Francois Lamarche Grand Cru La Grande Rue 2019

PRE-ARRIVAL DUE MID JUNE

The 1.65-hectare La Grande Rue vineyard dates to the 15^th century and it’s the second smallest of the Vosne Grands Crus, after La Romanée. It’s enviably situated, directly bordering La Tâche to the south (it is in fact a continuation of this vineyard) and La Romanée-Conti, La Romanée and Romanée-Saint-Vivant to the north. The site first came into Lamarche hands in 1933 and it has been a monopole for the family ever since.

This can be thought of as a prettier, more delicate version of La Tâche but I think it actually comes closer to its northern neighbours in style, as Clive Coates suggests: “La Grande Rue, in my view, is a more feminine wine than La Tâche. It is closer to Romanée-Saint-Vivant.” Allen Meadows also writes (in The Pearl of the Côte) that the wine’s aging potential most closely mirrors that of Romanée-Saint-Vivant. As always though, comparisons are problematic—La Grande Rue clearly has its own personality. It is also clearly a site of great class: when you taste this wine next to the same producer’s Echézeaux, Grands Echézeaux and Clos de Vougeot (which are themselves superb examples of their respective Grand Cru vineyards), the sheer class and depth of La Grande Rue are self-evident.

Perfect fresh mid red to purple in colour. There is an extra distinction to the bouquet, with a touch of spice and a little bit of blood orange. Very nuanced this year. Sweetly harmonious across the middle of the palate, iron-rich at the finish, supple and extremely persistent. Long, harmonious, with a silky touch. 94-98 points, Jasper Morris MW, Inside Burgundy

An elegant mix of upper and medium register aromas centers mostly on the red side of the fruit spectrum along with hints of exotic herbal tea, spice and pretty floral elements along with a hint of menthol. There is lovely detail and underlying tension to the moderately powerful medium-bodied flavors that possess plenty of punch on the dusty and youthfully austere finish that exhibits first-rate length. This beautifully balanced effort could use more depth, but it is already a lovely combination of power and refinement that will also need extended aging though probably not as much as the Grands Ech. 95 points, Allen Meadows, Burghound

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