Tasting Notes
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. There are six parcels in total, including the lieux-dits of Montiottes Basses and Quartier Marei Bas (also home to the 1910-planted Vieilles Vignes parcel). The smallest holdings are those in the Quatorze-Journaux and Baudes-Saint-Martin—two parcels at the bottom of the slope which sandwich Étienne Grivot’s vines. La Plante L’Abbé is at the top of the Clos, near the Château and the Grands-Échezeaux border. All these sites are now pushing an average of 70 years of age and have been managed organically for well over 20 years. So Vieilles Vignes by any other name!
This was fermented with roughly 50% whole bunches in old concrete vats. It was then aged in barrels which were fashioned, according to the season, by renowned Burgundian cooper Stéphane Chassin. The percentage of new oak for this wine currently hovers between 30% and 50%. Like all Labet’s Château de la Tour wines, this was bottled unfiltered.
This is stunning, rich, pure and fleshy. An old vine cuvée from a great terroir that will drink beautifully young or old—it represents outstanding value in its class. - Importer Note
These are exciting times for Château de la Tour. Those who have followed the domaine could not have missed the evolution towards ever-finer wines at this address. Since 2013 they have been more luscious and more layered with finer tannins, yet without any loss of terroir, intensity or authenticity. And now, the outstanding 2020 vintage gives us the clearest evidence so far of the direction the domaine is travelling.
As we have said before, there are many small factors behind this positive evolution. The appointment of the talented Sylvain Pataille (from the 2013 harvest) to assist François Labet with vineyard and winemaking decisions has been important. Of course, the climate has also been shifting, bringing more flesh to wines across the Côte and this is particularly true of sites near valleys—like Clos de Vougeot—where the Combe d’Orvée isn’t bringing down the cold winds of yesteryear. This change has worked wonders for the Clos de Vougeot, a Cru that has always produced wines abundant in tannin. Now they have ample flesh to match, and the tannins are riper. Another more recent factor is François Labet’s son Edouard joining the estate. Driven and knowledgeable, Edouard is revising ideas and practices and working on the biodynamic side of things (supporting the organic viticulture that was incepted here in 1992). In short, the soils have never been healthier.
Further, François Labet has cited the introduction of the Guyot-Poussard pruning method (started in 2015) as beginning to have a positive impact, noting: “...the quality and consistency of the yield over the last few years has been astonishing.” Of course, the progression is not limited to the vineyard practice. From the 2019 vintage, even the once traditional and exclusive use of whole bunches was recalibrated, alongside a significant reduction in the use of new oak (that has taken effect from the 2020 vintage). And the wines they are a-changin’. “In my opinion”, Labet told Neal Martin of Vinous, “the kind of wines that we produce at the moment have no equivalent compared to past vintages. We have the right viticulture, picking time and winemaking. Everything is now so controlled.”
| Product Type | Wine Red Pinot Noir |
| Volume | 750ml |
| Country | France |
| Region | Burgundy |
| Sub Region | Clos Vougeot |
| Winemaking Practices | Minimal Intervention |
| Vineyard Practices | Minimal Intervention |