The 2011 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru has an attractive, well-defined bouquet with brambly black fruit, briary, wild hedgerow and a touch of dried violets. The palate is medium-bodied with a fine line of acidity. Like Lechenaut’s other 2011s, there is a lot of oak dominating the finish and it does not sit comfortably with the fruit profile, rendering it rather predictable. Still, it is a decent Pinot Noir even if it does not really express what a Clos de la Roche ought to. Drink now-2018.
Domaine Lecheneaut own a scattering of parcels across the Cotes de Nuits since Fernand Lecheneaut acquired the holdings back in the 1960s. Since 1985, after their father fell ill, brothers Vincent and Philippe Lecheneaut have run the winery in Nuits-St.-Georges. They farm around 10-hectares of vine, a majority Pinot Noir, including prized vines in Clos de la Roche. The tenets here are for most bunches to be stemmed, depending on the quality of fruit, and aging in Francois Freres oak (up to half new), even for the village crus. As I am accustomed to doing, I appraised the wines before researching their elevage, and time and time again I noted a propensity for the wood to dominate these wines and denude them of personality and individuality. That was frustrating because when I did encounter a cuvee where the wood was singing from the same hymn sheet as the fruit, i.e., the Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru, it stuck out like a sore thumb and exuded appealing fruit character, fine balance and a comparatively character-filled finish. Repeating my sentiment toward Maison Ambroise, if that new oak can be dialed down a little, then I am certain that Lecheneaut’s wines would sing more brightly.
Importer: Robert Kacher Selections, Washington, DC; tel. (202) 832-9083
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