never permit the fermentation temperature to exceed 30° C, believing that this helps to preserve both freshness and typicity. The new wine is racked into barrels, of which 20% are new and then bottled after 18 months of so of élevage and the wines are presently racked once the malos are complete. The mise is done in-house without fining or filtration. As the scores suggest, the wines are of solid quality and Leclerc is one of the few domaines that makes a Griotte; for more on this particular wine, please see Domaine Chezeaux above. (Jeanne-Marie de Champs-Domaine et Saveurs, Beaune, FR - jeanne-marie@jmdechamps.com; no UK importer). Soaring red cherry and raspberry fruit notes plus spicy and complex aromas of earth, anise and pinot extract lead to fresh, precise and strikingly intense, medium full flavors and excellent length. Mouth coating, dusty and perfectly balanced, this is one gorgeous wine crafted in a forward style though it should reward 6 to 10 years of cellar time.
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