2017 Clos des Lambrays, Grand Cru, Domaine des Lambrays, Burgundy
- Red
- Dry
- Full Bodied
- Pinot Noir
Not ready
- Julia Harding MW
- 18/20
- Allen Meadows
- 91-94+
- Neal Martin MW
- 92-94+
- William Kelley
- 92-95+/100
- Richard Hemming MW
- 19/20
- Allen Meadows
- 92/100
- Neal Martin MW
- 93/100
- William Kelley
- 93/100
Product: 20178023184
Description
This is generous and very velvety, open and approachable. The complexity is still unfolding, but this has a very good, long finish. There seems already to be a bit more focus and composure under the new team. 90% whole-bunch, and raised in 50% new oak. Yields were 38hl/ha.
This is the first solo vintage for Boris Champy and the start of a new era, as Bernard Arnault, having made his first visit to the domaine since its purchase by LVMH, has set new targets of excellence. A new cuverie is promised and a full vineyard survey has just been completed, with other luxury-brand accoutrements also promised. Boris noted that 2017 is one of the earliest at the domaine, along with 2003, 2011 and 2015, starting here on 3rd September. It’s a good, general vintage, he feels, with lowish acidity, comparable to 2006.
Drink 2025 - 2030
Berry Bros. & Rudd
Colour Red
Sweetness Dry
Vintage 2017
Maturity Not ready
Grape List Pinot Noir
Body Full Bodied
Producer Domaine des Lambrays
Critics reviews
Julia Harding MW 18/20
60 m difference in height between the top and the bottom of the Clos. 50% new and 50% second-use barrel. 90% whole bunch (some years 100%). Will be racked to tank at the end of December. Once in cuve it is stable so there is no hurry to bottle. Must have at least a month in tank to stabilise so they will bottle February –April. Bottling best in March or October – never too cold or hot. No filtration. They bottle with descending moon when the wine is more still. Beautifully, darkly aromatic with plenty of peppery spice. Woody rather than oaky. There’s freshness from the tannins as well as from the acidity and the texture is so silky on the mid palate yet with power on the finish. Refined, flowing, dry and long. Handsome beauty and so easy to taste even with the underlying intensity and power. There’s just a very slight hint of stems but not OTT. Dark elegance. julia_harding MW, JancisRobinson.com, (January 2019)
Allen Meadows 91-94+
Here too there are whiffs of herbal tea, floral and spice influences on the essence of red berries that is trimmed in soft wood and earth nuances. Once again the mouthfeel of the medium-bodied flavors is beautifully sleek thanks to the dense but fine-grained tannins shaping the attractively refreshing, youthfully austere and strikingly long finale where the only concern is a hint of dryness. My sense is that the dryness is related to the abundant gas and thus my predicted range offers the benefit of the doubt. 2032+ allen_meadows, burghound_com (January 2019)
Neal Martin MW 92-94+
The 2017 Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru was picked September 3–11 and includes 90% whole bunches in this vintage, matured in 50% new oak. Two tanks were chaptalized and the alcohol is around 13.5°. This has a classic Clos des Lambrays bouquet, quite understated at first, precise but tightly coiled. There is fine purity here. The palate is medium-bodied with crunchy black fruit laced with tobacco and graphite and a fine line of acidity. Not the most persistent Clos des Lambrays that has ever been made, but perhaps one of the most elegant and poised. Neil Martin, Vinous.com.com (January 2019)
William Kelley 92-95+/100
The 2017 Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru unfurls in the glass with complex aromas of plums, cassis, dark chocolate, warm spices, licorice and rich soil tones, delicately framed by new oak. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, ample and satiny, with a fleshy core of fruit, succulent acids and powdery tannins. My intuition is that this will turn out to be both a little more concentrated and a little more structurally giving than the 2016 rendition. William Kelley, The Wine Advocate (January 2019)
Richard Hemming MW 19/20
Leafy, autumnal and complex, with soy and liquorice and a toasted, smoky finish. Fibrous tannin, pure fruit, excellent length. It's not floral, but there is an elegance here. Superbly persistent – just doesn't quit. Excellent expressiveness, this has the magic of Burgundy.Drink 2020 - 2040richard_hemming_mw, JancisRobinson.com (May 2022)
Allen Meadows 92/100
There are whiffs of herbal tea, floral and spice influences on the essence of red berry aromas that are trimmed in soft wood and earth nuances. The mouthfeel of the medium-bodied flavors is beautifully sleek thanks to the dense but fine-grained tannins shaping the attractively refreshing, youthfully austere and long finale that is quite linear rather than rich. This should further flesh out with bottle age though that will require at least some cellaring.Drink from 2029 onwardallen_meadows, burghound_com.com (January 2020)
Neal Martin MW 93/100
The 2017 Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru has a very detailed bouquet of gorgeous red currant, cranberry and mineral aromas, plus a touch of tobacco in the background; quite leafy in style. The palate is medium-bodied with a fine backbone, quite firm and slightly powdery in texture. Focused with good grip on the sappy, overtly peppery finish. This is an excellent Grand Cru. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2017 tasting.Drink 2025 - 2048Neil Martin, Vinous.com.com (September 2021)
William Kelley 93/100
The 2017 Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru opens in the glass with expressive aromas of sweet berry fruit, plums and orange rind that mingle with nuances of forest floor, smoked meats, cedar and spices. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, supple and open-knit, with succulent acids and moderate concentration, concluding with a nicely defined finish. I expect this to flesh out a little as it bounces back from bottling.Drink 2022 - 2048William Kelley, Wine Advocate (January 2020)
About this wine
Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir is probably the most frustrating, and at times infuriating, wine grape in the world. However when it is successful, it can produce some of the most sublime wines known to man. This thin-skinned grape which grows in small, tight bunches performs well on well-drained, deepish limestone based subsoils as are found on Burgundy's Côte d'Or. Pinot Noir is more susceptible than other varieties to over cropping - concentration and varietal character disappear rapidly if yields are excessive and yields as little as 25hl/ha are the norm for some climats of the Côte d`Or.
Find out more
Domaine des Lambrays
Domaine des Lambrays was established in 1363 yet it was only in 1981 that this climat was finally promoted to Grand Cru. The estate was purchased in 1996 by the Freune family and since then dramatic changes have taken place, leading to an upsurge in quality. At 8.8 hectares, this is the largest Grand Cru parcel in Burgundy under one proprietor. As well as the grand cru itself, the Domaine also owns vines in premier cru and village vineyards in Morey, and since 1993, two premier cru vineyards in Puligny Montrachet, les Folatières and Clos du Cailleret, purchased from Domaine Chartron. Winemaker Jacques Devauges has been in charge since 1979. The vineyards are run on more or less organic lines, with no chemical anti-rot sprays, and ploughing of the soil by horse. In the cellar, he likes to use the majority of the stems, favours punching down over pumping over, and prefers to restrain the amount of new oak – around 50% for the grand cru. The produce of young vines is downgraded to Morey St Denis 1er cru where it joins the fruit of tiny holdings of La Riotte and Le Village. The village Morey comes from La Riotte, Clos Solon, Les Larreys and especially La Bidaude which lies just above the Clos des Lambrays. Domaine des Lambrays produces wines which possess balance, power and finesse and which fully live up to their Grand Cru status. Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Wine Director and author of the award-winning Inside Burgundy comprehensive handbook.
Find out more
Need help?
Delivery and Quality Guarantee
Registered company 05492886. BB&R Limited, trading as Berry Bros. & Rudd, 3 St James's Street, London, SW1A 1EG. All rights reserved. You must be 18 or over to order. Calls may be recorded.
