TN: 2002 Domaine Rene Leclerc Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Comb

WINE TALK
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  • 2002 Domaine Rene Leclerc Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Combes aux Moines - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru (5/30/2010)
    Popped and poured to accompany simple roast chicken. Darker ruby color. Wonderful nose of black raspberry, cherry, camphor, earth. Vibrant layers of raspberry, blackberry, licorice, and cinnamon on the palate laced with iron and mineral notes also. Tannins well-balanced by forward fruit and brisk acidity. Finish is long with echoes of round black fruit and periodic hits of iron. Terrifically enjoyable wine bridging new world and old world sensibilities. (92 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

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sounds quite nice and not oaky–though brother Philippe was more oak-affected.
alan

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Not that it matters much, but I would love to know why Scott Paul Wright no longer imports this in. Scott’s evidently still has '06s in stock but no '07s and I believe I saw him post something about not carrying Renes stuff anymore in response to a thread last fall wherein some of the '06s were being sold at steep post-offs by some retailer. I suppose I could just ask him.

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Rene Leclerc flirted with a higher oak regimen in the mid-90s to late-90s, when Dominique Laurent was collecting high scores like a Donkey Kong Champ. Dialed back a few years later. Seems to be the case of many Domaines from that era, several of whom never have managed to shed their oaky reputation.

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Thanks for the note Doug.

I was in Gevrey-Chambertin last week and tasted with Francois Leclerc, the son of Rene (he has his own domaine, Francois Leclerc, but also makes the Rene Leclerc wines with his father).

The '07 and '08 wines are quite pure and transparent, quite light in color, but with a lot of detail and flavor impact… Francois indicated that they vinified with long life in mind. They were in the process of recorking a lot of older vintages when I was there. Managed to pick up a bottle of '88 Lavaux St. Jacques which I will try after it rests a bit.

Not sure why Scott Paul wines stopped carrying these they seem to be right up the alley of their portfolio. I think the are of quite high quality, although certainly not “big” point scoring wines. The '05 Bourgogne is a great wine for the price.

In any case, I’ll keep buying them when I can find them.

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I didn’t know there was a Rene and a Phillip. I wounder which one I have…

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There’s actually Leclerc three labels that I am aware of:

Rene Leclerc (the magenta labels, made by Rene and Francois Leclerc, father and son)
Francois Leclerc (white labels, made solely by Francois Leclerc)
Phillipe Leclerc (flamboyent midevil labels, made by Phillipe Leclerc and very different stylistically from the Rene and Francois wines, 100% new oak… I don’t think they are imported into the US)

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You’d know if it was P. LeClerc. Big scary dark horse on the label.

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Rene may fly below radar a bit because of earlier perceptions about excess oak in his father’s efforts. I’ve had two of these and both have been great. More fruit and less earth, though, which may not be to everyone’s preference.

Regards,
Doug

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and stupid-shaped fat bottles.
alan

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Since Francois has been making the wines he has cut back on the new oak barrels, with some site sources using just 15 - 20% new barrels. Francois is a graduate of the Beaune School of Enology - has worked with his father since he was 17 years of age, except for a spell in California where he added to his practical experience. During our last visit Francois took us through the cellar. When we emerged again, Rene asked us how Francois did. Lorraine quickly responded that he did better than when Rene took us through the last time. Somewhat surprised, Rene seemed at a loss for words, until he realized that Lorraine was pulling his leg. We all had a good laugh.

No new barrels were employed in making the 2003 Combe aux Moines, for example.

I hold some of the 2002 Combe aux Moines in my cellar and agree with Doug that this is an excellent wine. As a matter of fact I just pulled one last week - a complete wine; well integrated fruit; solid structure; lasting finish.

Alan, Rene’s newer bottles are somewhat wide (a slightly flattened version of a normal Burgundy bottle) and difficult to stack in my bins, where the bottles at the top seem to be precariously perched. I use a cardboard shim to stabilize the stack.

Hank

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I used to enjoy Phillipe’s wines back in the late '80s…especially his '85s but have little experience of late. As for Rene, I only purchased the Gevrey- Chambertin “Clos Prieur” in 2002. I have not yet opened one…anyone with some experience with that particular wine? [scratch.gif]


Cheers!
Marshall [cheers.gif]

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Marshall, when I was last in the motherland, in 2007, I tasted through Philippe Leclerc’s 2005 lineup, and thought it was as good as anyone’s I tasted. Though I had never met the guy before, I had visited his shop in Gevrey on every trip since 1985, and was almost always impressed with his wines( but not the old-fashioned wide Burg bottles that few people (Engel and Rousseau’s Chambertins) use, thankfully). They need tons of age, but…with that (and thinking particularly of the great '85s he made), I think the guy is really the Jayer of Gevrey…the oak integrates after lots of time.

I do understand that he has modified his elevage after 2006, though. Not sure how.

Not much experience with Rene, though.

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And '05’s - I picked up a couple of each [whistle.gif]

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I avoided this address after some subpar, waxy/unclean-tasting 1998s but must say the 2005 Rene LeClercs are terrific. I was fortunate to try some right away so that I could still find some more, but wish I had gone even deeper. The Griottes and Combe au Moine are deep and pure.

