Domaine Leroy's Richebourg from 2011, a changeable year that favoured finesse over weight in the Côte de Nuits. Critics who tasted the domaine's 2011 range came away strongly impressed by the consistency of its Grands Crus.
About This Wine
The domaine owns about 0.78 hectares of Richebourg, a holding second in size only to DRC's. 2011 was an uneven season in Burgundy, yet Leroy's Grands Crus were widely admired. Wine Advocate's Neal Martin scored this wine 95 points, describing sea-spray and pine-forest aromas that emerged with air and a denser, more powerful frame than the domaine's Romanée-Saint-Vivant. Jancis Robinson found it a touch indistinct when young and expected it to grow in stature with time.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Red cherry and wild strawberry, rose, then a salty, sea-air lift and pine needle as it opens.
- Palate: Medium-bodied and silky, with supple tannin and a denser core than the vintage might suggest.
- Finish: Long and powerful for the year, with spice, mineral salt and dark fruit.
Serving & Food
Drinking now with air, and good for another decade or more. A gentle 45-minute decant is plenty; serve at about 16°C in a Burgundy balloon. Try it with Peking duck, pan-roasted quail or a rib of veal with morels.
How to Enjoy
Drinkers who prefer Burgundy with tension and detail, or a Leroy Richebourg pair alongside the fuller 2009.
Product Details
Producer: Domaine Leroy
Appellation: Richebourg Grand Cru
Village: Vosne-Romanée, Burgundy
Country: France
Vintage: 2011
Grape Variety: Pinot Noir
Volume: 750mL
About the Domaine
When Lalou Bize-Leroy set up her domaine in 1988, she was already a major figure in Burgundy: head of Maison Leroy, the family merchant business dating to 1868, and co-director of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. Buying Domaine Charles Noëllat gave her a base in Vosne-Romanée and a run of top vineyards, which she converted to biodynamics almost at once.
The winery itself is simple, with black-painted wooden vats. The style rests on whole bunches, tiny yields and new oak, with bottling unfined and unfiltered. Around 22 hectares spread across nine Grands Crus make for very small volumes of each wine.