Château de La Tour Grand Cru Clos-Vougeot Cuvée Classique 2020

Château de La Tour is a stunning and imposing Burgundian château that stands as a testament to the power and prestige of the Clos Vougeot vineyard. Originally created by Cistercian monks in the 12th century, this historic walled vineyard was the flagship vineyard of the church until the French Revolution. Today, Château de la Tour boasts an unparalleled view of the former Cistercian manor. The estate has 6 hectares under their control and is the largest leaseholder of the Clos Vougeot, renowned for the intensity, strength, and perfume of its wine. The Labet family has carefully directed the property, maintaining its reputation as one of the most impressive sources of Clos Vougeot in the Cote de Nuits. Francois Labet, one of the region’s most important figures, owns the estate, which has a long history dating back to the late 19th century. The estate’s wines are known for their finesse and concentration, particularly the limited edition Vieilles Vignes cuvée, which is made from one hectare of ancient, low yielding Pinot Noir vines planted in 1910. All of Labet’s vines are treated with the utmost care and attention, and the property has been farmed organically since the early 1990s. Despite the movement and change across Burgundy in recent years, Château de la Tour has remained organic and quality-focused for decades, with slow and steady progress. The producer’s development over the last ten years has been significant, with a shift towards a finer, more approachable style of wine. Since 2013, the wines have become more luscious, layered and with finer tannins, while retaining their terroir, power, and authenticity. Pinot Noir is one of France’s most legendary grapes and the grape that earned Burgundy its reputation. It has been cultivated in France for more than 2,000 years and is known for creating elegant wines filled with primary red fruit aromas and flavours while young, with an array of secondary characteristics like earth, smoke, violet, truffle and game with age. Pinot Noir is also known for its ability to translate terroir, or a sense of place. Burgundy, located in eastern France, is famous for its red wines produced from Pinot Noir and its whites produced from Chardonnay. The most famous part of the region is known as the Côte d’Or, which is divided into the Côte de Beaune and the Côte de Nuits. The Clos de Vougeot vineyard is the largest of the Grands Crus, over 125 acres, with more than 80 different owners. Originally, the wine of the Clos was assembled from different portions of the vineyard to make a masterful blend, which justified its Grand Cru status. Today, a grower who owns a plot of land adjacent to the road has as much right to call his wine ‘Grand Cru’ as one from the upper ‘Musigny’ section, adjacent to Les Musigny, with wonderful stony soil, or that adjacent to Echezeaux. Château de La Tour Grand Cru Clos-Vougeot Cuvée Classique is a surprisingly light-footed wine despite its big reputation. The wine has all the concentration one would want, but in 2020, it’s all about hiding the density rather than flashing it. The wine is lively and perfumed, with quite some depth and complexity and it feels like it will be approachable within five to ten years, but it will, of course, keep longer than most of us will need. The Cuvée Classique is drawn predominantly from the domaine’s vines situated mid-slope in the Clos de Vougeot, and from some plots on the lower and upper parts. The wine was fermented with roughly 50% whole bunches in old concrete vats and aged in barrels fashioned by renowned Burgundian cooper Stéphane Chassin. The percentage of new oak for this wine currently hovers between 30% and 50%. This is a stunning, rich, pure, and fleshy old vine cuvée from a great terroir that will drink beautifully young or old, representing outstanding value in its class. The wine has received high praise from wine critics, with William Kelley of The Wine Advocate awarding it 93-95 points and Neal Martin of Vinous giving it the same score. Jasper Morris MW of Inside Burgundy scored it 94-96 points, describing it as immediate deep dark red fruit, well balanced in the mouth, with a raspberry touch towards the back and the right proportion of tannins. The Finer Details Style – Red Wine Varietal – Pinot Noir Country – France Region – Burgundy Vintage – 2020 Bottle Size – 750ml ABV – 13.5%