2023 Burgundy: The Nuits-St Georges of Domaine Lécheneaut

January 21, 2025

The domaine has, yet again, produced some excellent wines and I have never quite understood why they don't sell for more than they do given the fine quality.

Allen Meadows, burghound.com, January 2025

Could these be the most appealing wines yet from Domaine Lécheneaut?

Allen Meadows tastes a serious quantity of Burgundy every year (and for many years) and even he observes, commenting on the 2023s, I have never quite understood why they don't sell for more than they do given the fine quality. Domaine Lécheneaut continues to offer astonishing value. We have long championed the wines of Vincent and Philippe Lécheneaut for this very reason. You get a lot of Burgundy for your money at this address. No fevered fadish fanaticism driving prices to 'impressive' heights. Instead just quiet, under the radar appreciation of vines well-tended and wines carefully crafted.

Across the entire range, from Hautes Côtes de Nuits to Clos de la Roche, the wines show tremendous typicity, whether between the different villages or between Premiers Crus. Ever since we began offering these wines, we have marvelled at the incredible balance and harmony that the Lécheneaut family achieve, year-in-year-out in their wines. They have richness but also grace. They have power yet poise.

The Lécheneauts are thoughtful, sensitive, attentive wine producers. They adapt to the vintage and remain highly attuned to their vineyards and their vines. As we have written on numerous previous occasions, we were directed to them on account of their meticulous viticulture. It has only become more meticulous with time as vintages continue to present new challenges in ways that could not have been envisaged by their forefathers.

The 2023 season was labour-intensive, if you wanted to avoid enormous yields. The Lécheneauts remove buds very early in the cycle as standard practice in order to control yield. In 2023 they also had to drastically green harvest, removing bunches, at later points. They harvested from 8th September but, due to the heat, they only picked in the mornings and then held the fruit in cold rooms to bring the temperature down to 5 degrees Celsius before allowing fermentations to begin. The fruit itself was clean, healthy and ripe, something that comes across noticeably in the wines. There is also noticeable depth of colour; there was no whole bunch in 2023, instead 100% of the fruit was destemmed, as this was what they felt the vintage dictated. Indeed Jasper Morris comments on this, highlighting also the balance, elegance and harmony of this set of wines, writing: Such deep powerful colours, but in the end wines which consistently come across as much more refined on the palate.

In the words of Vincent himself: As to the wines, it's interesting as they seem to have become more interesting month by month. As such, I hesitate to put them in a box but at this point in their evolution, I would describe them as resembling our 2017s but with more underling material. But also like 2017, the '23s should be approachable young but have no difficulty aging.

I think I would have to agree, there is an appealing approachability to the 2023s yet they do not lack a core of beautifully ripe, fresh fruit allied to fine structure and that beguiling harmony. They will certainly drink well early, much like the 2017s, but they will age gracefully too. And all without breaking the bank.

Domaine Lécheneaut, Hautes-Côtes de Nuits 2023
£120 per 6 bottle case in bond
Now 100% aged in 450 litre barrels. Really fresh and flowing red fruit with a gentle mineral touch. Good balance and elegantly weighted palate. Lovely fruit and drinkability. Drink 2026-2030 (ROM)

Domaine Lécheneaut, Côte de Nuits-Villages, Clos de Magny 2023
£150 per 6 bottle case in bond
From a parcel of 70–80-year-old vines. There is a pure core of dark cherry fruit on the nose. The palate shows a lovely sense of precision and freshness together with a balancing mineral energy. Good fruit intensity at its core and a white stone drive at the end. Drink 2026-2033 (ROM)

Domaine Lécheneaut, Morey-St Denis 2023
£210 per 6 bottle case in bond
There is a notable and characteristic spicy touch on the nose, blue fruit and a touch of pepper. Excellent purity and harmony through the palate. This is consistently such a beautifully balanced and well-expressed Morey villages from the Lécheneaut family. It always retains a sense of energy and persistence due to the vineyard position high up the slope above the Grands Crus. Drink 2027-2035 (ROM)

Domaine Lécheneaut, Chambolle-Musigny 2023
£250 per 6 bottle case in bond
Initially quite closed but opening to a core of scented, floral red cherry fruit. The palate replicates the fruit of the nose, all carried on a palate of silky poise. Fresh, flowing, elegant, and with a perfectly judged chalky grip towards the finish. The tannins show finesse and there is a fine sense of harmony. Drink 2027-2035 (ROM)

Domaine Lécheneaut, Nuits-St Georges 2023
£210 per 6 bottle case in bond
Showing really well again in 2023, the Nuits-St Georges villages displays a pristine fruit purity of dark cherry and raspberry fruit. There is a seamless quality here with fine-grained tannins framing a classically styled Nuits of underlying presence and over-riding harmony, with most of the fruit being form the northern, Vosne side, of Nuits. Drink 2027-2035 (ROM)

