2017 Gigondas “Terrasse du Diable”Domaine Les Pallières
France | Southern Rhône
$40
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The most prized terroir of Saint-Aubin, Les Murgers sits at the highest point of the appellation on a solid limestone plateau with an impregnable view of the Côte d’Or below. Situated above En Remilly with south to southeast exposure, it lies between twenty and sixty meters directly above Chevalier-Montrachet. Picture a brighter, higher-altitude version of this storied grand cru! A firm nose leads to a beautiful richness on the palate, then a finish with a persistent and mighty stony grip. The longest ager of the Larue stable, this is a real thoroughbred that you should classify along with the great premiers crus of Chassagne, Puligny, and Meursault.
Long-timers might remember how from the start I looked in all the nooks and crannies for bargain white Burgundies. I needed them for myself and for some of you. I was struck by the potential at Saint-Aubin. I visited several domaines over the years—something kept clicking for me and bringing me back. When Saint-Aubin succeeds, it makes one of white Burgundy’s most charming wines. —Kermit Lynch, 2016
—Dixon Brooke
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2017 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Chardonnay |
Appellation: | Saint-Aubin |
Country: | France |
Region: | Burgundy |
Producer: | Domaine Larue |
Winemaker: | Didier, Denis, and Bruno Larue |
Vineyard: | Planted 1946, 1964, 1972, 1990, 1997, .35 ha |
Soil: | Clay, Limestone |
Farming: | Lutte Raisonnée |
Alcohol: | 13% |
Domaine Larue France | Burgundy | Saint-Aubin
Domaine Larue France | Burgundy | Saint-Aubin
Domaine Larue France | Burgundy | Saint-Aubin
Domaine Larue France | Burgundy | Puligny-Montrachet
Domaine Larue France | Burgundy | Saint-Aubin
Domaine Larue France | Burgundy | Saint-Aubin
In eastern central France, Burgundy is nestled between the wine regions of Champagne to the north, the Jura to the east, the Loire to the west, and the Rhône to the south. This is the terroir par excellence for producing world-class Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
The southeast-facing hillside between Dijon in the north and Maranges in the south is known as the Côte d’Or or “golden slope.” The Côte d’Or comprises two main sections, both composed of limestone and clay soils: the Côte de Nuits in the northern sector, and the Côte de Beaune in the south. Both areas produce magnificent whites and reds, although the Côte de Beaune produces more white wine and the Côte de Nuits more red.
Chablis is Burgundy’s northern outpost, known for its flinty and age-worthy Chardonnays planted in Kimmeridgian limestone on an ancient seabed. Vézelay is a smaller area south of Chablis with similar qualities, although the limestone there is not Kimmeridgian.
To the south of the Côte de Beaune, the Côte Chalonnaise extends from Chagny on its northern end, down past Chalon-sur-Saône and encompasses the appellations of Bouzeron in the north, followed by Rully, Mercurey, Givry, and Montagny.
Directly south of the Chalonnaise begins the Côte Mâconnais, which extends south past Mâcon to the hamlets of Fuissé, Vinzelles, Chaintré, and Saint-Véran. The Mâconnais is prime Chardonnay country and contains an incredible diversity of soils.
Jean-Claude Regnaudot France | Burgundy | Maranges
Roland Lavantureux France | Burgundy | Chablis
Comtesse de Chérisey France | Burgundy | Puligny-Montrachet
Domaine de la Cadette France | Burgundy
Domaine Larue France | Burgundy | Puligny-Montrachet
Régis Bouvier France | Burgundy | Marsannay
Domaine Larue France | Burgundy | Saint-Aubin
Domaine Larue France | Burgundy | Saint-Aubin
Domaine Robert-Denogent France | Burgundy | Pouilly-Fuissé
Domaine Lucien Boillot et Fils France | Burgundy | Gevrey-Chambertin
Régis Bouvier France | Burgundy | Marsannay
Henri Costal France | Burgundy | Chablis
Let the brett nerds retire into protective bubbles, and whenever they thirst for wine it can be passed in to them through a sterile filter. Those of us on the outside can continue to enjoy complex, natural, living wines.
Inspiring Thirst, page 236
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