$1,695.00
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This rare, singular wine comes from 0.7 hectares planted at a density of 30,000 vines per hectare more than 20 years ago. The vines are at the top of the vineyard, where the soil is incredibly rocky and the mesoclimate is at its coolest. They are spaced 30cm apart along the axis of the row, and the row width is one metre. At such a density, Lamy typically gets a maximum of three tiny bunches per vine (sometimes one or two, and sometimes none!). The entire plot only yields enough juice to fill the contents of a barrel or two. This plot produces completely different wines from the rest of the vineyard and it was this (initially experimental) site that subsequently led Lamy to increase his density in most of his other parcels, including Les Tremblots (22,000 vines/ha) and Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet (24,000 vines/ha).
How does this differ from the other white cuvée from the same site? More intensity, more salinity, more mineral, rocky concentration. It’s like the vines are sucking even more from their rocky soils, and the result is something totally unique. It’s no exaggeration to call this a wine of immense historical importance. Like a lot of Lamy’s work in the vines (recall that this vigneron brought Poussard pruning back to Burgundy), it has given many growers pause for thought, helping them reflect much more deeply on the ways that their vines are planted and managed. The 2023 is a heroic release, with the added depth of the year and intense structure and length we expect. If it had Grand Cru on the label, you could be sure it would get a score in the high 90s.
“The 2023 Saint-Aubin Derrière Chez Edouard Haut Densité 1er Cru comes from vines planted at [30,000] per hectare that, Lamy explained, need to extract less water—two times less—from the soil in order to ripen the berries. It has an intense sea caves and oyster shell-scented bouquet that blossoms in the glass. The palate is tensile and driven by its mineral core on the entry, with fine weight and depth and a precise nervous finish that gets the saliva flowing. Superb.” 94 points, Neal Martin, Vinous
“More complexity, extra depth and perfume – not more volume. Incisive and mineral – I’m searching to use that word ‘ultra’ again – but how often can I use it(?) Intense with a shimmering vibration of energy. Wonderful finishing – ultra complex – but, such a baby too. Keep it for 10 years.” Bill Nanson, The Burgundy Report