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I haven´t tasted the 2002 nor anything after 1999 …

René and Philippe are brothers, I think René is slightly older.

Philippe is a wild character, his label with a war-horse reflecting this (most are brown, but there are some cream-coloured for better legibility), his tasting-room lies in the center of Gevrey vis-a-vis the town-hall and is open most of the time … heavy in new oak and barrel aging for 28+ months … hard to access in its youth …
His broad heavy bottles used sind the 80ties seem to be in fashion now, e.g. Liger-Belair and S.Cathiard using similar ones (the latter sitting on a stock of cardboard cases that are too small for his ew nbottles … neener )

René is much shier, quite modest, his cellars down at the Rue national, decent (also brown) square label, increased the new oak a bit in the nineties, but never so much as his brother …
(normal bottle shape)

Wines: I´ve tasted Philipps from 1983, 1985, 1988-1997 … they need a lot of time in the bottle to soften, even 1989/90/91 are still quite structured and deliver an old-fashioned rustic character, but they are very concentrated and intense … 1983 + 85 outstanding NOW, kmight still improve or at least soften.

I´ve only had a handful of Renés wines:
1990/91 quite weak, early browning, slightly oxidized,
in the mid-nineties improved, better focused, purer …
1999 (only Griottes-Chambertin and Combe aux Moines), very good, only tasted young, but nevertheless abit disapointing reg. the vintage and GC-status …

I have never met his son …nor tasted his wines …

Philippe has three Gevrey 1er Crus, Combe aux Moines, Cazetiers and Champeaux …
and several Village parcels - also one in Chambolle-Musigny - usually bottles seperately. No GCs.

René was share-cropper for Domaine de Chezeaux and had the Griotte-Chambertin thru this source, otherwise also Gevrey-Combe aux Moines and Champeaux, plus Lavaux-St.Jacques … and Gevrey-Village …

Just my 0.02

Stuart, I do not 2nd this statement … yes, the oak integrates somewhat with time, but the structure remains still present and leaves a rustic character far far away from the style I have in mind with Jayer (although only tasted one singel wine of his [head-bang.gif] )
However: a good source for those who like the style …

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Well, Gerhard, I say this with the understanding that Philippe is making wines from Gevrey 1er crus…not Echezaux or Vosne Beaux Monts or Cros P. The Leclerc wines don’t have the finesse…obviously…of a Jayer. But, they are deeply concentrated and heavily oaked…and all, IMO, for the longer haul. The similarity is that they both have tons of deep fruit for the long haul…and IMO, require time (though most people don’t seem to give Jayer/Rouget all that much.)

Leclerc is trying for “old style” Gevrey…in its best sense. Jayer always professed that that’s what he was up to, too…for Vosne…though people thought he was a revolutionary because he worked extremly sanitary…like Leclec…and both were/are nuts in the vineyard-- and thinkers in the cuverie.

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Stuart,
I agree with most above: deeply concentrated, heavily oaked, for the longer haul, require time, old style Gevrey … all true
One big difference is IMHO: Philippe doesn´t distem at all - or very few … and I think the maceration is also quite different: no cold soaking and very long maceration … (I´m I right?)

AND I remember something Henri Jayer once said in an interview : If it tastes to tannic - it is too tannic !

Most P.Leclerc wines have a tannic dry edge to them - even after 25 years …

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The crop then undergoes a three week period in vat of which the first week involves a cold maceration followed by a 15 day fermentation.
During these three weeks the “cap of skins” that constantly rises to the top of the vat is trodden down by foot 3 times a day, pushing the skins in contact with the juice and so thereby extracting colour and matter from the pulp of skins. The original white juice, hence, begins to turn colour whilst the sugars transform into alcohol.
The greatest worry during this period is the rise in temperature of fermenting vats which is like that of a child with fever. This is an occurance that often necessary to stand a guard watch in order to survey and cool down these vats, preventing them from over-flowing like boiling milk over a stove.It is after this period that I leave the wine to settle some time before running it off into oak barrels where it is aged for up to 2 years. 100% new oak is used to age the premier cru wines whilst all other appelations are aged in oak barrels of between 30 and 50% new woods. After the twice monthly topping up of the barrels and a few rackings ons finally comes to the bottling. During this final process I am bottling a wine that is the most natural possible. In order to achieve this, I practise neither filtering nor fining which removes so much of the extract that I have tried so hard to retain. Only in still trying to keep my wine relatively clear do I carry out this work during the winter when the weather is cold and dry. It is at this moment in time that the wine leaves the little deposit left resting at the bottom of the barrel as if it were hibernating.Any small amount of sediment or deposit that occurs in the bottle will allow the wine to feed in its presence, especially when left to age to several years.

According to Leclerc’s website…I think he has changed the oak regimen and some other things in the last few years…

I have tasted several wines of his over 20 years old…and the most surprising thing to me, almost without exception given his winemaking, is how integrated and pleasant to taste the wines were…given sufficient age…which is more than required for most domaines’ wines. The level of fruit remaining is dominant over all, which I found pretty special.

But, this is my experience…and it surprises even me.

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Chris:

Philippe’s 2005 were available at PC. They were all very

good.