Burgundy in Action: Greatest Hits from A Louis Latour Tasting

As a follow up to the post on Burgundy from earlier this week, I'm going to put that opus to use and talk about some stellar examples from the area and what the wines from three of the more prestigious places -- Chablis, the Côte de Beaune, and the Côte de Nuits -- actually taste like. I'll reference that post, but I'm not going to go into detail on the region -- this is a straight-up wine evaluation (I encourage you to read the other post because it's what you need to know about Burgundy to understand and appreciate these wines. Am I like a nagging mother now? Probably. Sorry.).

I recently had the rare and wonderful opportunity to attend a tasting of the 2009 vintage of some of Louis Latour's amazing vineyards, courtesy of Empire Distributors here in Atlanta.

Louis Latour is the oldest continuously family run wine merchant/producer in Burgundy -- it's on its 10th generation of family ownership. The Latours got their start as grape farmers in the 17th century and after a century and a half of straight-up growing and small time production, the Latours became negociants, compiling the best grapes from various farmers to make, age, and sell top red and white Burgundy. It took them another century before they started their own label, Louis Latour, launched in 1985.

It's no secret that even though I sometimes drink and review wines from big producers, I'm not a giant fan of the big dogs. But as cited in the Primer, you've got to go with negociants that you can trust and in the world of available, accessible, and solid quality, Latour ranks with the best. Generally speaking, you can rely on the Domaine (akin to Chateau in Bordeaux) to turn out a great product.

This is the second tasting of Latour's wines that I've attended. Both times, I've been blown away by their whites (Chardonnay) and how beautifully they show the terroir that I associate with Burgundy. This time around there were some that were lights-out amazing, and some that were just solid, but not one in the bunch that I disliked.

With the reds (Pinot Noir), it's a little more complicated . Maybe it's because these wines are like little babies and haven't developed their full personalities yet (they are all 2009) or maybe they are altered slightly for the American palate (something I suspect happens often from European larger producers), but all except the top tier lacked the earthy, spicy, minerally complexity that I expect from Burgundy. My notes on the reds say over and over again, "too clean," which could be a plus for some but for me, not so much.

One other note before I get to it: I had to remind myself that these are wine infants! Most Burgundies -- red and white -- are meant to be aged a minimum of about 5 years and up to 30 to 50 in some cases, so for the wines of the Côte d'Or, this was more like the IOWA tests in elementary school (do they still have those?) -- a test of longer term potential. But just like those tests, I think some of these were smarter than others...

Ok, so with that said, there are a ton of wines, so let's start with Chablis (all 100% Chardonnay) from Simonnet-Febvre, which is owned by Latour but run in a very hands-off manner, which makes sense given that they've been making wine quite successfully on their own since 1840.

Wine 1: 2009 Simonnet-Febvre Chablis
The Grape: 100% Chardonnay
Price: About $16.00
Typical Chablis is: Dry, super-acidic, with a little citrus and green apple fruit and a steel-like flavor.

Color: Almost a white or platinum color, this wine was pale, just as it should be coming from a cool climate like Chablis. The lighter color also tipped me off that there was no oak aging on this wine, for which I was thankful (a debate rages in Chablis about the use of oak -- traditional producers are completely against it because it takes away from the mineral-acid quality of the wine. I'm against it too...drink something else if you don't like the damn fine acidity!).

Smell: To my nose, this was a perfect Chablis. No fruit -- just a whiff of chalk, wet rocks near a waterfall, and a little bit of saltiness (like salt water smell. All of this makes sense since the soil type is chalky and you can smell the terroir in the wine). For a Chablis at this price, this wine was hitting on all cylinders in terms of what I want and expect.

Taste: Just like it smelled but with some bonuses. The wine was mouth-watering -- like sucking on a lemon -- from all the acidity. It was metallic (think of licking a butter knife) and minerally but so clean and pure in flavor. This all may sound very horrible and harsh, but layered on top of all the textures were jasmine and gardenia aromas that softened up the wine and made it so damn delicious.

Drink or Down the Sink?: Probably going to be my house wine all summer, so DRINK! I will say that this wine is not for your porch but for your cheese plate. What an amazing food wine -- especially for buttery scallops or white fish, and creamy cheeses. For the price, this is a huge thumbs up for those of us who love acidic, minerally wines.


