2018 Beaune Greves
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Tasting notes
The 2018 Beaune Grèves 1er Cru comes from 97-year-old vines, the oldest of the domaine. It has a wonderful, transparent, disarmingly pure bouquet of perfumed crushed strawberry and cranberry aromas laced with rose petals. The palate is silky smooth on the entry, with touches of kirsch infusing the red fruit, and later blood orange and quince, leading to quite a precocious finish. This will be very seductive once bottled.
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Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
Neal Martin
More reviews and scores
The Lafarge family's 97-year-old vines managed to produce a yield of 35 hectoliters per hectare this year, and they have produced a very serious wine for the long haul in the form of the 2018 Beaune 1er Cru Les Grèves. Unwinding to reveal notions of sweet red berries, orange rind and wilted rose petal, it's medium to full-bodied, fine-boned and mineral, with superb depth and a long, penetrating finish. This elegant, ethereal Beaune is built for the cellar.
97-year-old vines – their oldest. A quarter has been pulled out because of the effects of the 2012 hail and planted in 2017 with mass selection from the domaine. In the fallow time it was planted with 30 different species to restore health to and aerate the soil. They will eventually blend the fruit from the differently aged vines. The old vines are in great shape – less than 10% of the vines have been replaced – and they are ‘happy in this vintage’. Barrel sample. Lovely combination of fruit ripeness and freshness. Deep fruited, sweet smelling but not OTT. Inviting cherry fruit. Effortless concentration with extreme finesse in the compact but super-fine tannins. Both ethereal and deep. Perfect harmony of fruit and structure and great length. More savoury on the palate with just a hint of spice on the finish. (JH)