Domaine Lécheneaut, Nuits-St Georges, Au Chouillet 2023
£240 per 6 bottle case in bond
Tighter, more closed but also more concentrated than the straight Nuits-St Georges, the Chouillet is pure and intensely concentrated in its red fruit profile. There is a fluidity and a gracefulness through the palate, on which the tannins present themselves with great finesse. Drink 2027-2035 (ROM)

Domaine Lécheneaut, Nuits-St Georges 1er Cru, Les Damodes 2023
£360 per 6 bottle case in bond
Beautifully pure ripe fruit leads into a palate that has an elegant flow and sense of balance, the tannins are fine and ripe, giving a framing structure but not asserting. Instead, this remains fresh, elegant and gourmand. Drink 2028-2038 (ROM)

Domaine Lécheneaut, Nuits-St Georges 1er Cru, Aux Argillas 2023
£360 per 6 bottle case in bond
There is a noticeably deeper colour in the Argillas, which Jules Lecheneaut explains is due to the high susceptibility to millerandage, giving a proportion of particularly small grapes within a bunch. The resultant concentration of fruit is complemented by spice notes. This is intense and rich in fruit but perfectly counterbalanced by its poised structure. “Best ever” as some might say… Drink 2028-2038 (ROM)

Domaine Lécheneaut, Nuits- St Georges 1er Cru, Les Pruliers 2023
£360 per 6 bottle case in bond
On the day of tasting, Les Pruliers was particularly reticent and difficult to taste, like Les Pruliers of old. Underneath there was fine red fruit and the benchmark Pruliers mineral power and energy. This will be very good but needs time. Drink 2030-2040 (ROM)

Domaine Lécheneaut, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru, Borniques 2023
£480 per 6 bottle case in bond
There is a good depth of colour, again due to a susceptibility to millerandage. Lovely scented sweet dark cherry fruit. Balanced volume and a silky freshness to the palate, which shows fine mineral length and presence. Fine poise. Really good. Drink 2028-2038 (ROM)

Domaine Lécheneaut, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru 2023
£600 per 3 bottle case in bond
Fine concentration of blue fruit and spice. This is subtly powerful and spreads across the palate with beautifully expressed, concentrated fruit. The tannins are very, very fine and give structure while mineral direction gives length. Gently mouthwatering at the end but also very mineral and saline. Finishes with incredible persistence. Drink 2028-2040 (ROM)

Another joyously successful set of wines from Domaine Lécheneaut and ones that will give great drinking pleasure within a few short years even if they will keep for many years too.

Please let us know of your interest.

Richard O'Mahony, January 2025

richard.omahony@atlasfinewines.com

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Top tips and conclusions from the Atlas Big Barolo Bash

