2009 Louis Latour Chardonnay, Mâcon-Villages, France
Tasting Notes
Maison Louis Latour, in keeping with its traditional preoccupation with quality, purchases grapes from competent growers with holdings in the most esteemed vineyards in the Mâcon-Villages zone. The wine is bottled during the following Spring at the Clos Chameroy in the outskirts of Beaune. This Chardonnay represents the epitome of classical white Burgundy reflecting the fusion between the noble Chardonnay grape and the calciferous terrain of the area. This wine has delicious aromas of flowers and almonds, and it possesses a fresh, creamy bouquet which prepares the palate for the suave, billowing aftertaste.
Food Pairing: Shellfish, fish, charcuterie, Comte cheese
Specs
Vintage: 2009
Varietal: Chardonnay
Appellation: Mâcon-Villages, France
Average Vine Age: 30 years
Soil: Clay and limestone
Fermentation: Traditional in stainless steel vats, temperature controlled with complete malolactic fermentation
Aging: 8 to 10 months ageing in stainless steel vats
Alcohol: 13%
Included in the Box
4-bottles:
4x 2009 Louis Latour Chardonnay, Mâcon-Villages, France
Case:
12x 2009 Louis Latour Chardonnay, Mâcon-Villages, France
From the heart of their domaine on the Corton hillside, Maison Louis Latour have witnessed more than two centuries of Burgundian history.
Founded in 1797 Maison Louis Latour has survived the ages and has become a natural custodian of Burgundy’s ancient traditions. Authentic and determinedly independent, the House has always made it a point of honor to remain family owned. It is now run by the seventh Louis Latour who represents the 11th generation of the founding family, who like each generation before him, has worked hard to preserve the company’s unique heritage while ensuring the future with an ambitious and visionary spirit.
The Latour family Domaine has been built up over the years with patience and determination, and today, covers 50 hectares of exceptional vineyard which are recognised each vintage for the quality of their wines. Louis Latour’s famous logo is a sign of quality and is placed on the many bottles that are shipped around the world each year. In 1997 Maison Louis Latour celebrated its bicentennial and was admitted to the Henokiens Club, a select circle of companies who have remained in founding family ownership for at least 200 years and still bear the name of their founder.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
tl;dr - go to the last paragraph.
Yesterday I discovered that a new employee where I work was a fan of wine. We discussed what we like, and found that we had many commonalities, the most salient being our shared distaste for Chardonnay. I stated that “Chardonnay tastes like Vodka to me”…and I don’t like Vodak. So, today I received the small box containing the treasure presaged by the notice of the Golden Ticket. I gleefully sliced open the corrugated container, and behold! 2009 Louis Latour Chardonnay! I am disappoint.
So, what do I do? I could give the bottle to SWMBO’s boss who loves dry whites. But would we get a thorough report from her? No, I’m going to do my duty and offer the best report that I can, and try not to be biased by this “White Burgundy”. I owe it to you to take one for the team!
It’s interesting that this Chardonnay is a brand that I have heard of, and it is a 2009 to boot. Maybe it is something special? It is the Macon-Villages bottling, and I think that Villages are the relatively low end of the French wines. I looked on Cellartracker, and nobody had reported on the 2009, and those shown were drunk within a couple of years of their vintage.
Veterans Day: My gratitude to those of you who have served.
Wine has been in the fridge for half an hour or so and I pop the cork…a nice pop and the composite cork is in perfect shape. The wine is at 18C, so I put it back for further cooling. (Don’t know why my thermometer won’t read in Fahrenheit.) 10C (50F) Beautiful golden color. Very pleasant odor/nose. Very little alcohol, pineapple, smooth - lovely. If it tastes like it smells, I will be a convert. On the palate it has a little viscosity…SWMBO says buttery. I don’t think it’s oaky, not in the sense that oak shows in red wines. Dry, no sweetness at all. Not crisp like a sauvignon blanc. The pineapple is there, but subdued. A little bit of orange pith bitterness at the finish for me, under the tongue for her. The years might have been good to this wine. On day one, not bad…she says “I wouldn’t buy it and drink it on purpose”. I’ll leave it in the fridge ‘til tomorrow, and report.
Day 2, straight out of the fridge. Nice nose, very fruity, still pineapple, but maybe a little apricot or melon too. The air didn’t hurt the flavor at all. “I think it would be good with spicy Thai food.” Still has a little of the grapefruit zest. “It’s much better today, I think”.
