The palate is medium-bodied with that stoniness coming though on the tip of the tongue. But there is some lovely, very classy, mineral-rich red fruit defining the Romanee St-Vivant textured finish. This is a sensual wine that should age beautifully in bottle. – Neal Martin
2011 Gevrey Chambertin Lavaux St Jacques
RATING: 91-93 points
The 2011 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaux St Jacques has plenty of spicy black fruit on the vivacious nose with hints of cassis developing in the glass with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, plenty of red and black fruit with a structured, quite masculine, serious finish. There is a lovely long caressing aftertaste here thanks to the dry extract rather than the tannins. Excellent. – Neal Martin
2011 Gevrey Chambertin les Cazetieres 1er Cru
RATING: 92-94 points
The 2011 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Cazetiers, which is one of Mornirs favorite climats that he compared to Clos de Beze in terms of terroir, has lovely incense and lavender informing the bouquet. The palate is smooth and silky, almost Vosne-like in texture with a harmonious, sensual finish. This is very refined and sensual. – Neal Martin
2011 Grands Echezeaux
RATING: 89-91 points
The 2011 Grands Echezeaux Grand Cru has a refined, almost understated, sophisticated bouquet with great clarity and precision, though yet to reveal its true personality. The palate is very well-balanced with crisp tannins. Indeed, it is quite robust and for me, just missing the refinement demonstrated by the Echezeaux. – Neal Martin
2011 Griottes Chambertin
RATING: 93-95 points
The 2011 Griotte-Chambertin Grand Cru has a more complex bouquet than the Charmes with subtle scents of red cherries, red currant and pomegranate seed intermingling with vanilla pod. The palate is very well-structured, a little tighter than the nose suggests, but with superb grip on the finish. This is one of Mounir’s vin de gardes. Excellent. – Neal Martin
2011 Mazis Chambertin
RATING: 92-94 points
The 2011 Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru has a stonier nose than the Griotte: a little smoky in style and demonstrating a tincture of stewed cold black tea. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins exerting a gentle grip, quite tense but very poised with superb tension on the finish. It just needs a little more length. – Neal Martin
2011 Meursault Genevrieres
RATING: 90-92 points
The 2011 Meursault 1er Cru Genevrieres has a little more precision and tautness compared to the Poruzots – very refined with hints of wild honey and dry straw. The palate is well-balanced with a slight viscosity in the mouth, good acidity and a generous, spicy, quite powerful finish. Fine. – Neal Martin
2011 Meursault Perrieres
RATING: 91-93 points
The 2011 Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrieres has a fresh taut mineral-driven nose with hints of oyster shell that needs just a little more tension and intensity. The palate is very fine with hints of dried apricot, dandelion and citrus lemon, although I would prefer more terroir expression on the finish. Still, this is very fine. – Neal Martin
2011 Meursault Poruzots 1er Cru
RATING: 90-92 points
The 2011 Meursault 1er Cru Les Poruzots has a complex bouquet with touches of dried honey, spice, orange peel and earth that draws you in. The palate is well-balanced with a fine bead of acidity, plenty of primal, almost tropical fruit with a peachy, generous finish. Very fine. – Neal Martin
2010 Montrachet
RATING: 94-96 points
The 2010 Le Montrachet Grand Cru is an equal blend of Chassagne and Puligny (in some years Mornir chooses to raise and bottle them separately.) It has a very expressive bouquet with scents of apple blossom, dried peach and even exotic scents of mango and passion fruit that unfold with aeration. The palate has good race and intensity on the entry with a fine bead of acidity slicing through the generous honeysuckle-tinged fruit. There is tangible weight in the mouth, real presence here, with a peacock’s tail of mineral-rich, rather spicy fruit defining the finish. Superb. Drink 2014-2035. – Neal Martin
2011 Montrachet
RATING: 94-96 points
The 2011 Le Montrachet Grand Cru comes from just the Chassagne-side. It has a refined bouquet with hints of Clementine, limestone, apricot blossom and citrus lemon that offer exquisite delineation. The palate has a brassy, spicy entry that fans immediately across the mouth, laden with fresh citric fruit, great weight and length. It is bridled with a long, mineral-rich finish that leaves the tongue tingling with a hint of lemongrass. Superb. – Neal Martin
2011 Chambolle Musigny 1Er Cru les Hauts Doix
RATING: 90-92 points
The 2011 Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru Les Hauts Doix has a pastille-like purity on the nose with darker fruit than the Charmes. The palate is medium-bodied with fleshy, supple tannins and lovely notes of dark cherry and bilberry toward the smoky, cassis-tinged finish. Very fine. – Neal Martin
2011 Morey St Denis Clos des Ormes
RATING: 90-92 points
