Thursday Cellar Visits in Burgundy - Lafarge, Lamarche, Château De La Tour and Dublère

With Frédéric Lafarge.

• 2015 Domaine Michel Lafarge Bourgogne-Aligoté Raisins Dorés

  France, Burgundy, Bourgogne-Aligoté

  Barrel tasting at the domaine. Green apple with some lemon, seemingly ripe for Aligote from beginning to end. Good length as well. VG for its level.

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• 2015 Domaine Michel Lafarge Meursault Vendanges Sélectionnées

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault

  Barrel tasting at the domaine. Certainly ripe start to finish, showing the vintage'slush fruit, but with good density and mineral textures through medium+ finish. VG for its level.

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• 2015 Domaine Michel Lafarge Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Aigrots Blanc

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru

  Barrel tasting at the domaine. Floral start with lots of ripe apple. Mineral textured finish brightens this nicely from the middle forward.

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• 2015 Domaine Michel Lafarge Bourgogne Passetoutgrains

  France, Burgundy, Bourgogne Passetoutgrains

  Barrel tasting at the domaine. Jammy start but good balance middle to finish. Very good length, nice structure for Passetoutgrains.

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• 2015 Domaine Michel Lafarge Bourgogne

  France, Burgundy, Bourgogne

  Barrel tasting at the domaine. Floral start with bright red fruit throughout. Good density for its level, more ripe and fleshy flavors vs aromas. VG overall for its level.

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• 2015 Domaine Michel Lafarge Volnay

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay

  Barrel tasting at the domaine. Floral and spice throughout with wonderful bight red fruit that is clearly ripe but nicely balanced. Very good length, VG+ for its level.

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• 2015 Domaine Michel Lafarge Volnay Vendanges Sélectionnées

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay

  Barrel tasting at the domaine. Almost identical flavor profile to the Volnay AC just with greater length and density. Also VG+ for its level, and probably price.

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• 2015 Domaine Michel Lafarge Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Aigrots

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru

  Barrel tasting at the domaine. Dense black cherry on nose and palate. Firm, meaty, needs time in cellar to soften but clearly with the concentration to last.

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• 2015 Domaine Michel Lafarge Beaune 1er Cru Grèves

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru

  Barrel tasting at the domaine. Powerful black and red fruit with power and lots of old vine concentration. Firm, but enough of everything good to come across as elegant and balanced. Very long, VG+. Not a wine I have often tasted, but worth seeking out in 2015.

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• 2015 Domaine Michel Lafarge Volnay 1er Cru Les Mitans

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru

  Barrel tasting at the domaine. Spice start-to-finish with bright red fruit. Very alluring and pretty, but with sneaky structure. Prototypical Volnay. A personal fav today, VG+ for its level.

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• 2015 Domaine Michel Lafarge Volnay 1er Cru Pitures

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru

  Barrel tasting at the domaine. Black and red cherry with good density and power. Long finish, very firm. Will only be bottled in magnums, which is indicative of how long this will take to reach its full potential.

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• 2015 Domaine Michel Lafarge Volnay 1er Cru Clos du Château des Ducs

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru

  Barrel tasting at the domaine. Lots of ripe red berry and cherry start-to-finish with floral and spice notes. Comes across as fleshy and even forward for Lafarge with lots of concentration. VG+.

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• 2015 Domaine Michel Lafarge Volnay 1er Cru Les Caillerets

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru

  Barrel tasting at the domaine. Same flavor profile as the Clos du Château des Ducs, just slightly less ripe, leaner, and showing more pronounced mineral textures. I slightly prefer this Caillerets.

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• 2015 Domaine Michel Lafarge Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Chênes

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru

  Barrel tasting at the domaine. Same bright red flavors and aromas across the board. Powerful with lots of texture nuance already. Excellent potential here. This is usually my personal favorite of the lineup, and that holds true in 2015 again.

