2012 Echézeaux Grand Cru

“The 2012s, like the 2010s, are wines of weight, body and firm pH,” said Mounir Saouma. “But as soon as you take them out of barrels and cut off their access to oxygen [i.e., by bottling them], they have a tendency to close up quickly." That’s completely the opposite of vintages like 2013 and 2011, he added. "These two years are on the classic side: fresh, crystalline and very open. I think these two vintages will show well early and later. But the 2012s may longer. Time will tell.”

Tastings at Lucien Le Moine seem to be getting longer and longer. This year it took two sessions to go through all the wines! As always, the selection of 1er and Grand Crus in these small, cramped cellars is striking. In a year in which yields are down so sharply, with one or two exceptions proprietors Mounir Saouma and Rotem Brakin were able to source pretty much the same number of barrels of wine as they do most years, which speaks to the quality of their relationships. Saouma and Brakin use a cold cellar and minimal intervention during elevage to give their wines as much time as possible on the lees. Long, protracted malos are the norm. Most of the 2012 reds showed well during my most recent visit, with the exception of the Clos des Mouches and Musigny, which were too reduced to get a clear read on. Overall, the 2012 reds here are quite strong, if not quite as exceptional across the board as the 2010s. There are a number of fabulous selections in this range, but also a few wines that don't reach their customary heights. Lucien Le Moine fans will also note a handful of additions to the range. The Lucien Le Moine whites and reds remain some of the most compelling wines being made in Burgundy. If opened young, they need quite a bit of air to show at their best.

Two thousand twelve has been a great paradox from the very beginning, said Mounir Saouma before we tasted through his extraordinary collection of wines from this vintage. "It started with a very warm March followed by sharply colder weather at the end of the month. We had too much rain during the spring and then a heat wave at the end of June. The vines had been under pressure of water for months and then the berries were bombarded with sun. The mildew arrived early but to very well-aerated clusters. Luckily the vineyards continued to work due to the good water reserves in the soil. The paradox in 2012 is very low yields with finesse. We had tiny crop levels but we could practically drink the wines at press. Thick skins were the key to everything! The wines have a great sugar/acid balance and outstanding finesse of tannins. The texture of the vintage is Chambolle-Musigny."As is his custom, Saouma was able to prevent the malos from starting until late by putting his purchased barrels of wine in the cold roof of his cellar during the winter and early spring. The secondary fermentations didn't start until the end of June and mostly finished at the end of August. He's of the opinion that many wines in other cellars that finished their malos early will be heavy at bottling--and will need to be bottled early. "They may be delicious and accessible on release but won't age," he maintained. Nothing had yet been racked at the time of my November tasting here.