Lucien Le Moine
History and Background
Lucien Le Moine, situated in Beaune, Burgundy, France, was founded in the late 1990s by Mounir Saouma and Rotem Brakin. The estate is known for its exceptional small-production wines, particularly its Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, which reflect the unique terroir of the region. Lucien Le Moine's commitment to quality and meticulous attention to detail has quickly earned it a prestigious reputation among Burgundy producers.
Vineyards and Terroir
Lucien Le Moine is a négociant in the Burgundy region, based in Beaune, France. As a négociant, it doesn't actually own vineyards but instead selects and sources grapes from various small and highly esteemed vineyards across Burgundy. Therefore, Lucien Le Moine works with the terroirs from multiple locations rather than having a specific vineyard size to mention.
- Soil Composition: The soils vary significantly as the grapes come from a variety of appellations including but not limited to Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune. These soils generally range from limestone-rich clay to marl, providing excellent drainage and varying mineral nutrients, which contribute to the diverse and complex profile of the wines.
- Grape Varieties: Lucien Le Moine sources primarily Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, producing red and white Burgundy wines respectively. These selections showcase the distinctive terroirs of Burgundy, from the elegant and floral notes typical of Chardonnay in Puligny-Montrachet to the structured and deep flavors of Pinot Noir in appellations like Gevrey-Chambertin and Vosne-Romanée.
This strategy of selecting only from high-quality and often old-vine parcels, along with their meticulous, limited-intervention winemaking philosophy, allows Lucien Le Moine to offer wines that distinctly reflect the unique characteristics of Burgundy's varied terroirs.
Wine Style and Production
- Key Characteristics: Lucien Le Moine wines exemplify elegance and complexity. These wines typically display a robust structure with a rich palette of aromas, including red and black fruits like cherry and blackcurrant, followed by nuanced hints of spice, earth, and floral tones. They are well-known for their significant concentration and depth, which are balanced by vibrant acidity and firm, well-integrated tannins, leading to excellent aging potential.
- Winemaking Philosophy: Lucien Le Moine follows a philosophy deeply rooted in minimal intervention, aiming to produce wines that reflect the purest expression of each vineyard's specific terroir. This approach involves using only indigenous yeasts for fermentation and avoiding processes like fining and filtration. The estate also limits its production to ensure focused attention on each barrel, adhering to a philosophy of producing only a few barrels of each appellation to maintain a high standard of quality.
- Influence on Style and Quality: The meticulous approach to vineyard management, including careful selection of fruit, greatly influences the style and quality of Lucien Le Moine’s wines. The labor-intensive process of hand-harvesting, strict grape selection, and green harvesting ensures that only the best grapes are used. In the winery, the choice to let wines undergo a long and slow barrel aging in minimal new French oak allows each wine to stabilize and mature in a carefully controlled environment. This method enhances the complexity and harmony of the wines, ensuring they are both powerful and elegant while staying true to their individual vineyard character.
Reputation
Lucien Le Moine is a highly respected négociant house based in Burgundy, France, founded in 1999 by Mounir Saouma and Rotem Brakin. The house specializes in producing small quantities of high-quality Burgundy wines, operating with an approach that combines meticulous grape selection and traditional winemaking techniques.
The reputation of Lucien Le Moine is built on several distinctive aspects:
1. Selective Production: Lucien Le Moine produces only a limited number of barrels each year, typically around 100 barrels, and focuses exclusively on Premier and Grand Cru wines. This selective approach means that they concentrate on the top-tier wines of Burgundy, ensuring each bottle reflects the pinnacle of what the region can offer.
2. Traditional Techniques: The house is known for its use of traditional Burgundian winemaking methods. They favor long fermentations and maturation processes, and avoid filtering and fining the wines. This method preserves the natural character and complexity of the grape, which is highly prized by Burgundy enthusiasts.
3. Aging and Barrels: Lucien Le Moine takes a unique approach to aging, allowing wines to mature in 100 percent new French oak barrels. They extend the barrel aging process to integrate the oak seamlessly, and use Burgundy barrels which are slightly less toasted compared to those used by other producers. This slow, attentive process enhances the wine's texture and depth while maintaining the delicate varietal nuances.
4. Hands-on Approach: Both founders are deeply involved in every stage of the winemaking process, from selecting the best grapes from growers, monitoring the fermentation and aging process, to making the final blend. Mounir Saouma, who has a background in winemaking and viticulture, brings a distinct philosophical and technical approach to the craft, which includes influencing the wine less and letting natural processes dominate.
5. Limited Availability: The wines of Lucien Le Moine are rare and highly sought after due to their limited production and exceptional quality. This scarcity adds to their allure and desirability among collectors and connoisseurs worldwide.
Overall, the prestige of Lucien Le Moine arises from their commitment to quality over quantity, a philosophy of minimal intervention, and a deep respect for the traditional winemaking techniques of Burgundy. These factors converge to create wines that are not only expressions of their specific terroirs but also noteworthy for their sophistication and complexity.
Final Thoughts
Lucien Le Moine is a standout name in the world of Burgundy wines, distinguished by its meticulous approach to winemaking and exclusive focus on premier and grand cru wines. Founded in 1999 by Mounir Saouma and Rotem Brakin, the négociant house has quickly ascended to the top tier of Burgundy producers through their philosophy of minimal intervention and low production volumes, typically producing no more than 100 barrels per year. The uniqueness of Lucien Le Moine lies in its aging process; where most wineries press wines early to bottle, Le Moine extends the barrel aging up to 24 months, ensuring each wine expresses its terroir with profound clarity and complexity. The dedication to hand-picking the best fruit, combined with this extended aging and careful selection of barrels, results in wines that are richly expressive and highly sought after, making Lucien Le Moine a paragon among Burgundy aficionados. Additionally, their commitment to preserving traditional Burgundian winemaking techniques, while delicately balancing innovation, only adds to their prestige and success in the competitive wine industry.