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• 2015 Domaine Michel Lafarge Pommard 1er Cru Les Pèzerolles

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pommard 1er Cru

  Barrel tasting at the domaine. Red cherry with savory spice. Elegant start, then fleshy middle, followed by structured finish. Very good length, VG potential overall.

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• 2011 Domaine Michel Lafarge Volnay 1er Cru Les Mitans 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru

  Tasted at the domaine, after barrel tasting the 2015s. Red fruit with pretty spice and floral hints. Moderate weight, elegant structure. Drinking well now.

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With Nicole Lamarche and Jeanne Marie de Champs.

• 2015 Domaine Francois Lamarche Bourgogne

  France, Burgundy, Bourgogne

  Barrel tasting at the domaine. Ripe black and red fruit aromas, same again on palate with a nicely sweet tone. Very pretty Vosne-styled spice throughout. Very good for its level.

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• 2015 Domaine Francois Lamarche Vosne-Romanée Village

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée

  Barrel tasting at the domaine. Red cherry on nose and palate with cloves, black pepper and very good concentration. Very forward and pleasurable already today.

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• 2015 Domaine Francois Lamarche Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Chaumes

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru

  Barrel tasting at the domaine. Red and black cherry with savory spice. Dense and meaty while nicely balanced. Very good overall.

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• 2015 Domaine Francois Lamarche Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru

  Barrel tasting at the domaine. Slightly reductive right now, so this presently comes across as slightly backward. But clearly powerful and ripe, with even greater density than Chaumes.

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• 2015 Domaine Francois Lamarche Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru La Croix Rameau

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru

  Barrel tasting at the domaine. Floral and great spice-driven start with bright red fruit. Most feminine of the Vosne 1er Crus, this is very elegantly textured throughout, then very good concentration coming through on finish. Very good+ 91-93 point potential here.

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• 2015 Domaine Francois Lamarche Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Malconsorts

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru

  Barrel tasting at the domaine. Red, red, red throughout with subtle spice and intense minerality. Ethereal structure on finish. Great potential here, but probably requiring extensive cellaring.

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• 2015 Domaine Francois Lamarche Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Cras

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru

  Barrel tasting at the domaine. Red and black cherry with some meaty / animale hints. Dense, chewy with more firm textures than the Vosne 1er Crus. Very good lengh. VG potential.

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• 2015 Domaine Francois Lamarche Echezeaux

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Echezeaux Grand Cru

  Barrel tasting at the domaine. Slightly reductive today. Clearly powerful with red fruit and Vosne spice, but tough to assess overall.

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• 2015 Domaine Francois Lamarche Clos Vougeot

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru

  Barrel tasting at the domaine. Black and red cherry with good concentration, savory spice and dried herbs. Already showing excellent balance. I've tasted most vintages of Lamarche Clos Vougeot over the past decade, and this is probably the best Nicole has made.

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• 2015 Domaine Francois Lamarche Grands-Echezeaux

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Grands-Echezeaux Grand Cru

  Barrel tasting at the domaine. Ripe red fruit with baking spice. Dense start-to-finish, very powerful and almost meaty. Superb length with lots of elegant structure. Very good+ 92-95 point potential.

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• 2015 Domaine Francois Lamarche La Grande Rue

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, La Grande Rue Grand Cru

  Barrel tasting at the domaine. More dense and powerful vs Grands-Echezeaux, while also more firm and backward. Very long. 93-96 point potential.

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• 2015 Domaine Francois Lamarche La Grande Rue Cuvée 1959

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, La Grande Rue Grand Cru

  Barrel tasting at the domaine, from one of the two (?) barrels made. Lamarche's research indicates this was formerly a part of La Tache and is very old vine. 50% whole cluster with special barrels used. Spice galore with slightly more elegant and concentrated fruit than the "basic" Grande Rue cuvee. Already nicely nuanced. 94-97 point potential.

