Lucien Le Moine, neither a Lucine nor a Le Moine.
Light of the Monk
LUCIEN LE MOINE
Lucien Le Moine is now working on its 13th vintage, and in a decade of work has become one of the most talked about Burgundy producers, making some of the most sought after wines from the region. The approach is extreme - two people, together doing everything by hand, working with a dazzling array of Burgundy's great terroirs.
In the late 1980s, Mounir Saouma's visit to a Trappist monastery in the Middle East led to a prolonged stay during which he worked in the monastery vineyards and first learned to make wine. He subsequently studied Viticulture and Oenology in Montpellier, followed by six years working in Burgundy, other areas of France, and California. During this time he became fascinated by traditional methods of viticulture, vinification, and aging. In 1999 he decided to push to the extreme all he had seen and experienced, and with his wife Rotem created a small cellar dedicated to the philosophy of making wines of purity and typicity.
Rotem comes from a cheese-making family, and studied agriculture in Dijon, eventually orienting her studies toward wine. After winning a national prize from the French Academy of Agriculture for her study of the Côte d'Or, she participated in numerous harvests in Burgundy and California. The name for Mounir and Rotem's winery, Lucien Le Moine, is comprised of two references: the Lebanese "Mounir" means light, hence the equivalent French "Lucien"; "Le Moine" translates as "the monk", and refers to Mounir's initial wine experiences at the monastery.
From their years spent in Burgundy, Mounir and Rotem knew many superb growers in the region. They devoted themselves to select production of Crus from these growers. They only produce Grands and Premiers Crus, trying each year to have the most beautiful Crus in each village. They revise their selection of Crus every year, depending on the quality of a particular vineyard in a given vintage, but do not produce any more than 100 barrels (2,500 cases), the absolute maximum for Mounir, who feels that any greater production would rob him of the ability to give each his personal touch.
The couple produces one to three barrels from each Cru. This provides the biggest technical challenge, since each barrel needs to be perfect, from selection, through aging, to bottling: there is no blending to cover up even the slightest errors at the end. They work with growers who are scrupulous with their vines, taste the wines very early (right after press), vinify (in the case of whites) or guide vinification in the methods they prefer (emphasizing phenolic ripeness, acid retention, and some employment of whole clusters), and put the wines in their barrels.
All wines are aged entirely on their lees. Gentle batonnage is done a few times a month, less or more depending on the vintage, and the wine is never racked during this process. The cellar is naturally humid and very cool, which pushes malolactic fermentations late into summer. The natural CO2 produced during these long fermentations allows Mounir to use little SO2 (it should be noted it is best to decant all Lucien Le Moine wines as they can have some residual CO2). Once malolactic fermentation is complete, he and Rotem follow each barrel, tasting several times a month. Bottling is done by hand via gravity feed when the wine is ready, always after a full moon (when atmospheric pressure is favorable). No fining, filtration, or addition of sulphur takes place at bottling.
"Saouma likes to describe his cellar as a library of Burgundy's finest terroirs. That's as good a description as any for these uniformly outstanding, compelling wines."
Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media
"This bright, hard working, extroverted man has created in a few short years one of burgundy's finest independent negociant firms."
Wine Advocate
"Tasting the wines of Lucien Le Moine is a fascinating exercise, in part because co-proprietor sources excellent wines, but mainly because Saouma's ideology often runs counter to the prevailing wisdom in Burgundy."
Wine Spectator
2017 Vintus
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Moonier and Rotem Saouma
The Wines we currently have in stock
2012 Lucien Le Moine Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Champs Gain
"The 2012 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Champs Gains has a crisp, orange zest and nectarine-scented bouquet with touches of limestone underneath. The palate is well balanced with crisp lime, orange peel and citrus notes, gradually building towards a confident finish. Excellent."
-Rated 93/100 The Wine Advocate
2013 Lucien Le Moine Meursault Premier Cru La Piece Sous le Bois
"(the first year for this offering): Bright yellow. Distinctly rocky aromas of lime blossom and crushed stone. Very tightly wound on the palate, with strong mineral tension keeping the flavors of underripe pineapple and lemon under wraps in the early going. Finishes with a stony solidity and excellent energy and length."
-Rated 93/100 The International Wine Cellar
2012 Lucien Le Moine Meursault Premier Cru Genevrières
"The 2012 Meursault 1er Cru Genevrières has a wonderful, vibrant nose with grilled hazelnut and smoke - a straight-down-the-line Meursault. The palate is fresh with citrus lime, orange zest and a touch of peppermint, great length as it fans out beautifully on the finish. This is a consummate Genevrières."
-Rated 94/100 The Wine Advocate
2014 Lucien Le Moine Corton-Charlemagne "(from vines on the Pernand side of the hill): Nose dominated by lime and metallic minerality. Flavors of fresh peach, peat and minerals are lifted by a positive touch of greenness. Wonderfully tactile, sweet, almost viscous wine with outstanding dimension: a real essence of liquid stone. The palate-saturating, extremely long finish shows no rough edges. This potentially sensational wine is still a baby."
-Rated 96/100 The International Wine Cellar
2011 Lucien Le Moine Volnay Premier Cru Caillerets
"The 2011 Volnay 1er Cru Les Caillerets that is again from limestone soils, has a generous bouquet with beautiful, expressive red currant and fresh strawberry fruit with superb delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, very well-judged acidity and a seemingly effortless finish that exudes finesse. This is one of Mornir's finest offerings."
-Rated 95/100 The Wine Advocate
2014 Lucien Le Moine Vosne Romanee Les Petits Monts "(aging in a new 500-liter barrel): Bright medium red. Knockout nose melds raspberry, rose petal and minty high tones. Very pure and intense but tightly wound, showing terrific viscosity of texture cut by penetrating minerality and accented by fresh herbs. I was reminded of a high-mountain tea. This very long, bracing wine left my salivary glands quivering."
-Rated 95/100 The International Wine Cellar
2011 Lucien Le Moine Corton Renardes Grand Cru
"Good full red. Scented, very ripe aromas of cherry, game birds and animal fur. Less voluminous than the Bressandes but juicy and intense, with lovely purity to its dark raspberry and spice flavors. Impressively vibrant, youthfully imploded Corton, from a very low crop level."
-Rated 94/100 The Wine Advocate
2007 Lucien Le Moine Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru
"From three barrels chosen to represent the range of distinctive microclimates and soils within this famous cru, Le Moine 2007 Clos Vougeot leads strikingly with coniferous, distilled red fruit, pan drippings, and oceanic saline aromas. Roasted meat richness and a plummy side to the fruit inform a bright, well-stuffed, firmly and finely tannic palate, leading to a finish of impressively saliva-inducing savor. This should be fascinating to follow for the better part of a decade."
-Rated 93/100 The Wine Advocate
2009 Lucien Le Moine Clos de la Roche Grand Cru
"The 2009 Clos de la Roche is drop-dead gorgeous. It shows remarkable depth and polish in its elegant, impeccable bouquet and harmonious, layered fruit. This is all finesse, all the way. My notes read: extraordinary! Anticipated maturity: 2019-2034"
-Rated 97/100 The Wine Advocate
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