2014 Francois Lamarche, La Grande Rue Grand Cru 6x75cl

Robert Parker – 93-95

The 2014 La Grande Rue Grand Cru has a wonderful bouquet similar to the Grands Echézeaux, though at the moment albeit without the same degree of complexity. Perhaps this is just more backward at the moment. The palate is very well balanced with a keen line of acidity, nicely structured, perhaps just a little more conservative than the Grands Echézeaux, but maybe that means it will offer more once in bottle. One has the sense of a La Grande Rue just biding its time. Hopefully one day I will find out its qualities once in bottle. For so long, Domaine Lamarche was the “also-ran” of Vosne, the perennial underachiever that boasted an enviable surfeit of premier and grand crus, but whose wines frustratingly never quite reached their potential. That is no longer the case and much of that is down to winemaker Nicole Lamarche, who had better look out, as she is rapidly becoming one of my favorite vignerons in the village. Still sporting her dramatic short-cropped hair and a couple of piercings that elderly members of the village probably never knew were possible, Nicole cuts a striking figure. What lies behind the friendly, loquacious and fun personality is somebody who cares deeply about the quality of the wine. It’s not just that she has made Lamarche’s wines more consistent, but imparts them with the same intangible sense of soul as her neighbors, Mugneret-Gibourg. Indeed, stylistically I find their wines quite similar, both imbued with a sense of transparency and tension, wines that are reflective of respective terroirs without denuding them of aroma or flavor. [28/09/2017]

Anticipated maturity: 2018-2038

JancisRobinson.com – 17.5+

Monopole. Very high-toned and full of jazzy fruit. Interesting notes. On the edge – or rather just on the right side of the edge.  [14/01/2016]

Anticipated maturity: 2023-2035