90 Da Robert Parker
The 2014 Gevrey Chambertin la Justice has quite a precocious nose for a village cru with vibrant kirsch and crushed strawberry scents billowing from the glass. The palate is well balanced with fine tannin, silky in texture with red cherry and strawberry fruit, finishing perhaps just a little short -- but I am already satisfied by then.<br/>Hubert Lignier must have wondered who was driving into his courtyard with Nicky Minaj's "Anaconda" on at full volume in the car. Steve Tanzer? No, more an Iggy Azalea fan. It had to be yours truly. It was great to see Hubert dressed in his rather fetching olive green boiler suit, zipped up and busy working around the domaine just as was doing six decades ago. In fact, he is one of Burgundy's grandees who seems not to age one bit every time I see him. I guess that now with his son Laurent steering the domaine, he can be assured that his legacy will continue long after him. And I have not spared any words of admiration for what this father and son team have achieved in recent vintages, simply put, creating some of the best wines the Côte de Nuits has to offer. After bidding adieu to Hubert (work to do), Laurent and I retired to the gîtes to taste through his 2014s. There were actually also 2013s on offer as well, although to my regret, I only had the chance to taste a couple. Theirs is a far more expanded portfolio than a few years ago. That is because the litigation against Hubert's daughter-in-law has been settled, so that the family was returned a majority of the holdings, but also thanks to successful bids at the Hospices de Nuits and also via Laurent's group of investors that have enabled Laurent to purchase fruit from more vineyards. This year, that includes a third Grand Cru in the shape of a Griotte-Chambertin that comes from purchased fruit. Laurent told me that they harvested between September 16 and 24. Of course, I did ask whether they encountered any problems with the suzukii fruit fly. "We did a pre-harvest for suzukii," Laurent told me, "one in Les Bussières near some fruit trees where we lost 200 kilograms of grapes and some in Clos de la Roche near some bushes where we lost 150 kilograms." In similar fashion to other years, there is much to admire in 2014. I would not go so far as to suggest that they represent the best ever -- perhaps 2012 stands as a modern-day benchmark -- yet you cannot deny that the Charmes-Chambertin, Clos de la Roche, Gevrey Combottes and perhaps the best value among them, the wonderful Morey-Saint-Denis Premier Cru, all represent Pinot Noir at its best. I would also mention their over-performing Nuits Saint Georges les Poisets that possessed a really quite evocative and beguiling bouquet that was difficult to drag my nose away from. There were one or two that I was anticipating more from, such as the Chambolle-Musigny les Bussières and a couple of the Pommards, but otherwise Hubert Lignier is fast consolidating its name as one of the most reliable in Morey-Saint-Denis. Next time, I'll have to enquire where Hubert got that boiler suit from. Would be useful for tastings.
The 2014 Gevrey Chambertin la Justice has quite a precocious nose for a village cru with vibrant kirsch and crushed strawberry scents billowing from the glass. The palate is well balanced with fine tannin, silky in texture with red cherry and strawberry fruit, finishing perhaps just a little short -- but I am already satisfied by then.<br/>Hubert Lignier must have wondered who was driving into his courtyard with Nicky Minaj's "Anaconda" on at full volume in the car. Steve Tanzer? No, more an Iggy Azalea fan. It had to be yours truly. It was great to see Hubert dressed in his rather fetching olive green boiler suit, zipped up and busy working around the domaine just as was doing six decades ago. In fact, he is one of Burgundy's grandees who seems not to age one bit every time I see him. I guess that now with his son Laurent steering the domaine, he can be assured that his legacy will continue long after him. And I have not spared any words of admiration for what this father and son team have achieved in recent vintages, simply put, creating some of the best wines the Côte de Nuits has to offer. After bidding adieu to Hubert (work to do), Laurent and I retired to the gîtes to taste through his 2014s. There were actually also 2013s on offer as well, although to my regret, I only had the chance to taste a couple. Theirs is a far more expanded portfolio than a few years ago. That is because the litigation against Hubert's daughter-in-law has been settled, so that the family was returned a majority of the holdings, but also thanks to successful bids at the Hospices de Nuits and also via Laurent's group of investors that have enabled Laurent to purchase fruit from more vineyards. This year, that includes a third Grand Cru in the shape of a Griotte-Chambertin that comes from purchased fruit. Laurent told me that they harvested between September 16 and 24. Of course, I did ask whether they encountered any problems with the suzukii fruit fly. "We did a pre-harvest for suzukii," Laurent told me, "one in Les Bussières near some fruit trees where we lost 200 kilograms of grapes and some in Clos de la Roche near some bushes where we lost 150 kilograms." In similar fashion to other years, there is much to admire in 2014. I would not go so far as to suggest that they represent the best ever -- perhaps 2012 stands as a modern-day benchmark -- yet you cannot deny that the Charmes-Chambertin, Clos de la Roche, Gevrey Combottes and perhaps the best value among them, the wonderful Morey-Saint-Denis Premier Cru, all represent Pinot Noir at its best. I would also mention their over-performing Nuits Saint Georges les Poisets that possessed a really quite evocative and beguiling bouquet that was difficult to drag my nose away from. There were one or two that I was anticipating more from, such as the Chambolle-Musigny les Bussières and a couple of the Pommards, but otherwise Hubert Lignier is fast consolidating its name as one of the most reliable in Morey-Saint-Denis. Next time, I'll have to enquire where Hubert got that boiler suit from. Would be useful for tastings.