Wine 2: 2009 Chablis Premier Cru "Vaillons"
The Grape: 100% Chardonnay
Price: About $27
Typical Premier Cru Chablis is: Heavier than standard Chablis -- with more fruit flavor and mineral components. They can age for longer and be a little more complex in flavors.

Color: This wine was a little darker than the basic Chablis. It makes sense -- for 10 to 12 months the wine sits on the dead yeast cells that converted the sugars into alcohol (during fermentation). As they decompose, they lend a little color to the wine (and some nutty flavors too! I know it sounds disgusting but this is a good thing, so go with it.).

Smell: This was like the basic Chablis, but on steroids. Lemon, lime, and jasmine flowers jumped out of the glass. The wine was like a lightly scented bouquet of white flowers. And there was a little hint of saltiness or oysters right out of the net hanging around too (that's, again, from the chalky soil type). Great contrast and combo of all this stuff. I had high hopes for the taste.

Taste: Tart, green apples, a little unripe pear flavor, and a jasmine smell/flavor were so delicious against the contrast of super-high acid, a strong mineral/wet rock thing, and a salt-water like taste (although the wine wasn't salty so you have to kind of stretch your imagination).

Drink or Down the Sink?: This wine is absolutely beautiful. Vaillons has a soil profile similar to many of the highest tier Grand Cru vineyards of Chablis, and it makes a wine about as unreal. Much fuller and softer than the basic Chablis, this wine would probably be more suitable for sipping than the first one, but its acidity and mineral profile still make it ideal for food. This was my favorite of the three Chablis I had. Awesome and totally typical of what Chablis should taste like, in my opinion.

Wine 3: 2008 Chablis Grand Cru, Les Clos
The Grape: 100% Chardonnay
Price: About $60 (it's a Grand Cru and they're in limited quantity, hence the price!)
Typical Chablis Les Clos Grand Cru is: The fattest and most luscious of all the Grand Cru Vineyards, this one is usually rich with fruit but still has a good mineral character.

Color: This wine was more similar in color to the basic Chablis than the Vaillons -- very pale and almost platinum -- which is kind of deceiving given that the wine sat on the dead yeast cells (called sur lie, by the way) AND 50% of it was fermented in oak barrels for over a year. Those processes tend to darken up a wine, as would an extra year of age, which this one has over the Premier Cru. But not here. Sight is the most deceiving of the senses in wine, so I've discovered!

Smell: This wine had less of the typical traits I associate with Chablis -- the mineral, salty, chalky, and citrus notes. It smelled like an Asian pear (which I call a papple because I think it's a cross between a pear and an apple...or at least that's what it looks and tastes like!) and there was a good dose of oak on the nose too, which I think overshadowed the more delicate stuff that I love so much. Wines from Les Clos are supposed to be the most aromatic and heavy of all the Chablis Grand Cru, which I think would be great if not for the use of wood here. I really am a hater on oak for Chablis -- it rained on my smell parade here and disguised all the stuff I like.

Taste: Although I still preferred the Vaillons (I guess I'm a cheaper date), I didn't dislike the wine. It certainly had the caramel, toasty, oaky, vanilla-y flavor that you'd expect from being popped in an oak barrel, but there was still an acid and mineral component to the taste that balanced things out. The fruit was hard to find here, but there were some apple and pear notes.

Drink or Down the Sink?: This is a great wine, and certainly not something to pour down the sink, but I have to admit that I was really disappointed. The thing that I treasure in Chablis is the citrus fruit and the tense acidity of the wine. It's kind of like a thrill ride for your mouth. Using oak on grapes that I'm sure would have made an awesome wine without it really marred the flavors. The oak was an unwelcome distraction from the real star of the show -- the fruit. I say leave the oak to the wines we're about to talk about from the Côte de Beaune -- that's where wood is a good friend to fruit!
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As a quick aside, all the wines that follow are from the excellent 2009 vintage. Mother Nature was kind to Burgundy so these wines all started off with the best advantages in life. They will get better with age, so I'll reiterate that I tried to review them with the elementary school teacher hat on and let you know who made the gifted and talented program.

