Domaine Nicole Lamarche 2018 Burgundy Tasting

"Nothing makes the future look so rosy as to contemplate it through a glass of Chambertin."
- Napoleon Bonaparte

If you are not familiar with that Domaine it may be because it was know as Domaine Francois Lamarche until just this release.  We have been following this domain for a long time and their grand cru monopole La Grand Rue which is located between La Tache and Romanee Conti.  The 25% tariff still would not make this wine anywhere close to the price of the two grand cur monopoles of DRC but the importer decided not to bring it in.  So, although the 2018 La Grande Rue is not on the table I just happened to have a bottle of the 2005 vintage of this wine so we will show a more mature version of this great Grand Cru along with all the current releases from one of the most famed Domaine in all of the Burgundy.

2018 Domaine Nicole Lamarche Burgundy Wine Tasting
Thursday, February 4th 2021
7:30 PM

2018 Domaine Nicole Lamarche Bourgogne Hautes Cotes De Nuits
2018 Domaine Nicole Lamarche Bourgogne Rouge
2018 Domaine Nicole Lamarche Vosne Romanee
2018 Domaine Nicole Lamarche Vosne Romanee 1er Cru Les Suchots
2018 Domaine Nicole Lamarche Vosne Romanee 1er Cru Les Chaumes
2014 Domaine Francois Lamarche Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Chaumes
2018 Domaine Nicole Lamarche Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru
2018 Domaine Nicole Lamarche Echezeaux Grand Cru
2018 Domaine Nicole Lamarche Grands Echezeaux Grand Cru
2005 Domaine Francois Lamarche La Grande Rue Grand Cru

Menu
Selection of Cheese and Charcuterie
Sauteed Hudson Valley Foie Gras with Wild Mushrooms and Brioche Toast
Japanese A5 NY Sirloin Sliced with Burgundy Natural Sauce and Creamed Spinach
Epoisses and Apple Tart

The fee for this tasting which includes dinner is $295 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.

A bit about the History of the Domaine:

Since 1797, on the prestigious terroirs of Vosne-Romanée and Vougeot, our vineyards have offered the Estate their precious fruit. From these terroirs , we produce fourteen different wines, including la Grande Rue, a monopole of the Estate, one of the rare grands crus of Vosne-Romanée.
The Lamarche Estate, which now boasts a total surface area of nearly 28 acres, is a family firm, whose origin goes back several generations. We have adopted integrated viticulture for all our vineyards, and we try to express both our terroir and our history in our wines. They all have in common that elegance which combines exceptional balance and a delicate nose.
Ancestors of the Lamarche family were already established in the village of Vosne-Romanée in around 1740.   Since the end of the 19 th century (for five generations), the estate has grown bigger over the years: Henri Lamarche, a cooper, married Marie Grivelet from Chambolle-Musigny and founded the estate at the beginning of the 20 th century He produced, matured and already sold his wines directly from the estate.
Half way between Dijon, the capital of the region of Burgundy, and Beaune, the capital of Burgundy wine, between the Clos de Vougeot and Nuits Saint Georges, Vosne-Romanée, securely rooted into its venerable cellars, is – thanks to its great wines – one of the French wine-producing villages which are the best known throughout the world. The vines face due east and its grand appellations run down alongside the church as far as the Priory of Saint Vivant.
From a 'geological' point of view, the grands crus lie on oolite in ferruginous limestone soils - with stony, rocky or clay-marl subsoil - which give full-bodied, well-structured wines, deep in colour and with greater ageing capacity. The Vosne-Romanée AOC vineyards are planted on deeper, clay-limestone soils and produce lighter wines, with more subtle aromas, and which develop more quickly.
Their son, Henri Lamarche, born in 1903, took over the estate. He inherited la Grande Rue in 1933, the year of his marriage to Aline Demur (la Grande Rue would become a grand cru for the INAO in 1989, the decree being passed in 1992). They would have four children, including François and Geneviève.
François took over the 'reins' of the estate when his father died in 1985. Today, there are two generations to welcome you at the estate: François Lamarche and his wife, Marie-Blanche, are in charge, respectively, of the winemaking and sales. Geneviève Lamarche (the sister of François) manages the accounts, Nicole (François and Marie-Blanche's daughter) is taking over the viti-vinicultural part, under the watchful eye of her father, and Nathalie (Geneviève's daughter) the sales part with her aunt.
Under Nicole’s influence, this domaine has become a source of some of the most impressive expressions of Pinot Noir. At no stage is Nicole looking for power and, as her wines’ intensity comes purely from the vineyard. The harvest is planned by analysis in the vineyards over two days and creating a picking plan. On receipt, everything is de-stemmed, as Nicole only wants the smoother skin tannins. After a gentle pressing, during which the juice is constantly tasted and the pressing stopped before the first hint of bitterness, the juice and skins are chilled to 6°C and then allowed to warm naturally, instigating a gentle start to the fermentation. Extraction is very gentle. Every tank is tasted constantly and as soon as Nicole has the balance she seeks, the wines go straight to barrel.
For 2018, Nicole decided to wait for full phenolic maturity and a little rain on 5th and 6th September helped to unblock the grapes and bolster the acidity. The harvest began on 7th September. This is one of the magic addresses of the vintage. The wines have such finesse and all show Pinot Noir’s extraordinary ability to build flavor and complexity in the mouth from what appear to be light and ephemeral components. In actuality, the wines are just the reverse. The Domaine operates organically and biodynamically but is not certified. For Nicole, it is a philosophy, not a marketing tool.