The 2011 Morey St. Denis 1er Cru Clos des Ormes comes from iron-rich soils just below Clos de la Roche. It has an expressive, quite floral bouquet with lively, natural red berries. The palate is medium-bodied with a slightly saline entry, crisp acidity and firm, slightly obdurate tannins at first. I like the conservatism of this wine and the terroir really comes through on the vibrant, almost sucrose finish. Very fine. – Neal Martin
2011 Nuits St Georges les St Georges
RATING: 90-92 points
The 2011 Nuits-St-Georges 1er Cru Les Saint Georges has a well-defined, pure bouquet of red cherries and cranberry that is full of joie de vivre. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, great clarity and wonderful poise on the finish with neatly placed red currant, red cherry and strawberry notes. There is nothing spectacular here, but everything in its right place. – Neal Martin
2011 Nuits St Georges les Vaucrains
RATING: 91-93 points
The 2011 Nuits-St-Georges 1er Cru Les Vaucrains sports a broody, introspective nose that takes time to reveal its meaty red berry fruit. The palate is well-balanced with firm, quite sweet tannins. There is good weight in the mouth and more substance than the Les Saint Georges, exerting a gentle grip after the wine is ejected. Good aging potential here, but it will need three or four year in bottle to do it justice. – Neal Martin
2010 Pommard Epenots
RATING: 89-91 points
Moving over to the reds, the 2010 Pommard 1er Cru Les Epenots offers a fragrant, gentle bouquet of brambly red and black fruit that lift nicely from the glass. The palate offers impressive weight in the mouth, a prickle of CO2 just at the moment, but there is good tension and vibrancy in the slight tart, bitter cherry finish. It just needs to develop a little more persistency after bottling and I think it will. Drink 2014-2025. – Neal Martin
2011 Pommard Epenots
RATING: 88-90 points
The 2011 Pommard 1er Cru Les Epenots has a crisp bouquet with light cranberry scents mixed with cold stone. It is well-defined, though it does not possess the fruite of the 2010 at the moment. The palate is medium-bodied with firm backbone, fine precision and with a crisp black, stony black fruit toward the terse, introspective finish. Very expression and classic. – Neal Martin
2011 Pommard Grands Epenots
RATING: 89-91 points
The 2011 Pommard 1er Cru Les Grands Epenots shows more herbaceous scents than the Epenots at the moment, though it remains crisp and well-defined. The palate exhibits red rather than black fruit that are well-defined with a more fleshiness than the Epenots. It sashays toward the harmonious, light finish, the minerality finally coming through on the aftertaste. – Neal Martin
2011 Puligny Montrachet Garenne 1er Cru
RATING: 89-91 points
The 2011 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru La Garenne has a fresh nose with scents of cold limestone, a hint of blood orange and spice. The palate is well-balanced with a slight salty tang on the entry. The acidity is nicely judged and there is fine purity on the spicy-tinged finish. Lovely. – Neal Martin
2011 Puligny Montrachet les Folatieres
The 2011 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatieres offers pleasant exotic scents with hints of tangerine and yellow flowers. The palate is well-balanced with a chalky texture, but it feels just a little reduced on the finish. I will reserve judgment for now. – Neal Martin
2011 St Aubin les Murgers des Dents de Chien
RATING: 92-94 points
The 2011 St Aubin 1er Cru Les Murgers de Dents de Chien has very attractive, perfumed bouquet with beautifully defined, mineral-rich citrus fruit that is pure class. The palate is fresh and vibrant with honey-tinged fruit: hints of dried apricot and a beautiful white peach finish that has great length. Outstanding. – Neal Martin
2011 Volnay Caillerets
RATING: 93-95 points
The 2011 Volnay 1er Cru Les Caillerets that is again from limestone soils, has a generous bouquet with beautiful, expressive red currant and fresh strawberry fruit with superb delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, very well-judged acidity and a seemingly effortless finish that exudes finesse. This is one of Mornir’s finest offerings. – Neal Martin
2011 Volnay Clos des Chenes
RATING: 90-92 points
The 2011 Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Chenes, from clay soils at the top of the hill not far from Meursault, has a fragrant bouquet of red pastille fruits that is very pure and more generous than either of the Pommards at this stage. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, crisp acidity, plenty of tart red cherries and raspberry fruit lining the finish that is slightly chalky, but offers impressive length and persistency. Very fine. – Neal Martin
2011 Volnay Santenots
RATING: 91-93 points
From limestone soils, the 2011 Volnay 1er Cru Santenots offers airy, light pebble beach scents on the nose with traces of fresh strawberry and cherry. The palate is harmonious with very fine tannins, good race and a poised, very pure, delightful feminine finish. Lovely. – Neal Martin
2011 Vosne Romanee 1Er Cru Au Dessus de Malconsorts
RATING: 88-90 points