White Wines From the Côte de Beaune
So I tried 7 whites from the Côte de Beaune and I don't want to go into detail on every single one. I'll review four in quick format and then elaborate on the three stunners.

Quickie Review #1: 2009 Louis Latour, Beaune Blanc (100% Chardonnay, Around $28) Even with a year in a barrel and a secondary, malolactic fermentation to make the wine creamy, it was light straw in color. I loved the floral nose -- gardenia, jasmine, begonia -- nice spring floral bouquet and a good hit of oaky vanilla that made the wine feminine and soft. Although the wine had some mineral notes, which I'd expect from a Burgundy and a touch of nice apricot fruit, it's finished was like a bad break-up -- they just never called again and you've got no choice but to forget them. White Burgundy tends to hang out a little longer in your mouth and keep on giving more yumminess, not so here. Needless to say, not as elegant as I'd hoped. For the aroma and acid it's still a good wine...just not the best when you compare it to the others.

Quickie Review #2: 2009 Louis Latour, Meursault Premier Cru "Chateau de Blagny" (100% Chardonnay, Around $60) Meursault is the closest style to the fat, oaky California Chardonnay that are typical of Sonoma and Napa. It's still a far cry from all but a few producers (Chateau Montelena being the first that comes to mind, hence why they won the Judgment of Paris in 1976). With riper fruit than the wine above and full oak aging, the wine is a lot darker in color -- almost a yellow. The smell was pretty fab -- there was a salt, mineral, and smoky combo (there's that terroir again) that offset the baked caramel apple notes (from fruit and oak) wafting out of the glass. It tasted like it smelled -- a caramel apple with some sea salt on it! There was great acid, and it stuck around in my mouth for a long time, making it water for ages. A great wine -- it was soft and creamy but still acidic. Definitely would have been even better with food.

Quickie Review #3: 2009 Louis Latour Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru "Les Truffieres" (100% Chardonnay, About $65) This vineyard was apparently once a truffle bed, hence the name Les Truffieres...talk about soaking in a specific kind of terroir! At this young age, the wine is super light in color, and I thought it was kind of stinky -- salt water is ok, the kind of fishy/old truffle-y smell I detected, a little less good. There was some jasmine flower in the smell too, but I was tentative in popping this in mouth, to be frank. I'm all for terroir stink, but this was a little much. Thankfully, it tasted way better than it smelled. The wine was super delicate -- just a light green apple flavor with some jasmine, and solid, mouth-watering acid. I have a strong suspicion that this wine needs about 5 more years in the bottle before its ready to drink. It was cracked open before it's time -- those stinky scents are going to mellow into something more elegant with time and those lighter flavors will get bolder and more pronounced. I'd like to try this again in a few years, when I bet it will be an outstanding example of how terroir influences flavor.

Quickie Review #4: 2009 Louis Latour Puligny-Montrachet "Sous le Puits" (100% Chardonnay, About $60) A very lovely wine -- light in color and, again, like pretty white flowers -- maybe more like spring bulb flowers (freesia and hyacinth if you know what those are). There was a very light oak note to it -- nothing too bold. Amazing acidity balanced out the rich caramel apple and vanilla oak flavors. Another wine I think could stand about 5 years in the bottle to develop from a light, delicate wine to something with more serious flavors. Amazing what a little aging can do -- it will add weight and more intense, interesting aromas and flavors.

And now my top three whites:

Wine #5: Louis Latour, Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru, "les Caillerets"
Where It's From: The town of Chassagne-Montrachet in the Côte de Beaune
The Grape: 100% Chardonnay
Price: Around $60
A Typical Premier Cru from the les Caillerets vineyard in Chassagne-Montrachet is: Floral, creamy, spicy, and nutty with a good balance of oak and fruit, and always a hit of acid to keep the wine lively.

Color: No big surprises: it's a young wine and it was a light golden color.

Smell: Like some of the other wines, this had the green apple and caramel smells but there was a pronounced waterfall-running-on-rocks smell on this one and then some very subtle citrus and almost metallic smells that got my interest.

