2008 Latricieres Chambertin
By Domaine Leroy
2008 Latricieres Chambertin from Domaine Leroy, Burgundy, France
The 2008 vintage of Burgundy wines is enshrined as a testament to the region’s resilience and skill; a year where April frosts and summer rains cascaded into a challenging harvest month. Yet, under such pressure, certain vintners excelled. Among such luminaries stand the crew at Domaine Leroy with their exquisitely expressive 2008 Latricieres Chambertin.
Stature and Sophistication: A Wine Investor’s Prize
The legacy of Domaine Leroy in shaping fine wine landscapes is well-documented—its meticulous cultivation techniques embrace the hallowed tenets of biodynamics, infusing its terroir-driven chorus into every bottle. It is this uncompromising devotion that aligns remarkably with dedicated wine investors seeking authenticity and longevity.
A Vintage Forged by the Elements
Characterised by its youthful vibrancy, the 2008 Latricieres Chambertin surprises with an ethereal finesse—a sterling reflection of its stewardship. The terraces at Latricieres reveal a narrative chiselled by this exacting year; vibrant acidity elegantly offset by a demure sweetness. Red currants, haunting whisper of sous-bois and a fine thread of spice delineate this ensemble.
Let us not underestimate the deftness required to capture such a refractive motley of notes in one composition. It was patience that rewarded in 2008—a drawn-out battle against cool weather culminating in decisively meticulous picking strategies. And, it is here where Domaine Leroy’s expertise becomes unambiguously evident, navigating hardship to bottle a vintage that declared ultimate triumph.
In the labyrinthine world of Burgundy’s Pinot Noir, investment-savvy connoisseurs will note how this particular parcel at Latricieres yields a particular magic. In a symphony of nature and nurture, the 2008 iteration speaks volumes of its provenance and pedigree—a crescendo for both collector and glass.
In summary, the 2008 Latricieres Chambertin from Domaine Leroy emerges from an arduously sculpted environment to offer investors not only a glass but also a storied chapter in winemaking mastery—an opportunity for both tangible and palatial gratification.
Market price (HKD)
HK$767,460.00
12x75cl
Highest score
96
POP score
5018.13
Scores and tasting notes
Licorice, jasmine, peat, charred red meat, and fresh dark berries scent and saturate the firm but expansive palate of Bize-Leroy’s 2008 Latricieres Chambertin. Much of the same “blood of the stones” sense of mineral saturation emerges here as on the corresponding 2007, but this wine’s dark family of flavors is allied to almost blazing brightness of fresh fruit acidity in a manner that – along with its underlying firmness – calls to mind 2005. What’s more, for all of this wine’s full-court-press of flavor, dark depth, and bedrock-firm structure, it reveals an uncanny sense of sheer levity that presages future elegance. My palate just can’t shake loose its array of flavors. I’m guessing that 25 years from now this great wine and its 2005 counterpart will still seem like remarkable twins separated at birth. (Please don’t imagine them in a ring together, though, duking it out to determine a winner.) Lalou Bize-Leroy reports average 2008 Pinot Noir yields of 13 hectoliters per hectare, almost absurdly tiny even by her singular standards. Malos were a bit later than usual but were finished by summer, and the wines bottled – as usual – in December. Yet – also as usual – if their development was thereby in any way stunted, you certainly won’t detect it in the bottle today! The best of these display a sense of transparency; levity; and – even when rich and head-spinningly complex – a sheer sense of refreshment and invigoration that I have seldom encountered in other great wines from these sister estates. (Please note that my account of the complete 2007 red collection at Leroy was published in issue #189.) Importer: Martine’s Wines. Novato, CA; tel. (415) 883-040
David Schildknecht - The Wine Advocate, 28 June 2010