Jean-Pierre Latour has produced another set of beautiful wines in 2020 that, as mentioned in the vintage report, he summarised as being “beautifully fresh, extremely pure and incredibly detailed.” He began his harvest on 22nd August, with one of the main challenges in the season being heat at flowering causing some loss of volume, most notably in Les Genevrières. The clarity with which each vineyard expresses itself at such an early stage in such a warm vintage is extraordinary. Les Charmes is noteworthy in the vintage too; the efforts Jean-Pierre has been making to elevate the standing of this often-overshadowed Premier Cru is evident in a Charmes that captures the supple breadth of the terroir while exhibiting a degree of focus, delineation and class that sets it on a new trajectory.
2020 Bourgogne Chardonnay, Domaine Latour-Giraud
£105 per 6 bottle case in bond
Clean, fresh, ripe. Lovely clarity here. Good palate weight on attack. Then clean as a whistle across the mid-palate and finish. A saline, mouth-watering touch at end. Drink 2023-2025
2020 Meursault, Les Narvaux, Domaine Latour-Giraud
£225 per 6 bottle case in bond
Initial reductive notes of bacon fat on the nose give way to classic floral and citrus aromatics. There is a notable cool sense of ripeness and a beautiful tension and precision on the palate here with a gently expressed saline touch at the end. This is a huge success in the vintage, with the tension, precision and freshness a result of Narvaux’s altitude combined with the preserved acidity of the vintage. Ripe fruit and ripe acidity combine in perfect counterpoint. Drink 2022-2028
2020 Meursault Premier Cru, Les Bouchères, Domaine Latour-Giraud
£270 per 6 bottle case in bond
Initially closed on the nose, citrus aromas emerge. The palate shows a notable sweetness of lemon fruit on the attack and a breadth but successfully manages to balance the sweet, ripe fruit with a sense of energy and a remarkable degree of precision. The delicacy so typical of Bouchères makes itself evident on the long lemony finish. Drink 2023-2030
2020 Meursault Premier Cru, Les Charmes, Domaine Latour-Giraud
£330 per 6 bottle case in bond
Lemon aromas here too but in a more opulent, broader presentation. The supple cushioned volume on the attack is balanced by a mouth-tingling, saline finish. The finish is of such vibrancy and is notably a mineral-driven rather than acidity-driven freshness. There is incredible mineral persistence here and this is a Charmes that shows all the class and stature too often only associated with Genevrières and Perrières. A brilliant example. Drink 2024-2032
2020 Meursault Premier Cru, Les Genevrières, Domaine Latour-Giraud SOLD OUT
£345 per 6 bottle case in bond
Chiselled and precise. Classic Genevrières notes of sweet lime on the nose. Perfumed and generous. This is so clean, pure and persistent, showing a great tension and pure fruit. So detailed and focused, fresh, with a pithy grip and a pink grapefruit touch at the very end. Drink 2024-2032
2020 Meursault Premier Cru, Les Genevrières, Cuvée des Pierre, Domaine Latour-Giraud SOLD OUT
£420 per 6 bottle case in bond
Intense concentration here, more complexity and a tighter core of fruit. There is evident weight of fruit on the palate with an intense lime citrus sweet fruit dimension coming back on a long finish of controlled power. Drink 2024-2034
2020 Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru, Les Champs Canet, Domaine Latour-Giraud
£360 per 6 bottle case in bond
Restrained nose with citrus and white flower notes emerging. Sweet citrus fruit coats the palate with a white stone tension expressing itself on the finish. This wine remains incredibly well detailed from beginning to end, capturing the nature of the vintage. While the nose is currently closed and the palate more generous, with time the nose will become more explosive and the palate gain increasing tension. Drink 2022-2028
2020 Volnay Premier Cru, Clos des Chênes, Domaine Latour-Giraud
£270 per 6 bottle case in bond
Beautifully pure, ripe fruit – dark cherry, raspberry, a touch of redcurrant. Explosion of summer fruits on the palate, scented and gently flowing to a long, fresh fruit finish which shows a strong mineral touch together with its ripe fruit purity. Structured but with fine balance. This shows really well in 2020 and while the fruit quality and freshness will allow earlier accessibility than some reds in the vintage, there is the depth and structure to ensure a long development in bottle. Drink 2026-2040