2021 Clos des Lambrays
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Tasting notes
Domaine des Lambrays’s flagship site is almost but not quite a monopole, with an ouvrée – less than 0.2 of the total 8.84 hectares – at the bottom of the clos belonging to Taupenot-Merme. Yields here were slashed in half in 2021, not helped by now farming biodynamically. Most of the vines (71%) date from between 1898 and 1935, while the lowest section of the vineyard is 40 years old, and 3% of the vines are spritely 20-somethings that are currently de-classified. It is fascinating tasting three sections of this large Grand Cru separately and then all the parcels as a blend, seeing how each one contributes its own character. We started with the firm, linear Plante Bas, then the more expressive, prettier Cerisiers on the Clos de Tart side, and the intense, powerful 50 Ouvrées. Combined, the result is intense, silken and long. It’s round but focused, with incredible energy and the finest texture. Gorgeous floral perfume adds a lightness to the fruit – an explosion of red cherry that fills the palate, making it seem approachable even now. A fresh, herbal twist makes the finish utterly moreish.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
The 2021 Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru has an intense nose with perfumed red cherry and raspberry fruit laced with white flowers and pencil box aromas. Fine definition and good use of whole cluster. The palate is medium-bodied with edgy tannins. This is a tensile Clos de la Roche, overtly spicy with a pleasing sour cherry note and a persistent graphite-tinged finish. Utter class. Tasted blind at the Burgfest tasting.
The 2021 Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru continues to impress. Lighter in hue than the 2019 served alongside, it has a lovely nose, the 80% whole-bunch imparting a patina of herbaceousness, damp forest floor, that marries beautifully with the dark berry fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with a fresh, supremely poised entry. Notes of cedar and sage develop, the tannins more pliant than when I tasted this from barrel, with a piquant finish. Outstanding. Tasted at the Clos des Lambrays vertical in Morey-Saint-Denis.
About the producer
Domaine des Lambrays is one of Morey-Saint-Denis’s most famous estates, its history closely tied to the Grand Cru from which it takes its name – Clos des Lambrays.