2014 Latricières-Chambertin Grand Cru

Veteran winemaker David Duband, working in a spacious facility in the sleepy village of Chevannes in the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits behind Nuits-Saint-Georges, has built up his holdings dramatically since making his first wines from 1. 5 hectares of vines back in 1991. His biggest move, undertaken with his financial partner François Feuillet, was taking over the Côte de Nuits vineyards of Domaine Truchot in 2006, including parcels in such appellations as Clos de la Roche, Charmes-Chambertin and Gevrey-Chambertin Les Combottes; he and Feuillet then acquired some Latricières-Chambertin and Chambertin in 2009 from Domaine Remy. During the partners built a larger, more modern winery, greatly expanded their storage facilities and constructed a tasting room with a spectacular view of Chevannes and its surrounding vineyards. Today Duband exploits 17 hectares of vines, including five on the Hautes-Côtes, farming organically (he is certified by Ecocert). He supplements that production by buying grapes from a handful of small growers.

Duband has vinified with a moderate percentage of whole clusters since 2008 and ages his wines in about 30% new oak (but more for the grand crus), purchasing 90% of his barrels from Berthomieu, Cavin and Séguin-Moreau, mostly with a very light toast “at the limit of green. ” He told me that he doesn’t believe in aging wines that don’t have full maturity, arguing that “acidity is not enough” for longevity. Although he likes 2013 for its “uncommon combination of density and freshness,” he finds the 2014s riper. Some vintages offer pleasant surprises with aging, such as the 1997s and 2007s, he told me. “It’s the good grapes that age well, not anything you do in the cellar." Potential alcohol levels here were in the modest 11. 5% to 12% range in 2014, and Duband chaptalized his many cuvées between 0. 3% and 0. 8%.

Most of the 2014s were in tanks at the time of my visit, but the grand crus were still in barrels. The wines from vineyards owned jointly by Duband and Feuillet can be found in the market under both labels.