Domaine Labruyère - Moulin-à-Vent Champ de Cour 2022

The Labruyère estate is one of the oldest in the Moulin-à-Vent appellation. In 1850, Jean-Marie Labruyère, a vineyard worker, settled in Les Thorins, a hamlet of Romanèche-Thorins. Since then, successive generations have managed the estate’s 10 hectares. During this time, the family acquired the appellation’s only clos, the Clos du Moulin-à-Vent. In 2008, Édouard Labruyère took over the estate with the goal of establishing it as one of the appellation’s leading producers. Under the guidance of winemaker Nadine Gublin (who also oversees the Jacques Prieur estate and JM Labruyère champagnes), the estate has reached new heights in recent vintages. The wines, which can be austere upon first opening, reveal a depth and complexity that live up to the ambitions set forth a decade ago. Clos du Moulin-à-Vent holds its own, with a superb 2017 vintage.

After making their fortune in the retail industry, the Labruyères invested in wine, purchasing shares in Dom. Jacques Prieur in Meursault in 1988. Since 2008, they have also reconnected with their Beaujolais roots: an ancestor had settled in Les Thorins in 1850, managing, among other things, the renowned Clos du Moulin-à-Vent monopoly. Édouard Labruyère took over the estate, retaining only the finest plots. The vineyard now covers 14 hectares.

2018 is the finest vintage I’ve tasted to date from Domaine Labruyère. Not only was the Moulin-à-Vent finally spared from hail—which devastated the appellation in 2016 and 2017 —but the 2018s are the most integrated wines I’ve tasted from the estate to date; their aging has resulted in a much more subtle contribution to aroma and structure than was the case in the previous vintages I’ve encountered. The winemaking process here is what is sometimes referred to as “Burgundian-style”: that is, the grapes are destemmed and macerated for 2 to 3 weeks in concrete tanks before aging in barrels and demi-muids.

Champ de Cour is particularly outstanding: crisp and full-bodied, it will age well for 25 years.

The Labruyère family has owned this château since 1850. Jean-Pierre Labruyère, who also owns the Jacques Prieur estate in Meursault and Château Rouget in Pomerol, handed over the reins to his son Édouard in 2008. The winemaking facility has been modernized, and the estate expanded. In 2000, the Clos du Moulin-à-Vent was added to the vineyard holdings. Nadine Gublin is in charge of the cellar, and Michel Rovere oversees the vineyards. The “Burgundian” winemaking method (destemming followed by barrel aging) produces wines with full yet smooth tannins that age beautifully.

Medium ruby color. A smoky nose with aromas of raspberry, blackcurrant, and plum. On the palate, it features a raspberry coulis and a silky texture, with pronounced notes of kirsch on the finish.

This refined red wine offers aromas of tea leaves, nutmeg, blueberries, and wild cherries on the nose, followed by a medium-bodied, complex, and spicy palate with fine tannins. It has a long, harmonious finish. Enjoy now or celller.