Clos des Lambrays
The Clos des Lambrays is classified as grand cru vineyard in the Côte -d'Or in the Burgundy region in France. It is located in the town of Morey -Saint -Denis and has its own appellation. This encompasses an area of 8.6975 hectare. Produced exclusively red wine. The vineyard is actually enclosed by a wall and thus a true " Clos ".
Location, climate and soil
The Clos des Lambrays is on a slightly rising in the east slope 280 to 320 m above sea level. To the north it touches the Clos Saint -Denis, Clos de Tart, the south connects. The Clos des Lambrays is almost a monopoly position held by the Domaine des Lambrays, only a tiny 4,2 Ar large parcel owned by the Domaine Taupenot.
The climate is that of Burgundy - a transitional climate, predominate in the continental on maritime influences. The mostly dry and hot summer, let the Pinot Noir to ripen though, great vintages emerge only when there is no rain in the fall affects the reading. Due to the pure east facing the micro-climate is relatively cool, but simultaneously protected Spatfrösten.
The bottom of the Clos des Lambrays is anything but homogeneous. The lowermost part has a heavy, clay-limestone soil, he gives the wine power and a solid backbone. The upper part, however, is very mergelhaltig and ensures the finesse. The Clos des Lambrays consists of several Climats: Les Larrets, Lambray, Les Bouchot and Meixner - reindeer.
Wine
The Clos des Lambrays produced virtually exclusively from Pinot Noir. As another Pinot and Pinot Liébault Beurot are allowed. Theoretically, up to 15 % white grapes ( Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc) are used. The natural alcohol content must be at least 11.5 vol - % amount, Chaptalisation is - as everywhere in Burgundy - allowed. The base yield is 35 hectoliters per hectare, this value may be exceeded by a maximum of 20%. Mandatory is also the planting density: It must 9000-13000 vines per hectare are set. From 2000 to 2004 279 hectoliters were produced in the middle. Since only 7.9 ha were in production, the yield was more than 35 hl / ha. This gave the Grand Cru than 36,000 bottles per year.
The current owners let the grapes are picked by hand before fermentation again after copying, but not de-stemming. The fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks and lasts 15-18 days. The wine is vinified separately by parcel, up to half of the crop is - not only in difficult vintages - outclassed and marketed as Morey -Saint -Denis Premier Cru. The extension lasts 18 months and takes place in oak barrels instead, which are renewed annually at 60-75 %. The Clos des Lambrays is only fined with egg whites before bottling. .
The Clos des Lambrays is a classy and at the same time fine wine of great longevity. The bouquet initially dominated cherry, blackberry then enforces. There are also aromas of humus, undergrowth and truffles. Characteristic also are notes of smoked meat. With increasing maturity, he gains in refinement and develops notes of spices and ( dried ) flowers.
History
The origins of the Clos des Lambrays are in the Middle Ages. In the mid-14th century, a Clos de Lambrey was first mentioned in Morey, named after an occupied since the 12th century noble family. The Abbey of Citeaux had there rights, the vineyard itself has her but not well heard. The property was sold at auction after the French Revolution, and distributed by the mid -19th century on numerous owners. The register of 1828 lists 75 parcels. The wine was sold under the name of the individual climats, where the wine from Les Lambrays was considered the best. Then the negociant ( wine merchant ) Louis Joly came on the scene. Until the mid-19th century, he bought almost all the parcels together. 1866 everything was sold to a native of Morey Négociant Albert Sébastien Rodier, who established the name " Clos des Lambrays " as a trademark in the late 19th century. As the heirs got into financial difficulties, the Parisian banker's wife Renée Cosson stepped into the breach. She had an affair with Albert Rodier, the grandson of Albert Sébastien, and bought the estate in 1938. Vinified Albert the Clos des Lambrays until 1950. Cosson Renée jealous of her wine, economic considerations were foreign to her. In the vineyard were still ungrafted vines, dead vines were not replaced. The yields were therefore extremely low ( rarely more than 10 hl / ha). The wine remained until bottling often for years in barrels at the first establishment of Grands Crus in the 1930s, the Clos des Lambrays remained lack of initiative of the owners also left out. Camille Rodier, the second grandson of Albert Sébastien and co-founder of the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin, but sat down, always supporting the Clos des Lambrays.
Renée Cosson died 1977. Residents of Morey -Saint -Denis called the vineyard then sarcastically " clos délabré " ( depraved Weinberg). In 1979, a corporation acquired under the leadership of working in the wine business brothers Fabien and Louis Saier the Clos des Lambrays for 10 million francs. They hired the young winemaker Thierry Brouhin as winemaker who has since worked for the Domaine des Lambrays. On April 27, 1981, the Clos des Lambrays was raised to the status of a Grand Cru. The new owners pledged to keep the proportion of old vines high, and only 2.44 ha were replanted. In addition, they replaced dead vines, so that in the first ten years a total of half of the Clos was renewed. Investments totaled twice the purchase price. Economic difficulties forced the owner of the mid-1990s for sale. In 1996, the German industrialist Günter friend from Koblenz along with his son Hans -Joachim Domaine des Lambrays. With the coordination of their quality policy ( low yields, strict selection) since they consolidated the status of the Clos des Lambrays as Grand Cru.