2014 Maison Joseph Drouhin Marquis de Laguiche Chassagne-Montrachet Morgeot Blanc 1er Cru

The 2014 Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot Marquis de Laguiche was picked between September 16 and 19, and is whole cluster fruit, spending 14 months in oak barrels. It has a very seductive bouquet with a hint of licorice in the background, detailed and gaining intensity in the glass. The palate is very well defined, harmonious on the entry with bitter lemon and orange zest. There is compelling energy here -- this Chassagne just flows across the mouth and the finish is so vivid. By far and away, this is the best Chassagne-Morgeot that I have tasted from Marquis de Laguiche/Drouhin. The 2014s from Maison Joseph Drouhin were the only ones that I tasted outside Burgundy, in November 2015. This was because they conduct a tasting in a quiet, formal setting, Véronique Drouhin is present and also, because I know that they spend four or five days assembling samples so that they are close to the what they believe will be the final blend. That said, I still returned my bottle of Montrachet because it felt a little oxidized (a second was representative) and I asked Véronique if the samples corresponded to those tasted in Beaune the previous week (they did). I tasted most of their Côte d'Or white and reds, also their Mâconnais wines and their first releases from Beaujolais. These three cuvées comes from the Hospices de Belleville. There was already a connection with hospitals since Véronique's grandfather was an administrator for eastern France in respect of its hospitals. They did a tender to find someone who would be able to assist them with their 14 hectares of vine and chose Drouhin. "We are not going to change much," Véronique assured. "But the growers for the Hospices did not have much equipment so for example, we bought a new destemmer." Véronique's summary of the 2014 growing season was similar to those expressed by fellow vignerons. She did point out that in the Mâconnais, they were hit by hail on July 4 and also that this year, everything went through malolactic.

Aromas of orange peel, almond flower and wild herbs; showing more spicy oak influence than the Embrazées. An elegant, fine-grained style, with lime and soft citrus flavors firmed and lifted by spices on the dry finish. This vibrant, rather palate-staining wine needs time to absorb its oak element.