Burgundy 2010 En Primeur - Armit

Domaine Michel Lafarge
Red price per case in bond
Bourgogne Passetoutgrains l’Exception £110.00
An exceptionally refreshing, almost spicy Passetoutgrain made from 85 year old vines which
gives real depth and length. A blend of 50% Pinot Noir with 50% Gamay, there is some delicious
raspberry fruit on the mid palate and some darker, brambly notes in the background. Michel
Lafarge is right to be proud of this wine which was first made by his father. Drink from release.
Bourgogne Pinot Noir £130.00
Deliciously refreshing with fragrant redcurrant fruit aromas and mouthwatering raspberry
flavours, there is a lovely freshness about this wine and great definition which sets it apart.
Tasted blind this is easily as good as a village level wine. Drink from release.
Beaune 1er Cru Aigrots £395.00
This wine is really bright and lifted on the nose with some lovely pure raspberry aromas. It shows
incredible energy, fluidity and clarity on the palate with lovely freshness. It has excellent length
and will be delicious to drink in a few years time. Drink from 2014.
Beaune 1er Cru Grèves 6 bottles £225.00
The wines from Lafarge show great precision and delineation in 2010, expressing the qualities
of individual vineyards with an amazing and vibrant clarity. This is especially evident in the
Beaune Grèves, made from 90 year old vines, which is delicate and soft on the nose, and
intense on the palate. The wine has incredible depth and minerality with very fine tannins and
lovely length. One senses that the roots have travelled deep down into the rocks below. Drink
from 2015.
Pommard 1er Cru Pezerolles 6 bottles £320.00
A truly excellent Pommard which is sturdy and firm on the palate, as one would expect, yet
wonderfully delicate and pure on the nose with dark brambly fruit characters intermingled with
perfumed spicy notes. The fruit is pure and rounded on the mid palate, supported by a firm
structure which combines with complete harmony. Built for the longer term, this wines show real
promise and class. Drink from 2017.
We also have a small selection of Volnays
Volnay Villages £255.00
Volnay Vendange Selectionné £295.00
Volnay 1er Cru Les Mitans 6 bottles £320.00
Volnay 1er Cru Clos du Château des Ducs 6 bottles £325.00
Volnay 1er Cru Caillerets 6 bottles £330.00
Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Chênes 6 bottles £340.00
Domaine Leflaive
Luck favours the brave of course but it does seem that once again the blessings of
the Gods seemed to have been particularly directed to this special corner of
Puligny-Montrachet!
At Domaine Leflaive, the team of Anne-Claude Leflaive, Antoine Lepetit and régisseur
Eric Rémy are truly excited about their 2010s. It is a vintage where to a large degree,
good luck was on their side. Anne-Claude recounted that the team concluded the
harvest on the morning of 24th September. Later that afternoon, with precious grapes
safely in the cuverie, they held the paulée at the Domaine and the heavens well and
truly opened. Luck favours the brave of course but it does seem that once again the
blessings of the Gods seemed to have been particularly directed to this special corner
of Puligny-Montrachet!
The winter, save for the savage 24-hour frost of 19th December, was uneventful. Water
levels were replenished and by mid-March, frosts were forgotten as the temperatures
began to rise and budding began with vigour. A fresh May slowed progress and the first
flowers were not noted on the vines until 6th June, during a cool spell that continued over
the following fortnight. From the end of June to mid-July, the weather was hot and sunny
but changed again soon after Bastille Day, the skies clouding over and remaining a little
“Britannique” until mid-August. A hail storm on 12th September narrowly missed Puligny
but the increased humidity that came with it accelerated the threat of botrytis and thus
the decision was made to start harvesting on 17th September, a few days earlier than
planned. A week later and all was done, just in time to avoid the downpours on 24th.
In the cellar, progress has been without alarm. Some cuves finished their malolactics
well in advance of others but our last visit in November saw wines of impeccable
precision and purity and boundless energy emerging. Bottling in the spring, as normal,
following a winter in stainless steel, is the plan. Alcohol degrees are typically 13-13.5°
and while acidities are bright, there is plenty of flesh too. The team likens the vintage to
more alluring versions of the wonderful 2008s.
A note about volumes
While quality is extremely high in 2010 at Domaine Leflaive, sadly volumes are not.
The growing season did reduce yield but more substantial was the loss of 1.2 hectares
of vines that cut across a number of different appellations, including the Grand Crus.
These vines are owned by Anne-Claude’s cousin and one-time co-gérant Olivier and
had always been part of the Domaine until Olivier resigned as a shareholder in 2000.
Since 2000, Olivier had leased the vines to the Domaine but with the expiration of that
contract after the 2009 harvest, he has taken them back for his own production.
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