2014 Lucien Le Moine Chassagne-Montrachet La Romanee

Lucien le Moine is a rarity in Burgundy. It is a garagiste producer of Grand Cru and Premier Cru Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with a cult reputation for highly individualistic wines. Its founders and owners are the husband and wife team of Mounir Saouma and Rotem Brakir, who started the label only in 2000. Saouma became fascinated with Burgundy while working in a Trappist Monastery in Jerusalem, and later studied oenology in Montpellier, France. His wife Rotem comes from a cheese-making family and she studied agriculture and oenology in Dijon. The couple owns or leases no vineyards of their own but they purchase small batches of juice or very young cuvee from outstanding Grand Cru and Premier Cru vineyards in the Cote d’Or. The couple does all the work themselves and produce, at most, 30,000 bottles a year. Robert M. Parker Jr. has written that “the richness and complexity of (their wines) are stunning.”

La Romanee is a 10-acre Premier Cru vineyard in Chassagne-Montrachet in Burgundy’s Cote de Beaune. It is one of 51 Premier Crus in the appellation and it lies between 250 and 300 meters. The vineyard faces southeast. Robert M. Parker Jr. has written that “Chassagne-Montrachet is a treasure trove for outstanding Premier Cru vineyards. In fact, certain Premiers Crus…often achieve Grand Cru status in quality if not in name.”

This white variety originated in Burgundy, but is now grown around the world. Its flexibility to thrive in many regions translates to wide flavor profile in the market. Chardonnay is commonly used in making Champagne and sparkling wines.