Taste: Just a little bit of green apple and then a full array of mineral, chalk, and wet rock-like flavors. But this wasn't like Chablis, which is sharp, this had a fuller, softer feel to it -- it was creamy, with a really great balance of oak. Perfect example of terroir from this vineyard in Chassagne-Montrachet, which churns out wines that are minerally yet fruity and full.

Drink or Down the Sink?: Like the others, it could stand some time to develop in the bottle, but this wine is insanely good, even now. It was so well balanced between acid and fruit, minerals and creaminess that I just couldn't get enough. I would love to have this with a meal. What a wine. I'm a huge fan of Chassagne-Montrachet (even the $25 bottle of the stuff is great, BTW) and this is just about as typical and delicious as they come!


Wine #6: Louis Latour Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru
Where It's From: Between the villages of Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet in the Côte de Beaune
The Grape: 100% Chardonnay
Price: $200+
Typical Batard Montrachet is: Full-bodied, rich, with a nut and honey character. Very creamy and toasty.

Color: A pale yellow color -- a little richer than the previous wines, but still light.

Smell: The white flowers and apple were here, but with riper fruits like peach and pear thrown in. What made this a standout was the nutty, honeyed notes that were kind of in the background of the wine. It was totally intoxicating. I could smell this all day long. The salty mineral earth was prevalent and delicious, and once again, spot on for what I would expect a white Burgundy to smell like. These are never fruit bombs, but always a delicate balance of rocks and fruit (again, terroir is KING!).

Taste: Similar to how it smelled, but even better. Adding to the apples and honey, was a vanilla bean spiciness. There was a slight, really pleasant bite of acid but the wine was still silky and creamy. Totally complex and beautiful.

Drink or Down the Sink?: This is such an expensive wine and is worth every penny. AMAZING. The wine is subtle but bold, spicy yet gentle all at the same time. This is a serious show stopper -- not because it's bursting with flavor, but because it's just so representative of where its from and is intense without being obtuse and obvious with flavors. Subtlety is important in a white, and this wine has mastered it!

Wine #7: Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne, Grand Cru
Where It's From: The town of Aloxe-Corton in the Côte de Beaune
The Grape: 100% Chardonnay
Price: About $95
Typical Corton-Charlemagne is: Buttery, fruity, and honeyed with vanilla notes and a good hit of acid and minerals.

Color: A little darker straw color than the previous wines, but still light. These are all so young!

Smell: Totally different from the previous wines, this was much more herbal. There was a tarragon or maybe even green pepper note to the wine that was really pleasant and not overwhelming. Baked bread or a croissant came to mind and the oak was kickin' big time -- vanilla and caramel stood up and said hello to my nose! A lot to smell and really interesting.

Taste: You could really taste the earth here -- minerals with fresh cut green herbs made this so fresh, but then the spicy oak character gave the wine a real richness that was full and warm in my mouth. There was great acid, but the wine was creamy and mouth-coating. It stayed around for ages -- LONG finish.

Drink or Down the Sink?: This is an unreal wine. So different from the Batard Montrachet in that it was richer and fuller and more herbal, and so great. Latour's home base is in the town of Aloxe-Corton and they own a big portion of this vineyard. I think is probably the greatest of their wines and definitely one of the best white Burgundies out there. Latour is such a master of whites and this wine is proof positive of that. Worth it.

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The Reds... As I said before, I had to judge potential in these wines. But I've had Latour's reds before and as I said previously, all but the top tier usually don't work for me.

I started with both the 2009 Pommard and the Beaune Premier Cru "les Vignes Franches," both from the Côte de Beaune. They had beautiful cherry, raspberry, and strawberry smells and a huge aroma of spicy and almost a sandalwood/Indian spice quality but the taste left so much to be desired in both. They lack a sense of place -- the terroir -- that I love in a red Burgundy. Some earthiness, some idea that the grapes grew in the land is the secret sauce of red Burgundy and what makes it so amazing and different from Pinot grown elsewhere.

I don't know if Latour cleans up these wines for the American palate (we don't tend to like dirty wines here, let's face it) or if this is just their style, but for my $60 I want a Burgundy that has the aromas these had but with a silky, yet earthy character that is totally distinctive. I've had Pinot from Sonoma that I think is more Burgundian in style than these!

