Wines For the Discerning Masses
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Tasting the 2010 vintage at the Domaine Francois
Lamarche, with Nathalie Lamarche on the right and a
very handsome Reeves’s pheasant mounted on the
wall behind
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The Wines
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2010 Hautes Côtes de Nuits, Domaine Francois
Lamarche
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Every generational change in Burgundy spurs
modernisation, so it is here at the Domaine Francois
Lamarche in Vosne-Romanée. The daughter of
Francois, Nicole, now makes the wine and her cousin,
Nathalie, takes care of sales. From what I have seen
thus far the wines are gaining in concentration and
purity. Having always been a good source, this estate
is now among the finest in the commune.
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“I have to agree with Lamarche that they did
indeed achieve truly remarkable finesse across their
various terroirs. The tannins are extremely
sophisticated and many wines have a seductively silky
mouth feel.” Burghound
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2010 Côtes du Rhône Vieilles Vignes,
Domaine de Cristia
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Baptiste and Dominique Grangeon in the vineyard
with their father Alain
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The turning of the generations occurred here in 1999
when Baptiste Grangeon and his sister Dominique took
the helm of Cristia from their father, the
previous 70 years since the domaine’s inception
having been spent growing the vineyard area and
planting key varieties. The Grangeon domaine now
amounts to 21 hectares of which 11 are in
Châteauneuf. The estate is newly biodynamic.
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“…Domaine de Cristia has produced
brilliant wines in both 2009 and 2010…2010
looks to be the estate’s finest overall vintage
since 2007. Not surprisingly, the 2010s exhibit even
deeper colors than the relatively dark colored 2009s,
and are tighter and more tannic as well as fresher
and richer.” Robert Parker
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2010 Rosso di Montalcino, Colleoni, Santa
Maria
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Colleoni label
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N.B. I have managed to secure an indecently small
quantity of Colleoni’s 2007 Brunello and 2006
Brunello Riserva (95 and 96 from Sir Bob
respectively): so modest a number of cases that I am
not inclined to make a general offer. Do please
contact me should you wish to secure a 6-pack of one
of these extraordinary reds).
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“Marino Colleoni is the most exciting new
producer emerging in Montalcino today. A maniacal
approach to farming based on sustainable practices
has led Colleoni to focus on restoring a healthy,
vibrant ecosystem in his vineyards in the Montosoli
zone. The wines are made with indigenous yeasts and
aged in cask. Colleoni releases 8,000-9,000 bottles
in total, of which 3,000 are Brunello and 2,500 are
Rosso from Brunello-designated vineyards. I tasted
the Colleoni wines next to some of Montalcino’s
long established benchmarks and they were tremendous.
These big, powerful Brunelli merit serious
attention.” Robert Parker
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