Domaine François Lamarche

A 10 ha domaine in Vosne whose jewel in the crown is the monopole La Grande Rue, which was elevated to Grand Cru status in 1992. After years of neglect by previous generations François oversaw a steady improvement in quality throughout the 1990s and in the last few years his daughters have helped raise the qualitative bar further still. As of the 2007 vintage the François' daughter Nicole has taken total control of the winemaking. The approach is fairly hands off in the winery and hands on in the vineyard. Grapes are feremented with a large proportion of whole bunches, depending in the vintage this could be up to 40-50%, and extractions is super gentle, more of an infusion. For élévage very little new oak is used - 20% for the Villages rising to 40% for La Grande Rue. These are delicate, high-toned and resplendent Burgundies of great caliber.

2017 Vintage

Lamarche’s eleventh vintage and both she and the wines are displaying all of the confidence that comes with experience. These are some of the most delicate, racy wines in the Côte d’Or. Fine and self-assured, breezy with an unashamedly light touch. Extractions are more like infusions here and as usual 30% whole bunch fermentation have been used for all of the wines, helping add a bit of sappy freshness to the wines. Harvest began on the 7th September but was interrupted by a day of rain, something Nicole was waiting for; something she felt was very important for the grapes after such a dry year. After using no new oak last year, there is a return to 50% for the Grands Crus, down to 20% for the Villages.

2018 Vintage

Speed was of the essence in 2018, according to Nicole Lamarche: “We started on the 7th September but we had to be quick to avoid picking overripe fruit. We covered 11.5ha in 6 days!” Other than employing a little bit more whole-bunch fermentation (40%) to give an added feeling of freshness, methods here are otherwise the same as usual “I have kept my style!” in Nicole’s own words. This means picking early on, a red fruit profile more than black fruit, infusions not extractions and little new oak (20% new oak for village, 30% for Premiers Crus and 40% for Grands Crus.) The 2018's are typical of Lamarche wines over the last five years or so – delicate, slender and gentle with crisp, vibrant red fruit character. The impressive thing here is, as you go up the scale, the style is not compromised - the top wines (whilst offering more depth and intensity of flavour) retain great lightness and transparency.

2019 Vintage

Harvest started here on the 9th September, the result of constant parcel by parcel analysis fifteen days prior to picking. Grapes were beautifully ripe and final alcohols registered 13.5% or below. Nicole Lamarche adapts to vintage and cuvée, but has made a significant impact on the quality and style of the wines since taking over from her father in 2007. Broadly speaking this includes: leading the domaine into organic viticulture; moving to softer infusion-like extractions; reducing use of new oak, and often using 30% whole bunches for fermentations. It is a thrill to see that, in a warm dry vintage such as 2019, the hallmark elegance and jewel-like brilliance of the wines shines through brightly. These are sensual, vibrant, light-touch and gentle wines that have not been bathed in too much sunshine. These are delicate, nuanced Burgundies with nothing more than a healthy glow to them. Impressive that such a style can be retained in a vintage such as this.

2020 Vintage

Nicole Lamarche’s flexible, light-touch winemaking is perfectly adapted to the modern era of global warming; the last two vintages have yielded some of her greatest wines; 2020 is at least on a par with, if not even better than, 2019. These are wines of delicacy and dazzling transparency, offering a power and sophistication that belie their haunting elegance. Harvest started on the 27th August and lasted one week “you had to be quick in 2020” Nicole noted, for whom the goal is to make delicate, drinkable wines, continuing “I have nothing above 14 degrees, if you want blockbuster wines then don’t come to me!” Whole bunch proportions have been increased marginally from 2019 to between 10–30%. This is a refined but exciting and intense range that rates as one of Nicole’s finest.

2021 Vintage

More than rising to the challenges of the vintage, Nicole Lamarche has produced a fabulous range of wines in 2021. Sadly, she’s down between 50–70% across the range. “I’m always searching for elegance” Nicole told us, “but in a vintage like this you didn’t have much tannin so you have to search for other ways to find intensity. I think, if these are overlooked, this will be a vintage that people come back to and love”. Harvest here lasted for 10 days, starting on the 18th of September, with the final fruit coming in between 12.5% and 12.7% potential alcohol. The wines are crystalline, with real intensity and a sense of luminous backlit brilliance that beautifully illustrates the light touch, delicate style this estate personifies.