The wines we are showing this evening all on SALE!

2018 Domaine Nicole Lamarche Bourgogne Hautes Cotes De Nuits
List Price: $52.50       Your Price: $46.20    Quantity in Stock: 11

The Hautes Côtes are increasingly coming into their own in hotter, drier Burgundian vintages. This pale, delicate, refreshing Pinot Noir comes from a 1.53-hectare parcel close to Vosne-Romanée at 380 meters of altitude and has impressive freshness and lift, despite being picked last. Spice and tobacco notes from from 30% whole bunches add extra complexity. Drinking Window 2021 - 2026.

2018 Domaine Nicole Lamarche Bourgogne Rouge
List Price: $48.00        Your Price: $42.24      Quantity in Stock: 11
Pale in color as Nicole Lamarche's wines nearly are, but not lacking in concentration or complexity, this floral, very appealingly priced Bourgogne Rouge combines fruit from five parcels totaling 0.98 hectares.  Juicy, scented and well-balanced with the merest hint of wood spice, textured tannins and succulent summer pudding flavors. Drinking Window 2021 - 2026.

2018 Domaine Nicole Lamarche Vosne Romanee
List Price: $127.50      Your Price: $112.20    Quantity in Stock: 11
This offers another small step up in aromatic elegance while offering a notably broader range of spice elements on the essence of red berry fruit aromas laced with exotic orange pekoe tea wisps. The generous medium weight flavors are not especially dense but they are refined and vibrant, all wrapped in a reasonably precise and persistent finish.

2018 Domaine Nicole Lamarche Vosne Romanee 1er Cru Les Suchots
Price: $210.00 Your Price: $184.80    Quantity in Stock: 11

Nicole Lamarche Vosne-Romanee Les Suchots Premier Cru is matured in oak casks for between 16 and 20 months (between 60 and 100% new oak depending on the vintage). Bottled with no fining and no filtering.

2018 Domaine Nicole Lamarche Vosne Romanee 1er Cru Les Chaumes
Price: $187.50 Your Price: $165.00    Quantity in Stock: 11

Vosne-Romanée, famous over the world for its Grand Crus, also produces some Premiers Crus of an outstanding quality. "Les Chaumes" is located underneath the plot of "Aux Malconsorts" on the same altitude as the village of Vosne-Romanée and North of Nuits-Saint-Georges. The iron-based soil is ideal for growing Pinot Noir. The grapes reach their maximum maturity and offers wonderfully aromatic wines. The term "Chaumes" has the same origin as "Charmes", it indicates that it was unplanted land before becoming a vineyard.

2018 Domaine Nicole Lamarche Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru
Price: $300.00 Your Price: $264.00    Quantity in Stock: 5

(95 Points) Nicole Lamarache picks her three 45-year-old parcels of Clos de Vougeot, totalling 1.35ha, on the same day. If you want an expression of the Grand Cru with lots of power and concentration, this won't be your sort of wine, because it's all about delicacy, elegance and a light touch. White pepper and wild strawberry flavours are embellished by 30% new wood.  Decanter

2018 Domaine Nicole Lamarche Echezeaux Grand Cru
Price: $300.00 Your Price: $264.00    Quantity in Stock: 5

The wine-growing village of Flagey-Échezeaux lies in the plaine, so-called, between Vougeot and Vosne-Romanée in the Côte de Nuits. Facing east, the Grands-Échezeaux vines are a prolongation of Musigny following the North-South axis of the Côte, but more regular and less broken in their layout. At the bottom end, the Climat known as La Combe d’Orveau separates them from Musigny. The Échezeaux vineyards, for their part, divide the Clos de Vougeot vineyard from the Vosne-Romanée Premiers Crus vineyards.

2018 Domaine Nicole Lamarche Grand Echezeaux Grand Cru
Price: $570.00             Your Price: $501.60    Quantity in Stock: 5

Grands-Échezeaux and Échezeaux both date their AOC Grands Crus from July 31, 1937. Like the Clos de Vougeot (from which they are separated only by a wall), they were founded by the monks of the abbey of Cîteaux and date from the 12th and 13th centuries. Their name derives from chesaux, a word of Gallo-Roman origin meaning a group of dwellings, presumably referring to an ancient hamlet.