Tasting Notes
This comes from a tiny 0.38-hectare plot in a historically revered, walled area within the Gravières vineyard. It’s situated at the northern end of Santenay, close to the Chassagne border. The clos sits on a 30° slope and Lamy’s vines quickly tunnel into pure limestone. This has long been a renowned site, with Dr. Jean Lavelle’s famous Burgundy classification already rating the vineyard in 1855 as a ‘Tête de Cuvée’—the highest rating. Lamy makes both white and red from this site (with 0.28 hectares of Pinot vines in the same clos).
Most of the vines here are reasonably young. Lamy has increased the density and replaced substandard vine material with massale selection cuttings from a parcel of older vines planted in 1968. The outstanding quality he is already delivering offers ample proof of the class of the terroir and also, the quality of Lamy’s work in the vines. This wine today is really the hidden gem of the Lamy range. A superb wine at an extremely fair price. - Importer Note
Domaine Hubert Lamy is one of the most highly regarded producers across Burgundy. Situated in the Saint-Aubin appellation, the Domaine is now headed up by Hubert's son, Olivier, who took the reins in 1995. Olivier immediately set about making changes to the Domaine - no more selling fruit to negociants, trimming down under-performing sites, and focusing effort on the vineyards that produced the best fruit.
St Aubin has very rocky, mineral soils and borders the communes of Chassagne and Puligny Montrachet. The best St Aubin vineyards lie very close to the great Grand Crus of these communes (in some cases only a few metres away!) However these sites are typically far steeper and rockier than the vineyards of Chassagne or Puligny and result in whites that are often more racy, zesty, and minerally.
This is the style of wine that Olivier looks for. They are refined and fresh, highlighting the rocky, mineral character of his soils. Yields are kept to a minimum and all fruit is sorted in the cellar before processing. Vinification is traditional and the wines are matured in oak casks (20-30% new) for 12-18 months before light filtration and bottling. Olivier has begun using 600-lt tonneaux, rather than all 225-litre barriques. He feels this protects the purity of the fruit without over-oaking. Today, the majority of Lamy’s production is raised in these larger casks.
Despite their rarefied quality Domaine Hubert Lamy remains one of the finest bargains of the Côte d’Or.
| Product Type | Wine White Chardonnay |
| Volume | 750ml |
| Country | France |
| Region | Burgundy |
| Sub Region | Santenay |
| Winemaking Practices | Conventional |
| Vineyard Practices | Conventional |