Domaine Leroy   Latricieres Chambertin

2012 Latricieres Chambertin

By Domaine Leroy

The Splendid 2012 Latricières-Chambertin from Domaine Leroy

The 2012 vintage in Burgundy was one that defied expectations, with Domaine Leroy showcasing its masterful command of viticulture and vinification through its Latricières-Chambertin. A year marked by climatic challenges, it nevertheless culminated in wines of profound elegance and complexity—a testament to the resilience of terroir and skill of the vigneron.

 

Domaine Leroy's Triumph Over Adversity

The growing season for 2012 Latricières-Chambertin was a harrowing storyline of struggle against the elements, with reduced yields resulting from hailstorms and mildew threats. Confronting these adversities head-on, Domaine Leroy meticulously nurtured their vineyards, endowing their vintage with an intensity and concentration rarely achieved under such duress. The outcome? A stunningly nuanced Latricières-Chambertin replete with the quintessential expression of its distinguished terroir.

 

Investment Potential of the Vintage

Amidst the unpredictability of nature stands the enduring poise of this Latricières-Chambertin. The scarcity wrought by lower production numbers renders this 2012 vintage a particularly intriguing prospect for fine wine investors. Its rarity, coupled with Domaine Leroy's unwavering reputation for excellence, firmly establishes it as a compelling addition to any discerning collection.

On the palate, this wine unravels layers of black cherry, licorice, and subtle earthiness, interwoven with finely-knit tannins that promise seamless maturation. Whilst already offering signs of early approachability, there is no doubt this creation will further blossom into a more profound sensory experience with each passing year in the cellar.

In sum, the 2012 Latricières-Chambertin from Domaine Leroy, born of a challenging vintage yet thriving against all odds, is a paragon of Burgundian resilience and grace. Its investment merit is equally formidable, assuring those with foresight a worthy asset that encapsulates the extraordinary alchemy between human endeavour and nature's caprice.

Current market price

N/A

12x75cl

Highest score

95

POP score

N/A

Scores and tasting notes

94-96

The 2012 Latricieres-Chambertin Grand Cru is more open on the nose compared to Lalou’s other grand crus with plenty of rich, generous blackberry and mulberry fruit with hints of wild mushroom just lurking underneath. The palate is lively and precise on the entry. The acidity is very keen here; lending nervosite and freshness, informing the tense citrus-fresh finish that is more like a Vosne-Romanee! This is entrancing and in my opinion it is better than the 2011. 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

Vintage performance