Nicole 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' daughters have total control of the winemaking. The approach is fairly hands off in the winery and hands on in the vineyard. Grapes are mostly de stemmed, depending on the vintage, and between 50-100% new oak is used. These are Burgundies that display ripe, hightoned fruit and strong terroir complexity. Nicole Lamarche heads up the operation from the 2018 vintage and everything going forward will be bottled with Domaine Nicole Lamarche labels.

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.