The 2011 Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru Au Dessus de Malconsorts is the first time that Mornir has made one of the least well-known crus. It has a well-defined, rather conservative bouquet with crisp red and black fruit dallying together. The palate is well-defined on the entry with bright red cherry and cranberry fruit. Then they seem to disappear in the middle before returning on the finish, as if the wine is teasing you. Intriguing! – Neal Martin
2011 Vosne Romanee les Gaudichots
RATING: 93-95 points
The 2011 Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru Les Gaudichots has a tightly wound, quite sophisticated, refined bouquet that is elegant and alluring. The palate is very refined with great tension, filigree tannins and wonderful poise on the finish. This is a beautiful little Vosne with genuine class. – Neal Martin
2011 Vosne Romanee les Malconsorts
RATING: 92-94 points
The 2011 Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru Les Malconsorts has much more fruit intensity on the nose compared to the Au Dessus with vibrant red currant, raspberry and cassis fruit that is ebullient and joyful. The palate has a lot of frisson on the entry and then waves of mainly black mineral-rich fruit crash over your senses. There is superb structure here, real class and showing good grip on the finish. – Neal Martin
2011 Vosne Romanee les Suchots
RATING: 88-90 points
The 2011 Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru Les Suchots is a little herbaceous on the nose, but that merely adds charm to the fresh brambly red fruit. The palate is well-balanced with prominent tannins on the entry but I feel that it needs a little more fruit expression on the rather terse finish. It should open up once in bottle. – Neal Martin
2011 Batard Montrachet
RATING: points
As Mornir forewarned, the 2011 Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru is broody and recalcitrant on the nose as well as primal and bearing some semblance to a fine Condrieu, almost as if there was a little eau-de-vie! The palate is ripe on the entry: broody, almost slightly oxidative although that will disappear by the time of bottling. This is difficult to penetrate at this stage so I will reserve judgment until next year. – Neal Martin
2011 Bonnes Mares
RATING: 91-93 points
The 2011 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru, which comes from the north and south parts of the climat, has an earthy bouquet with hints of graphite infusing the mainly black fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins, a little subdued on the mid-palate but then returning with style on the suave, cassis-tinged, poised finish. There is something a little austere about Grand Cru, though I imply that positively rather than negatively. – Neal Martin
2011 Chambertin Clos de Beze
RATING: 93-95 points
The 2011 Chambertin Clos-de-Beze Grand Cru is more reticent on the nose at the moment compared to Mornir’s other 2011s, despite rigorous coaxing. But there is certain fine minerality present – very stony and defined. The palate is very well-poised, actually reminiscent of a couple of Rousseau’s de Beze tasted recently, with great finesse on the finish. This is beautiful, but it will need several years in bottle to allow the aromatics to shine. – Neal Martin
2011 Chambolle Musigny Charmes
RATING: 88-90 points
The 2011 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Charmes has a reticent nose, perhaps reflecting the cold clay soils that seem to just dampen the aromatics a little at this early stage. The palate has a confident opening with crisp raspberry and cranberry fruit. There is more finesse than implied by the nose, though it just needs a little more persistency toward the finish. – Neal Martin
2011 Chambolle Musigny les Amoureuses
RATING: 92-94 points
The 2011 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses demands a little encouragement from the glass, offering cassis, red currant and pomegranate with time, all very well-defined but quite serious for an Amoureuses. The palate has the linearity and precision of the 2010. It is very well-focused with fine tannins and a pleasing strictness and clarity on the finish, allowing the terroir to really show through. Not that far from the 2010 in style, this is a classy Chambolle. – Neal Martin
2011 Charmes Chambertin
RATING: 90-92+ points
The 2011 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru, which in 2011 was blended with his Mazoyeres, has plenty of vibrant red fruit on the charming nose, although it is missing the sophistication of the 1er Cru Cazetiers at the moment. The palate is bright and feminine with very fine tannins. This is very harmonious and boasts a silky, sensual, beautifully poised finish. Hopefully the aromatics can be inspired by the palate and develop a little more grace with bottle age. – Neal Martin
2011 Chassagne Montrachet 1Er Cru Abbaye de Morgeot
RATING: 88-90 points
The 2011 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Abbaye de Morgeot has a spicy, delicately honeyed bouquet that is powerful and intense. The palate is well-balanced with a touch of reduction on the entry, and a hint of hazelnut coming through on the Meursault-like finish. Fine. – Neal Martin