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• 2015 Domaine Francois Lamarche Bourgogne-Aligoté

  France, Burgundy, Bourgogne-Aligoté

  What to taste after Lamarche La Grande Rue Cuvée 59? A very tasty Bourgogne-Aligoté showing more ripe fruit than I'd expect from Aligoté with stone fruit and lots of fun in the glass.

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With Francois Labet.

• 2015 Domaine Pierre Labet Bourgogne

  France, Burgundy, Bourgogne

  Barrel tasting at the domaine. From Chorey. Bright and ripe red and black cherry with a forward and lush character for Bourgogne.

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• 2015 Domaine Pierre Labet Beaune Clos Du Dessus Des Marconnets

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune

  Barrel tasting at the domaine. Black and red cherry with woodsy, earthy spice. Very elegant tannins give this weightless, accessible textures and a charming feminine style. Excellent wine for its level, certainly worth seeking out.

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• 2015 Domaine Pierre Labet Beaune 1er Cru Coucherias

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru

  Barrel tasting at the domaine. Black cherry with moderate spice. Slightly more dense vs Marconnets, but not nearly as elegant or charming. Still good overall, with good length and power for its level.

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• 2015 Domaine Pierre Labet Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin

  Barrel tasting at the domaine. All black fruit with meaty notes. Good density, slightly better length and weight on finish. From 3 vineyards, mostly Justice and Crais.

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• 2015 Domaine Château De La Tour Clos Vougeot

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru

  Barrel tasting at the domaine. We were treated to a fantastic opportunity to taste three of the individual parcels that will comprise the final composed Clos Vougeot "Classique." So while we did not create a quasi-assemblage, all the raw materials were of exceptional quality, so expect the same from the wine once finished.
  
  First was parcel 5, the Grand Parcel, just east of the domaine building. All black fruit here with power and concentration, lots of intensity, much less subtlety.
  
  Parcel 6 is south of the domaine building. Less concentrated, more elegant with interesting textures. Also with a roast meat character.
  
  Parcel 7 in closer to the southern part of the domaine holdings. This has the best combination of red fruit, intriguing spice and complexity, even if far less power.

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• 2015 Domaine Château De La Tour Clos Vougeot Vieilles Vignes

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru

  Barrel tasting at the domaine. Mostly black fruit with some red fruit hints. Meaty spice with some fresh tarragon hints as well. Incredibly elegant, while also incredibly long finish. Excellent wine in the making, 94-96 point potential.

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• 2014 Domaine Pierre Labet Beaune 1er Cru Coucherias

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru

  Tasted at the domaine. Very accessible and pretty red fruit, almost ready to enjoy now.

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• 2014 Domaine Château De La Tour Clos Vougeot

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru

  Tasting at the domaine. Dark berry on nose and palate, starts off ripe, finishes slightly more austere. Very good length and balance already. Cellar at least 5 years.

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• 2014 Domaine Château De La Tour Clos Vougeot Vieilles Vignes

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru

  Tasting at the domaine. Wider cross-section of fruit flavors vs the Classique cuvee and greater pronounced spice. Impressive balance, very exciting overall, 93-95 point potential.

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• 2014 Domaine Pierre Labet Meursault Les Tillets 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault

  Tasting at the domaine. Floral start with apple and toasted nuts. Very pretty and very good overall. Good now, better in another year ro two.

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With Blair Pethel.

• 2015 Domaine Dublère Bourgogne Les Grandes Terres

  France, Burgundy, Bourgogne

  Barrel tasting at the domaine. Bright red fruit throughout, nicely ripe for its level. Just short of being too jammy. very good for its level. New in the Dublere lineup.

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• 2015 Domaine Dublère Chorey-les-Beaune La Maladerotte

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chorey-les-Beaune

  Barrel tasting at the domaine. Also new in the lineup, I don't think I've ever seen a ClB Maladerotte bottled separately. Red cherry with subtle spice, easygoing character. Very tasty already, should be a very good value wine.