So that's for those wines...but, oh the top tier. The two Grand Cru wines that I tried were unbelievable examples of what Burgundy has to offer. They were on different ends of the spectrum and each pinnacles of Pinot. I can't imagine what they'll be with 10 years of cellaring...something great for sure.

Wine 1: 2009 Louis Latour Chambertin Cuvee Hertiers Latour, Grand Cru
Where It's From: The town of Gevry-Chambertin in the Côte de Nuits
The Grape: 100% Pinot Noir
Price: About $190
Typical Chambertin is: Full, rich, and earthy with a balance of spice and fruit and a texture like liquid velvet.

Color: This is what I think Pinot Noir should look like. A light, pale ruby color with just a little bit of brick/brown-red. Pinot is not, in my opinion, meant to be a dark, deep color. That's just not the grape's style and soaking it in a cold water vat to make it look dark (called a cold soak or aqueous soak) is just for the beauty pageant...something I think Pinot can win without the fancy color.

Smell: Ah, finally. This is the wine that I was expecting out of a red Burgundy tasting. Forget the glycerin, clean flavors of the wines I mentioned above -- THIS is Burgundy in my opinion. A little raspberry and maraschino cherry but then this very pronounced smell of soil and minerals. I've never been to the Chambertin vineyard, but I bet it smells exactly like this wine. I felt like I was smelling the limestone in this glass and the chalk topsoil. For me, this is what Burgundy is all about -- terroir. I was so excited to taste this.

Taste: "What a pretty wine," exclaimed my brilliant friend and fellow wine dork, MO'C, who works with Empire. SPOT ON!!! With just a little over a year in bottle (and Chambertin can age for decades so this is an infant!), this wine already had all the components it's going to need to evolve into a wine paradise in about 10 years. The raspberry and earth were strong, but there was this insane sweet spice like chai tea, and a vanilla bean component that made this wine delicious. The acid was there, but not overwhelming and the wine stuck around in my mouth for a few minutes.

Drink or Down the Sink?: Not a chance this is going down the sink. That said, if I had a bottle, I'd be storing it for a long time. It's wonderful now, but it is going to be so much better in years to come, that I'd delay for the joy of drinking it in the future. It's like the difference between eating a pear that's almost ripe and one that is awesome and is so dripping with juice that you need to eat it over the sink. I'd go for the latter any day, even if it meant waiting!

Wine #2: Louis Latour Chateau Corton Grancey Grand Cru
Where It's From: The town of Aloxe-Corton in the Côte de Beaune
The Grape: 100% Pinot Noir
Price: About $100
Typical Corton Grand Cru is: Red and black fruit abound but when this wine is bottled, it's usually known to be a little tannic and rustic tasting. With age it develops softer flavors and textures.

Color: A much deeper color than the Chambertin above, this was the darkest wine of the day, but still what I would consider the 'right' color for Pinot Noir. It was ruby red, but still transparent in the glass. Very pretty.

Smell: Much lighter in aroma than the Chambertin, this wine was delicate and so lovely. It was like roses and light cinnamon spice with a little bit of earth thrown in. Another one I think has the perfect components to be a kick-ass wine with some time in the bottle.

Taste: This surprised me! What it lacked in aroma, it made up for on the palate. According to the Latour web site, this wine is only made in years when the grapes hit perfect ripeness. Clearly, 2009 was that year. This had a cooked berry or warm, baked berry cobbler taste that was savory and delicious. There was a sweet nutmeg flavor too. It was a mouthfull, but the acidity was still great to balance out the fruit. It would be awesome with food.

Drink or Down the Sink?: I'm going to say the same here that I said for the Chambertin, although I think this wine may be ready to drink a little sooner than the other. Still, with a few years to hang out, mellow, and meld together, in about 8 years this wine will be a complete knockout -- especially if you like more ripe fruit flavors and less earth in your Pinot.


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So that's the Latour/Burgundy round up. I hope at least some of it gives you an idea of how terroir expresses itself in the wines and how differently the wines of Burgundy can taste, even if they are from vineyards that are within miles of one another!

The real lesson: keep buying and trying...within the two main grapes, variety is the name of the game here!