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The 2019s were a last-minute addition and were the two single vineyard wines of Andrea Bosco which offered an opportunity to compare a Barolo from the lighter soils of Verduno with a richer wine from La Morra; respectively, the wonderfully refined Agostino Bosco, Barolo, Neirane and the darker, brooding Agostino Bosco, Barolo, La Serra. Clients seemed interested in how these two most recent vintages would shape up in time. While the 2019s are the product of hot year, these showed how that vintage manages to show a certain classicism. They will warrant 8 to 10 years in bottle before showing in their prime. In contrast, the 2018s, with their lighter accent, are already starting to show well, even if some of the leading examples will still demand 4- or 5-years patience before really starting to sing. The 2017 table was, for me personally, one of the most fascinating. Not only were some of the region’s most notable growers featured in this line up, but it showcased a vintage that I fear has been a little overlooked. 2017 was a hot and dry vintage and in an earlier era I don’t believe the wines would have come through as well as they have. Growers have had to adapt to modern day conditions in Barolo; whatever way you cut it, this is down to climate change. As I remarked to various clients, in the 1990s there were perhaps three notable vintages which delivered ripe fruit and fine structure, other vintages in which many growers lost precision and freshness in their wines but a greater number of years in which it proved tough to ripen Nebbiolo fully. Leaf-plucking became routine to expose the fruit to the sun and allow aeration. Rolling the clock forward, between 2010 and 2020 we have not had a bad vintage. There have been challenging conditions, but we have had four great vintages - 2010, 2013, 2016 and 2019. Then there have been some more mixed years, but ones in which good growers have nevertheless excelled. Today it is more about providing some protection to the fruit, as opposed to exposing it. This is quite an incredible switch around to have occurred in just 20 years. Growers have needed to learn fast – to learn how to prepare their vineyards for the modern-day challenges of heat and drought, when not so very long ago, the challenge was inclement weather. 2017 is a successful hot vintage, particularly given there were four months in the growing season without any rain. The cooler weather at harvest really assisted in providing freshness to the aromatics and brightness to the fruit; this was notably evident in the selection of 2017s at the tasting. The two wines from Brovia were just beautiful; both the Brea ‘Vigna Ca Mia’ and the Villero were way ahead of the quality that a reading of the vintage reports might suggest possible. Instead we found pure fruit, refined tannins, glossy textures and a complex amalgam of fruit nuances and tertiary notes. Equally compelling were the duo from Poderi Oddero. In the amazingly graceful Vigna Rionda, from one of the region’s finest terroir, Oddero has crafted a genuine beauty in 2017 and I would suggest it isn’t far removed from the quality they delivered in the tremendous 2016 vintage; this should be a wine on your watch list if you a fan of the finest Barolo. The Bussia Vigna Mondoca showed in a similarly impressive manner; Bussia, in Monforte d’Alba, is a controversially large cru but when you taste wines of this calibre, there is no doubting that it has the potential to rank highly, depending on the exact location of the vines within the . Very rich, with a deep damson, plum quality to the fruit and hints of spice, this rich Barolo will demand patience, even in a year like 2017 where some wines are starting to drink. In this latter category, we would place Vietti’s reliable Castiglione blend and, surprisingly, Vajra’s 2017 Ravera, which seems to show very little of the austerity that is more typical of this cool, elevated Novello cru. The 2016 table certainly drew considerable attention, as clients were aware that this vintage is considered to be one of the all-time greats. The 2016 vintage represented the perfect growing season with no excesses or problematic weather. These wines have such appealing fruit and fine tannin that a number show that they are already approachable though even the humblest from this vintage have ageing potential. The table was manned by Atlas’ Nick Pitcher, who commented that clients were impressed by the 2016 Barolo del Comune di La Morra from Renato Corino on account of its expansive, rounded fruit. 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Then finally, we had a mixed table spanning the vintages from 2015 back to 2011, manned by Atlas’ Toby Herbertson. This table was a real draw as it allowed clients some insight into how Barolo ages; this was very much needed as some clients weren’t particularly familiar with the region. Some clients started tasting here, which might not have made it easier to move onto younger wines thereafter. The ability to compare wines from the same growers in 2011 and 2012 fascinated people and both vintages impressed. 2011 is one of those vintages that is starting to drink really well – it was a hot vintage, by the standards of that point in time, but it was wonderful to see how, if anything, the wines seem to have picked up a little more precision as they have aged. Both the Sandrone Cannubi Boschis 2011 and the Vietti Ravera 2011 found favour. The 2012 Sandrone, Le Vigne, shows just how well Sandrone adapt to vintage conditions. The 2013 Cappellano Pie Rupestris was very popular on the night; clients were impressed by the complexity and quality, though some struggled to spot the value in contrast to other wines shown. The conversation surrounding this table focused on when Barolo tannins start to soften and when wines come on stream for drinking. The lighter framed 2014s were up against it, sandwiched as they were between the more tannic 2013s and the bolder, richer 2015s. That said, many clients commented on the attractive nature of Vajra’s 2014 Ravera, which, like the 2017 of the same wine, showed in a forward drinking manner with a dark, glossy fruit, floral aromas and hints of spice. Indeed, all Vajra’s wines were complimented for their accessibility and the purity of the fruit. Finally, the two 2015s proved fascinating to taste. Giovanni Rosso’s Cerretta shows just why there is excitement brewing about this estate. It captured a flinty mineral note that added complexity to a rich palate of dark, slightly brooding fruit, while the tannins were finely expressed and far less obtrusive as they can be in young wines from this Serralunga d’Alba-based cru. Vietti’s inaugural Riserva also attracted plenty of attention; the extra ageing having softened and rounded out the tannins.All in all, the evening was a great success and we have received many positive comments on the venue and the format. We will certainly be running another event at this venue in the New Year.My final thoughts concern the way in which things have evolved in Piemonte. Climate change has meant that Barolo vintages face few of the pitfalls they once did. Instead, there are different challenges, more often than not related to heat and drought. In rapid time, growers have adapted in both the vineyard and cellar to meet these challenges, and today, I would argue, Barolo is one of the most consistent wine regions in Europe. There is just so much to explore, different crus with different altitudes, exposures and soils, as well as producers who employ different techniques. Without doubt, Nebbiolo is a sensitive grape variety that reveals different nuances in different conditions; it rivals Pinot Noir in this respect. Putting on a tasting like this allowed us to share our fascination with the wines and the region. Frankly there has never been a better time to buy Barolo – perhaps you could argue it is the last bastion of great value for finely nuanced reds In Europe. Certainly, £300 per case doesn’t get you far in Burgundy or Bordeaux, but it can get you an impeccably crafted, single vineyard Barolo. That point came across loud and clear to our audience on Wednesday night.

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