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• 2015 Domaine Dublère Savigny-lès-Beaune Les Planchots du Nord

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune

  Barrel tasting at the domaine. Nicely ripe and very good concentration for a wine at this level and price. Nice background spice and woodsy hints. Should also be a great value wine. Dublere took over more rows and was able to double production to 16 barrels in 2015.

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• 2015 Domaine Dublère Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Les Talmettes

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru

  Barrel tasting at the domaine. Nicely elegant with bright red fruit and spice hints. Lighter color vs the Planchots, but more elegant, even if less near-term fun.

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• 2015 Domaine Dublère Beaune 1er Cru Les Blanches Fleurs

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru

  Barrel tasting at the domaine. Well spice aromas with bright red fruit. Palate comes across slightly less bright, slightly more meaty and with good concentration and power. Firm finish. Cellar for a few years+. VG potential for its level.

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• 2015 Domaine Dublère Volnay 1er Cru Pitures

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru

  Barrel tasting at the domaine. Red fruit aromas with floral hints come across as aromatically forward, then slight more reticent on the palate. Well balanced even while sense weight and slightly brooding. I often think of Pitures as a more firm, backward vineyard in the context of Volnay.

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• 2015 Domaine Dublère Volnay 1er Cru Taillepieds

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru

  Barrel tasting at the domaine. Slightly reduced nose so tough to assess. Flavors are bright and nicely spiced with very elegant style and very good length. I'm optimistic here.

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• 2015 Domaine Dublère Morey St. Denis 1er Cru Les Blanchards

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Morey St. Denis 1er Cru

  Barrel tasting at the domaine. Red cherry aromas with good depth. Same on palate with meaty concentration and impressive mouth coating textures. Already very good, and I expect very good 91-92 point potential here.

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• 2015 Domaine Dublère Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Bousselots

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru

  Barrel tasting at the domaine. Just 2 barrels produced in 2015, and we tasted from both. The new oak barrel was lush, charming and spicy. The neutral barrel showed more bright red fruit, Vosne-styled spice and an elegant spine. We didn't assemble the two barrels, but I believe this is a 1+1=3 situation with a very good+ wine in the making.

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• 2015 Domaine Dublère Bourgogne Blanc Les Millerands

  France, Burgundy, Bourgogne Blanc

  Barrel tasting at the domaine. riper than I can recall from previous vintages, but with the structure to retain harmony. Very tasty. A definite buy for me every vintage since I first tasted this (2009?), and 2015 will be no exception.

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• 2015 Domaine Dublère Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Aux Vergelesses Blanc

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru

  Barrel tasting at the domaine. Apple and stone fruit are ripe and nicely concentrated. Somewhat opulent but with the acidity to retain balance. Will drink well young.

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• 2015 Domaine Dublère Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Chenevottes

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru

  Barrel tasting at the domaine. Really enchanting aromas show ripe orchard fruit, floral and spice elements. An odd cloudy color and slightly muted flavors right now.
  
  We also tasted Vergers that I recall enjoying, but didn't write anything down.

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• 2015 Domaine Dublère Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Chaumées

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru

  Barrel tasting at the domaine. Floral and ripe apple aromas with some lemon peel. Similar flavors with superb textures. This is a vineyard I typically enjoy and it was a highlight for me in 2015, 91-93 point potential here.
  
  We also tasted Vergers that I recall enjoying, but didn't write anything down.

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• 2015 Domaine Dublère Corton-Charlemagne

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru

  Barrel tasting at the domaine. Leaner style fruit with apple and pear, softer background spice. Well textured and elegant for the vintage with a long, long finish.

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• 2014 Domaine Dublère Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Vergers

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru

  Tasted at the domaine after tasting the 2015s from barrel. Softly floral start with green apple and lemon peel. Precise and long with a well textured finish. Best 2020 forward.

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