Domaine René Leclerc, Bourgogne Rouge
Burgundy, France 2014 (750mL)
Regular price$32.00
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Domaine René Leclerc, Bourgogne Rouge
The secret to finding great Burgundy is simple: Go to Burgundy and knock on every door. Whenever I visit the region, I inevitably run into other sommeliers, importers, and consumers doing just that. There’s no substitute for direct experience, so whether it’s in Burgundy or at my desk in Sonoma I’d estimate a good 20+ Bourgogne wines get passed over before we land on a standout bottle like today’s.
First off, I always perk up when I get a shot at a red from 2014—most vendors have moved on to more-recent vintages, meaning most of the ’14s are safely hidden away in restaurants and private cellars. Second, this ’14 from René Leclerc is the kind of transcendent Bourgogne Rouge I’m forever on the lookout for: Put your nose in the glass and this wine smells like a $60+ bottle of Gevrey-Chambertin. That’s no mistake. Domaine Leclerc’s cellars are in Gevrey-Chambertin, with an impressive 20 acres of vines, some as old as 80 years. Fruit from the estate’s younger vines in the village is bottled as “Bourgogne Rouge” until the winemaker is satisfied that they are ready to bear the village name on the label. That’s the beauty and drawback of Bourgogne wines: You don’t know if the fruit is coming from a small town 45 minutes south of Vosne-Romanée or 200 meters from Romanée-Conti. With the 2014 Leclerc, it almost feels like they made a mistake and bottled older-vine Gevrey under the wrong label. For me, it represents one of the greatest values (from an excellent vintage) that you’ll find from this village. Just now entering its peak years, the edges have softened and more mature Gevrey qualities will continue emerging over the next 5-7 years. But right now this wine is in a beautiful place and ordering a case and drinking it over the 18 months is the way to go. Pure, pedigreed fire for the price!
First off, I always perk up when I get a shot at a red from 2014—most vendors have moved on to more-recent vintages, meaning most of the ’14s are safely hidden away in restaurants and private cellars. Second, this ’14 from René Leclerc is the kind of transcendent Bourgogne Rouge I’m forever on the lookout for: Put your nose in the glass and this wine smells like a $60+ bottle of Gevrey-Chambertin. That’s no mistake. Domaine Leclerc’s cellars are in Gevrey-Chambertin, with an impressive 20 acres of vines, some as old as 80 years. Fruit from the estate’s younger vines in the village is bottled as “Bourgogne Rouge” until the winemaker is satisfied that they are ready to bear the village name on the label. That’s the beauty and drawback of Bourgogne wines: You don’t know if the fruit is coming from a small town 45 minutes south of Vosne-Romanée or 200 meters from Romanée-Conti. With the 2014 Leclerc, it almost feels like they made a mistake and bottled older-vine Gevrey under the wrong label. For me, it represents one of the greatest values (from an excellent vintage) that you’ll find from this village. Just now entering its peak years, the edges have softened and more mature Gevrey qualities will continue emerging over the next 5-7 years. But right now this wine is in a beautiful place and ordering a case and drinking it over the 18 months is the way to go. Pure, pedigreed fire for the price!
In today’s world, landing a bottle of mature Burgundy peaking at this level is becoming a thing of the past. Village wines are becoming more expensive because of world demand. It’s why we find ourselves utterly stunned when we come across perfectly-cellared wines like this from Domaine Leclerc—perfect, classic expressions of Pinot Noir from highly reputable vintners who obsess over the little things: like exactly how many minutes to press their grapes (and they do use an old press from the 1950s) to ensure there is no bitter extraction so that the tannins are ripe while the fruit is allowed to shine because it isn’t overshadowed by loads of new oak.
René Leclerc and his son, François, are Burgundy perfectionists who know how to make the most of an exceptional vintage. And 2014 is a year for Burgundy purists who look for clearly defined expressions of site. As Burgundy expert Stephen Tanzer has written, “the 2014s are succulent and easy to drink,” because they “stand out for their aromatic purity and verve, with many of them displaying the kind of high-pitched mineral, floral and pungent red berry aromas that are rare in hot vintages.” Interestingly, it wasn’t a picture-perfect growing season—there was a severe and widely felt hailstorm in late June. There were also some heat spikes, but for meticulous producers and especially those in Gevrey, it was a great year and it’s really beginning to show in the bottle.
At Domaine Leclerc, the old clocks and pianos that grace the tasting room are family heirlooms, but the winery itself is newer, squeaky clean, and well-maintained. The old basket press is the only relic—everything else glimmers. But the fruit is treated as it always has been—René and François pick into small bins and after gentle and careful pressing, ambient yeasts drive a cold fermentation for up to 15 days with gentle punch-downs twice daily. The wine is kept in vats for up to 6 months and then aged in neutral oak barrels for one year before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. If you’re looking for an authentic representation of Gevrey-Chambertin, look no further.
The 2014 Domaine René Leclerc Bourgogne Rouge is dark ruby with orange-garnet hues at the rim showing it’s five years of age. The aromatics are classic Gevrey in the nose with crunchy red fruits, just ripened black cherry, blood peach, pomegranate, and forest floor with crushed dark rocks and wildflowers against damp bark—almost like walking through a cold damp forest, it just colors the palate with underbrush and ferns and wet humus and wet leaves. The wine just glides across the palate, delivering deep umami notes and notes of you experienced with Gevrey Chambertin will immediately recognize this as this terroir. This Leclerc offers a Master Class of what classic Gevrey tastes like; you’d typically have to spend 2-3 times the price for a similar taste experience. You could line up a fleet of 2014 Gevrey Chambertin wines from village and Premiers Crus and this wouldn’t feel out of place. The wine will open up quickly but pull the cork 30 minutes prior to drinking and pour into large Burgundy stems and enjoy it as it unfolds and reveals more aromas, more flavors, and make sure you’ve got a classic dish to pair with it like beef bourguignon over mashed potatoes or noodles. You and a generous 6-ounce pour of this wine served at 60 degrees—and it’s like you’re sitting in the village of Gevrey having lunch. Enjoy it now, but watch as it evolves into a positive place over the next 5-7 years.