A good friend invited me to join in tasting through 5 bottles of Meursault from Latour-Giraud. They were all good wines with one standing out:
2016 DOMAINE LATOUR-GIRAUD MEURSAULT LES NARVAUX- this comes from 40-year-old vines grown on 16 acres of the upper slope of the appellation at the top of the 1er crus and is aged for 1 year in barrel, 1/3 new, before bottling without filtration; this bottle had a green yellow color and the nose included mildly flinty, petrol accented lemon grass which was more prevalent in the taste profile where some pear and apple notes joined in as well; it was medium in body and weight with bight acidity.
2018 DOMAINE LATOUR-GIRAUD MEURSAULT LES NARVAUX- having a similar green yellow color to the 16, this seemed to be a step up with just a bit more of everything being expressed; it had mild aromas of flint and minerals along with more lemon dominated citrus fruit delivered in an oily medium; it’s that lemon oil and its weight versus the lemon grass with lighter weight that really distinguishes this from the 16.
2017 DOMAINE LATOUR-GIRAUD MEURSAULT-GENEVRIERES 1er Cru- the color was a somewhat cloudy yellow with a slight green hue; the nose immediately suggested something much finer than the first 2 and that proved to be an accurate gage as it contained fresh lemon and lime zest and orange blossom with a hint of minerals and spice; everything continued on while being delivered in a creamy smooth texture; it was super rich and so satisfying as it so adeptly stimulated all sensory receptors with its pleasurable nuances.
2018 DOMAINE LATOUR-GIRAUD MEURSAULT-GENEVRIERES 1er Cru- the color was more light to medium yellow and devoid of the greens found in the 17; from here on, everything in the 17 was enhanced significantly; it doubled down on the lemon, lime and orange notes with more spice and a streak of flint more perceived early in the nose and later on in the finish; perhaps the one trait this had over the others was its overall ideal balance; after tasting through the flight, I preferred this over the others with the 17` version a distant second.
2018 DOMAINE LATOUR-GIRAUD MEURSAULT-CHARMES 1er Cru- following its medium yellow color came aromas of flint, honeyed citrus and a bit of a green note; on the palate it gave up nice lemon, apple and pear served up in an oily texture providing a smooth and lush mouthfeel; its round and a somewhat flabby and has bright acidity; it was my 3rd fav of the 5.
About Domaine Latour-Giraud:
The Latour family has been established on the Route Nationale in Meursault for many generations. In 1958 the Latours merged with the estate of the Giraud family to form the current configuration. Focused primarily in Meursault, the estate owns an impressive range of villages and premier cru vineyards between 25 and 50+ years old including the largest parcel of Meursault Genevrieres. They also own a parcel in Puligny Montrachet Champs Canet and red vineyards in Pommard, Volnay and Meursault Caillerets. Regarded as one of the top echelon of producers of white Burgundy, the winemaker, Jean-Pierre Latour. has moved into organic agricultural practices and reduced yields to 25-35 hectoliters per hectare. They have seriously Invested in new state of the art equipment.
For the white wines, Jean-Pierre ferments only free run juice with wild, natural yeasts. The village wines are aged in 20% new barrels and the premier cru 25% new barrels. The wines are kept on their lees an appropriate time to balance texture and acidity and racking is kept to a minimum. The whites are fined, but not filtered, and bottled by hand. Unlike many producers who bottle all their wines at once, Jean-Pierre carefully monitors each wine and bottles at the optimal time over a 6 month period.
Cheers,
Blake
