2012 Vosne les Brulees
By Domaine Leroy
2012 Vosne Les Brulees from Domaine Leroy, Burgundy, France
In the alchemy of winemaking, there are vintages that not only challenge the vintner's craft but also encapsulate the narrative of the land and weather. The 2012 Vosne Les Brulees from Domaine Leroy represents such a vintage; one that stands as a testament to the resilience and finesse of Burgundy's terroir under trying climatic conditions.
Connoisseur’s Chronicle: A Vintage Defining Elegance Amidst Adversity
The year 2012 was marked by climatic trials, including a cold winter and spring frost, which set a taut stage for the grapevines in Burgundy. The vines’ mettle was further tested by a summer that turned from balmy to tempestuous in turn. Amidst these challenges, Domaine Leroy’s biodynamic philosophy reveals its strengths, as their holistic approach to viticulture fostered grapes that transformed hardship into complexity - offering a vintage with remarkable structure and depth.
A Tapestry of Taste and Terroir
The tapestry of taste woven by the 2012 vintage commands attention; it is both an aromatic gallery and a palate peregrination. Upon decanting, you are greeted with a bouquet reminiscent of seasoned wood and black cherries, giving way to delicate swirling layers of violet and exotic spice.
On the palate, the wine unveils itself in discreet levels. There is an undeniable precision to the red fruit core - ripe without cloying sweetness - escorted by an almost ethereal quality of minerality typical of Vosne Les Brulees’ cherished soils. The tannins are well-structured yet supple, framing the ensemble without dominating the conversation.
Intriguing for wine investors is how the vintage’s elegance does not shy away from ageing potential. While endowed with immediate charm, this vinous jewel from Domaine Leroy has a composition that suggests longevity in cellar conditions will be rewarded richly.
Summary: A Destination Vintage for the Discerning Investor
For aficionados and investors alike, the 2012 Vosne Les Brulees from Domaine Leroy is not merely a collectible iteration but a destination in itself. It represents one of those rare moments where nature's caprice is transformed on the vine and in the barrel into something utterly captivating - a storied bottle promising further tales with each moment it matures. Gracing any fine wine portfolio, its presence holds not just the pleasure of consumption, but also the quiet anticipation of its evolution over time.
Market price (GBP)
£4,080.00
12x75cl
Highest score
95
POP score
272
Scores and tasting notes
The 2012 Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru Aux Brulees has stunning mineralite on the nose. You can feel the limestone percolating through the red berry fruit on the nose to devastating effect. Its filigree tannins define the palate and there is a lovely white pepper note lining the entry. It feels long and sensual in the mouth with an intense and yet elegant finish. Complete – but like so many there is a solitary barrel this year. Lalou Bize-Leroy’s domaine wines are not the easiest to procure, but given that in 2012 the average rendement was a paltry 9hl/ha then I am envisaging a few lively “discussions” on the touchy subject of allocations. Lalou, suffering the sniffles when I visited but as energetic as always, was ecstatic about her 2012s, regaling them for their mineralite and terroir expression. She started picking on 17 September, a little earlier than others, and told me that the malo-lactics were a little tardier than usual because of the fresh acidity levels. Certainly some of the samples demonstrated a lot of reduction, more than Lalou was care to admit, but peering through them, there really were some quite astonishing wines in her midst. I speculate that the better Lalou’s wines, the more excited her two dogs behave during the tasting, and our two hour degustation was interspersed by manic tail wagging, the occasion tussle and one growling stand-off at the precise moment I had her magisterial Musigny in my glass. The journey through the grand crus was exhilarating, each suffused with untrammeled energy and tension, more expressive of their terroirs than the 2011s that I tasted back in July. There is a part of me that wants to by cynical given the stratospheric prices demanded, as if to say to Lalou: “Prove it.” And that’s the thing – they go ahead and prove that these are some of the finest Pinot Noirs produced on Earth. Readers should not that Lalou invited me to taste her 2012s either from barrel or later in bottle, whichever I prefer but not both due to miniscule quantities that are often just a single barrel, a position I completely respect and support. I would have chose the latter if I was being selfish, but the former to offer some guidance and some juxtaposition with other vignerons. Also, I did not taste the wines from Domaine d’Auvenay simply because the quantities are so depleted in 2012. Importer: Martine’s Wines. Novato, CA; tel. (415) 883-040 and through Justerini & Brooks (UK)
Neal Martin - The Wine Advocate, 29 December 2013