Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaut Saint Jacques Lucien Le Moine 2019

Lucien Le Moine is a haute-couture trader/farmer maison created by Mounir Saouma and Rotem Brakin, a Lebanese couple. After the husband spent some time in a monastery and a first attempt at the art of making wine, then embarked on enology studies, he created his structure in 1999 to offer wine from the finest terroirs. The name of the maison comes from the nickname that his friends gave him as a result of his education in the Cistercian cloister: "Le Moine", the Monk. Lucien was the name given to him by the monks. Today, he produces 38 different crus, ranging from village wines to grand crus. The vinification and élevage are very precise and well done, as delicately and naturally as possible. A must-see.

On building their wine holdings, the Lebanese Mounir Saouma and Rotem Brakin have set their sights on Gevrey-Chambertin, a legendary appellation of the Côte de Nuits. Batônnage is gently done two to four times a month to enhance it and give it harmony and complexity. They carefully taste their wine twice a month and bottle it using gravity after the full moon. Neither fined nor filtered, the wines are distinguished, deep and complex. You need to wait several years however before drinking them. For if they are closed when young, they then unfurl a sharp attack and an intense aromatic complexity made up of notes of leather, spices and liquorice.