An unusual note of menthol along with dark berry confiture, resin, caramel, and brown spices in the nose of Lecheneauts' 2008 Clos De La Roche presage the combination of sweet ripeness and marked new oak that persists on a formidably tannic palate. The tannins and wood seem to hone-in on the wine's finish where there is an almost tar-like sense of opacity, resinous woodiness, tackiness, and bitterness. To be sure, this is impressively, stubbornly clinging, and perhaps racking and bottling as well as the sheer short term passage of time will do (or have done) it good. But to fall back on my frequent expression -more formidable than loveable- would be charitable in this instance. As for potential longevity, I wouldn't attempt to address that on the basis of my sole encounter with this wine. Vincent and Philippe Lecheneaut's 2008s had with three exceptions been assembled when I tasted them late last winter, but their malos had been extremely protracted and bottling was due to be later than usual. The brothers employed their usual contingent of new wood but backed-off somewhat on the inclusion of stems (employed at low level even in the village wines) and on pigeage, professing overall satisfaction with a vintage in which they testified to considerable nail-biting in the race between ripeness and rot, but whose fruit required, they said, less sorting than had that of 2007. I found the results here from 2008 on the whole formidably-concentrated but awkwardly marked by their wood and disappointingly lacking in charm or primary juiciness. The several 2007s I was able to taste point in the direction of more harmony and fun-in-drinking, and the Lecheneauts indicated that on the whole they find their 2007s more sweetly-fruited than their 2006s, which they suggest represents a role-reversal from those collections tasted in barrel. Importer: Robert Kacher Selections, Washington, DC; tel. (202) 832-9083

An unusual note of menthol along with dark berry confiture, resin, caramel, and brown spices in the nose of Lecheneauts' 2008 Clos De La Roche presage the combination of sweet ripeness and marked new oak that persists on a formidably tannic palate. The tannins and wood seem to hone-in on the wine's finish where there is an almost tar-like sense of opacity, resinous woodiness, tackiness, and bitterness. To be sure, this is impressively, stubbornly clinging, and perhaps racking and bottling as well as the sheer short term passage of time will do (or have done) it good. But to fall back on my frequent expression -more formidable than loveable- would be charitable in this instance. As for potential longevity, I wouldn't attempt to address that on the basis of my sole encounter with this wine. Vincent and Philippe Lecheneaut's 2008s had with three exceptions been assembled when I tasted them late last winter, but their malos had been extremely protracted and bottling was due to be later than usual. The brothers employed their usual contingent of new wood but backed-off somewhat on the inclusion of stems (employed at low level even in the village wines) and on pigeage, professing overall satisfaction with a vintage in which they testified to considerable nail-biting in the race between ripeness and rot, but whose fruit required, they said, less sorting than had that of 2007. I found the results here from 2008 on the whole formidably-concentrated but awkwardly marked by their wood and disappointingly lacking in charm or primary juiciness. The several 2007s I was able to taste point in the direction of more harmony and fun-in-drinking, and the Lecheneauts indicated that on the whole they find their 2007s more sweetly-fruited than their 2006s, which they suggest represents a role-reversal from those collections tasted in barrel.Importer: Robert Kacher Selections, Washington, DC; tel. (202) 832-9083