LUCIEN LE MOINE
Pre-Arrival offer - 2006 Whites
Offer ends once the wines arrive in-store or until stocks last

Don’t miss this, 2006 was a classic year for White Burgundy

Lucien Le Moine is a highly acclaimed micro-negociant house in Beaune, run by Mounir Saouma and his wife Rotem Brakir.  The pair produces tiny lots of Grands and Premiers Crus from the Cote d’Or, and production is kept to under 100 barrels each year.  The small size allows them to adjust and respond in detail to each vintage and each wine, and to be able to do “everything by hand and by ourselves” (Saouma). The wines are of the highest quality, often powerful, but always highly respectful of their terroirs. Since its establishment in 1999, the wines of Lucien le Moine have continually received praise and acclaim from the wine world’s most influential critics:

“An extraordinary micro negociant in Beaune, Very serious quality.”  Jancis Robinson  

“When I say this is a non-interventionist operation, I’m not kidding.”  Wine Advocate

“The Lucien le Moine wines tend to drip early sex appeal owing to their sheer sweetness, so I would not bet against them in bling tastings.”  Steve Tanzer

The 2006 vintage
“The 2006 vintage in Burgundy resulted in many very good and potentially outstanding Chardonnays and was an even more surprising success for the reds.” Bruce Sanderson, WineSpectator.com

Mounir Saouma considers 2006 to be a very classic vintage for Burgundy, and grapes were picked late in order to capture the benefit of a cool summer.  The wines were made with an emphasis on phenolic maturation and acid-retention in the fruit, some employment of whole clusters, no pumps, cold temperatures, very low levels of SO2, late malolactic, one sole gravity racking and fine lees stirring.  Maturation takes place in custom-constructed new oak barrels from the Jupilles forests of Western France, a source which Saouma champions for its lightness of grain and relative flavour neutrality.  "2005 is a vintage to age. The wines have a lot of everything," Saouma claims, "but the 2006s may be more enjoyable to drink for many years."  Stephen Tanzer (Nov 07) agrees:  “I fully expect the better 2006s to give more drinking pleasure over the next ten years than the 2005s. 2006 is a year for the real Burgundy drinker."

Our Offer
Quantities are very limited indeed; in most cases only 6 bottles or less of each wine are available. We expect these wines to sell very quickly, so please contact us asap if you would like to place an order. The wines will arrive towards the end of 2008, however are available to purchase now at a substantially reduced pre-arrival price. Full payment is required at the time of placing an order. We have used reviews by Stephen Tanzer where applicable, and will add to these as more reviews become available. When reviewed the wines were still in barrel.

*Please note that the expected arrival date for these wines is late 2008.

2006 Bourgogne Blanc / Shelf Price $73.00/ Pre-arrival Price $54.75  
 
2006 Beaune 1er Cru Les Reversees / Shelf Price $136.00 / Pre-arrival Price $102.00  
“(still a bit of sugar left to ferment) Good pale color. Very ripe aromas of grilled nuts, clove and smoky oak. More minerally than the Sous Fretilles, with firm acids to leaven the ripe fruit. This rather masculine wine boasts more energy and tension than the Sous Fretilles .....”  87-89 ST

2006 Nuits St. Georges ‘Les Terres Blanches’ / Shelf Price $167.00 / Pre-arrival Price $125.25
“(just a bit of malic acidity remaining) Pineapple, crushed rocks and smoky oak on the nose. Suave and silky but very fresh, thanks to firm acidity, a pronounced iodiney minerality and a sexy element of five spice powder. Finishes stony, fresh and firm, with lingering notes of minerals and fresh herbs. This boasts excellent energy for the year. A very interesting cuvee.”  89-91 ST

2006 Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru ‘Morgeot’ / Shelf Price $199.00 / Pre-arrival Price $149.25

2006 Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru ‘Les Emrazzes’ / Shelf Price $199.00 / Pre-arrival Price $149.25

2006 Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru ‘Grandes Ruchottes’ / Shelf Price $212.00 / Pre-arrival Price $159.00
“(14+% alcohol) Captivating aromas of flowers, stone, ginger and quinine. Sweet, silky and rich, with lovely inner-mouth energy and a felicitous sugar/acid balance. Vibrant flavors of white flowers, citrus fruits and quinine. A big but lively wine with excellent length. Considering that there's still a bit of sugar and malic acid yet to be fermented, this is awfully tasty.”  90-93 ST

2006 Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru ‘La Romanee’ / Shelf Price $218.00 / Pre-arrival Price $163.50

2006 Meursault 1er Cru ‘Charmes’ / Shelf Price $199.00 / Pre-arrival Price $149.25

2006 Meursault 1er Cru ‘Genevrières’ / Shelf Price $206.00 / Pre-arrival Price $154.00
“(still a few grams of sugar remaining) Musky, reduced aromas of lemon, lime, ginger, spices and nuts; already highly complex. Then intensely flavored, deep and sappy, with superb mineral grip and a tactile saline element. This boasts wonderful inner-palate tension for the vintage. Finishes with a palate-dusting impression of extract. Saouma does more lees stirring with this wine.”  91-94 ST

2006 Meursault 1er Cru ‘Perrières’ / Shelf Price $224.00 / Pre-arrival Price $168.00
“(14.5% alcohol) Knockout nose combines white peach, lemon and dusty stone. Very rich, sweet (still a bit of r.s.?), generous and open, but the combination of firm minerality and brisk citrus peel flavors gives this outstanding life in the mouth. A real high-wire act, and very long and vibrant on the aftertaste.”  92-95 ST

2006 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru ‘Les Ensigneres’ / Shelf Price $167.00 / Pre-arrival Price $125.25

2006 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru ‘Folatiéres’ / Shelf Price $212.00 / Pre-arrival Price $159.00
“(at the end of its fermentation) Reticent, pure aromas of apple and white flowers. Juicy, sharply delineated and tight, with impressive energy to its flavors of stone fruits, flowers and hazelnut oil. This boasts a distinctly oily quality but has the sheer verve to support it. A very classy, consistent, fruit-driven wine with terrific length.”  91-94 ST

2006 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru ‘Champs Gains’ / Shelf Price $193.00 / Pre-arrival Price $144.75

2006 Corton Blanc / Shelf Price $256.00 / Pre-arrival Price $192.00
“(finished; from an east-facing parcel that contains a bit of pinot blanc) Pure, spicy aromas of apple, fresh apricot, wild mint and talc. Sweet on entry, then extremely young and impressively intense, with a youthful bitterness to its tactile crushed stone flavor. For all its dustiness, this boasts a lovely light touch. Fascinating wine in the making.”  91-94 ST

2006 Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru / Shelf Price $299.00 / Pre-arrival Price $224.25
“(finished) Crushed stone, nut oil and a bit of oak on the nose, along with the metallic quality sometimes found in this grand cru (Saouma calls it "the cold side of rocky"). At once rich and gripping, with very unevolved flavors of lemon and crushed rock. Pure, wiry and extremely long: this will need a good seven or eight years of bottle aging to express itself.”  92-95 ST

2006 Bâtard Montrachet Grand Cru / Shelf Price $758.00 / Pre-arrival Price $568.50
“(13.8% alcohol, with a bit of sugar yet to finish) Super ripe, slightly high-toned aromas of pineapple, peach nectar and clove, plus a whiff of mocha. Super concentrated, velvety and sweet, showing more sheer fruit extract today than real definition and grip. A huge but somewhat monolithic wine with very strong material. Hard to assess today with confidence; Saouma believes that this will get iodiney and mineral by the end of its elevage.”  91-95 ST