La Grande Rue 1996 - François Lamarche

La Grande Rue Grand Cru Monopole 1996 - François Lamarche

Presentation of the domain:

The Lamarche estate has been present since 1797 in the prestigious terroirs of Vosne-Romanée and Vougeot.

Covering an area of over eleven hectares, the estate produces fourteen different wines, including Grande Rue, a monopoly, and one of the rare Grands Crus of Vosne-Romanée.

All the vines were cultivated using sustainable agriculture until 2010 when they switched to organic farming.

The wines are balanced and elegant.

Condition of the bottles:

We have three bottles at perfect levels. The vintage is erased on one of the bottles (but it is indeed a 1996). We are offering a significant trade discount on this bottle. Fans should take advantage of it.

Presentation of the vintage:

We are clearly "in the upscale neighborhoods" here. Located in the heart of the village of Vosne-Romanée, La Grande Rue is a 1.65-hectare monopoly that produces only 6,650 bottles per year on average. Harvests are manual, and up to 20% of the stem is retained for certain vintages.

La Grande Rue and La Tâche share brown calcareous soils that are not very thick in the upper part and deeper in the lower part.

Bottled without fining or filtration.

Visit the Grande Rue with this 360° view by following this link: La Grande Rue Monopole

The 1996 vintage: An excellent year for Burgundy.

The warm spring allowed for early flowering. The summer was cool, with moderate winds blowing throughout August. These winds dried the grapes after the rains and prevented the development of rot. Temperatures didn't warm up until September, which encouraged grape ripening, while cool nights helped retain acidity. The resulting harvest is abundant, concentrated, and healthy.

Overall, the wines are elegant and extremely well-balanced, with fine sugars and significant acidity, offering great aging potential. Côte de Nuits wines are generally recognized as having a slight edge over those of the Côte de Beaune.