Latour-Giraud Meursault Les Narvaux 2022

- 92-94 Punkte Jasper Morris, Inside Burgundy: "Fine pale yellow. The bouquet bursts out of the glass, but with a sense of tension quite different from Charles Maxime. Partly floral, partly fresh greengage, but with some riper tendrils curling round the edges. There is a backbone to this wine, and a sense of precision, which is deeply impressive. Then comes the flesh you would expect from this relatively sunny summer. This wine makes quite a statement. Good natural acidity is part of the equation. Complex and complete agrees Jean-Pierre. 55 year old vines which never over-produce."

- Outstanding Top Value BURGHOUND, Allen Meadows: Tasting note: „Here a more elegant nose resembles that of the Charles Maxim save for a broader range of floral elements. The palate impression of the medium-bodied flavors is finer and more mineral-driven if not quite as concentrated, all wrapped in a youthfully austere, firm, balanced and bitter zest-inflected finish. One to look for. 2030+“

Producer note: „Jean-Pierre Latour described the 2022 growing season as "one that was one of the hottest and driest on record yet, inexplicably, one that produced fresh, vibrant and classically styled wines! It was also one where we had just enough rain at just the right moments to mostly avoid hydric stress in the vineyards. We also managed to avoid any climatic incidences such as frost and hail, or at least none that did any real damage. We began picking on the 24th of August and brought in super-clean and ripe fruit with good but certainly not high yields that ranged between 35 to 40 hl/ha. Potential alcohols were also reasonable at 13 to 13.5% with solid acidities. As to the wines, one surprising aspect is how much subtlety they have developed during the course of the élevage as they were somewhat monolithic just after the fermentations. Now that they're in bottle, they remind me a great deal of what we produced in 2014, which to me is a high compliment as I love the style and quality of 2014." I have said this before but if you're not searching out these wines, you're missing out on one of the best kept secrets in Meursault. They, along with domaines Henri Germain, Ballot-Millot and Michel Bouzereau consistently offer outstanding quality for quite reasonable prices. Either way, the Latour 2022s are first-rate and every wine is highly recommended. Latour noted that his 2022 whites were bottled in January and February 2024.“

- Jasper Morris MW, Inside Burgundy über Domaine Latour-Giraud : „For a period the domaine also operated as a negociant and a distiller, though both these other activities had stopped by 1949. The domaine operates out of the Giraud family premises – there have been Girauds in Meursaults since 1850 and Latours since at least the 17th century. The domaine now covers 11 hectares and is run by Jean-Pierre Latour. He joined his father in 1983 and took over 10 years later. The domaine is farmed organically, without certification.

The whites are direct pressed, settled if necessary, then encouraged to start to ferment in tank before transfer to barrel, with 20% new wood for the village wines and no more than 25% for the whites, all in the traditional 228 litre size. There is some lees stirring. The wines are racked to tank after 11 months and bottled early the following year. The reds are entirely destemmed (though Jean-Pierre’s father left all the stems in), given a cool pre-maceration, then fermented with some punching down for a total of up to three weeks in the vats.

The approach in both colours is classical but not hidebound. Jean-Pierre is very aware that words like classical or traditional can be taken pejoratively. He remains open to change but I suspect rarely needs to do so as his formula works very well to make un-showy but intense and intricate white wines, along with some attractive, fruit-laden but adequately structured reds.“