Why it matters
The producer
Once fermentation is complete, Lucien Le Moine takes the wine into its cellar. Based in Beaune, this micro-négociant sources wines from named Burgundy sites and carries them through extended élevage, the period when wine matures before bottling. The house aims to make each wine an accurate and focused expression of its origin, the French idea of terroir.
Lucien Le Moine is not a traditional estate winery. It works with sourced wine and keeps the site name attached to each label. The origin remains visible while the house handles the maturation before bottling.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
The labels split the red range between Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune, while the white range includes bottles from Côte de Beaune. Beaune is the base. Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune are Burgundy subregions whose names sit beside individual vineyard names on the labels. The geographic name changes from one bottle to the next as the named site shifts.
In the cellar
Vineyards and cellar
At Lucien Le Moine, the working lot is measured in barrels. The cellar takes one to three barrels from each site and can produce more than 50 different crus annually. In Burgundy, a cru names a recognized vineyard or site level; keeping each lot linked to its origin keeps the site visible on the label.
The sourced wines arrive after fermentation. Jupilles oak is used for ageing and produces a soft, sweet fruit character with little other evidence of new oak. The wines also age on their lees before unfiltered bottling. Lees are the spent yeast cells left in the vessel; time with them can add texture and savory depth. Unfiltered bottling means the wine is not passed through a filter before bottling. Sulfur and oxidation are managed as part of the cellar work.
Wines to know
The range in view
Lucien Le Moine's red range includes Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru, Latricières-Chambertin Grand Cru, Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru and Echezeaux Grand Cru. Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots adds a Premier Cru bottle, while Corton Le Clos du Roi Grand Cru and Volnay Premier Cru Pitures Dessus bring in Côte de Beaune reds.
The whites include Bourgogne Blanc, Meursault 1er Cru Les Gouttes d'Or, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru and Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru. Premier Cru and Grand Cru are named vineyard levels in Burgundy, with Grand Cru above Premier Cru; Bourgogne Blanc is a regional label. Together, the labels cover regional, Premier Cru and Grand Cru wines in red and white styles.
A useful way in
A bottle to begin with
Choose Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru 2022. It is a named Côte de Nuits Grand Cru, with one site and one vineyard level on the label. The wine has firm tannins and vibrant acidity, followed by a long savory finish with mineral and herbal nuances. The bottle keeps the house's small lot sourcing attached to one named place.