"92-94 Points, Allen Meadows, Burghound
Sweet spot Outstanding ♥
Note: from 40+ year old vines from a huge 2.5 ha parcel in Genevrières Dessus
A cool, pure and elegant array of lilac, lavender, lemon rind and green apple scents displays a wisp of exotic spiced tea. Much like the palate impression of the Charmes, the unusually rich and voluminous medium weight flavors completely coat the palate with sappy dry extract which again buffers the firm acid backbone on the focused, complex and beautifully persistent finish where a hint of bitter lemon arises. This is at once lacy and refined yet powerful while also remaining extremely promising - it should amply repay a decade plus of cellaring. Drink: 2031+ Tasted: Jun 10, 2023"
Jean-Pierre Latour has 10 hectares under vine in Meursault. Wonderfully sited vineyards, low yields, brilliant winemaking and no fining or filtration, make this one of the most exciting domaines in the village at present. The domaine is currently in organic conversion.
The wine is fermented and matured in barrel (around 1/3 new) for 15-16 months. The very fine 1er Cru Genevrières is from two perfectly sited parcels, comprising 2.5 hectares at the top of the vineyard.
Allen Meadows, Burghound.com
Jean-Pierre Latour described the 2021 vintage as "one where the frost was beyond terrible. For example, in our holdings in Genevrières and Narvaux, we lost 95% of the potential crop. We put out warming pots in some parcels but if they did any good, our results didn't support that idea. I do my best to rationalize what happened by acknowledging that if we had, by chance, normal yields, the fruit would never have ripened. So on the one hand, it's easy to lament the absence of volume but on the other, if you're being honest, normal yields would have produced a lot of really bad wine. We picked between the 16th and the 24th of September and brought in ripe fruit that averaged 13% in potential alcohols with excellent acidities. On average, we had only one to two bunches per vine so as I mentioned, volumes were the worst that I personally have ever seen. For that reason, we will not issue a Bouchères, Perrières or Poruzots in 2021. The good news in all of this though is that the quality is superb and especially so for those who love classic whites. They remind me of riper versions of 1981, which was also a vintage that was heavily frosted." I agree with Latour's take as the quality of his 2021s is indeed exceptional and while they won't be easy to find, they are absolutely worth searching out as every wine in the range is highly recommended.