Conclusion: I’m not a Chard drinker, but this is by far the best I’ve tried. Beautiful golden color. A little buttery, dry, lots of fruit, particularly pineapple. Little alcohol. Did not detect oxidation, age has been kind to this wine. Since it was still very good the 2nd day, I suspect it will cellar well. If you’re a Chard or dry white drinker and the price is right, I’d recommend jumping on this deal.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2009 Chardonnay from Maison Louis Latour - $40 = 24.23%
I was lucky enough to be chosen to rat the iconic French Macon-Villages Chardonnay de Louis Latour 2009. The bottle arrived and I put it into the fridge to chill for dinner. Three hours later, I made feta & dill sheet pan chicken thighs and roasted potatoes for dinner. It was a great companion to the Chardonnay. I opened the wine to let it breathe and lose its chill for about 20 minutes before dinner.
First impressions Nose: Startlingly little nose. Almost nothing. My friend and I both let it warm up to room temperature and still not much nose. It was so slight, I can’t even provide any sure notes. It was almost like a far away whiff of white wine.
Visuals: Light gold in color. Less dark than staw. Very translucent. It doesn’t form a long-lasting leg.
Flavors: Citrus, slightly floral, vanilla, dry without being tart or oaky.
After it fully opened (maybe 45 minutes out of the refrigerator and open) Nose: It has not changed. Still, very little to notice. It’s not unpleasant, but so faint I couldn’t pull anything specific out of it.
Visuals: No change from the first impression.
Flavors: It’s mellowed a bit with time, but still has straw, citrus, and carambola fruit on the front. Not very oaky at all. Faint notes of pear, white peach, and honeydew are also included. It remains dry, but not desert dry either. Both my friend and I got a wonderful flavor of vanilla on the end. It became slightly creamy with honey notes over time. The finish is short and clean.
This is a very easy drinker and it paired perfectly with the feta and dill chicken. I finished the bottle the next night with a pork chop mushroom marsala. It paired fantastically with both meals. The wine was just as good the second day.
The CaseMates case price for this wine is a great deal. I was thinking I’d be really happy to purchase this wine for about $12-$14 a bottle, so at $10.42/bottle, this offer has great QPR.
If you are looking for an easy-drinking, unoaked chardonnay, this is a great choice. It pairs very well with food but is lovely on its own too. It would make a fantastic Thanksgiving dinner wine.
Good morning fellow casemates! Last weekend I received the exciting email that I was to be a lab rat. Anxiously waited for the package to arrive to see what we got. Just like Christmas! When it did I opened it with much anticipation and was immediately let down when I saw a bottle of Chardonnay. Definitely not one of my liked varietals. With that said I figured I would try my best so here it goes!
Let the bottle chill in the wine fridge overnight. Took the bottle out of the wine fridge let it sit on the counter for about 15 minutes. Nice pop of the cork when opened. In glass a light golden color. Aroma seemed very muted I feel. Maybe hints of apricots or pear? First taste we noted dry no hint of sweetness at all and no hint of oak or butter either. We thought that it had some bitterness at the finish. We didn’t notice much change as wine warmed up. My wine partner stated " I can drink it but wouldn’t go out and buy it." We paired it with a bay scallop recipe and didn’t notice a change with food. So alone or with the pairing not a big fan.
Saved half the bottle in refrigerator overnight and on day 2 it opened a little. Little less bitter to me. Maybe little more nose little citrus some butter on the taste but not much.
We thought probably a $20-25 bottle and it would be Casemates priced at $10-12.
If you like a dry Chardonnay then this might do well for you at this price. I am still on the hunt for a Chardonnay I like! I bought the Poundstone offering here on Casemates will say liked the Sangiacomo but wasn’t a fan of the Russian River if that helps.
Thank you Casemates for the opportunity! I always enjoyed reading the lab rat reviews!
@Twich22 I just kept mine in my regular refrigerator, because I don’t have a wine fridge. I think some of the disparity may be that we rats were not fans of Chardonnay to begin with. I also think that if you drink Chardonnay too cold, you lose a lot of the flavor. I prefer it just barely chilled.
@gemeinschaft79@Twich22@dawnlac
Interesting observation, but how many times might you have read ~professional~ review and tried to match reviews of the same wine, to the same wine? I frequently chuckle how different they can be.
Hopefully, @cortot will have the the bottle for the Socal Swap Meet #1 all queued up for that group of 'mates, to see if there is any consensus. There are definitely Chard drinkers in that group.
@CorTot@gemeinschaft79@rjquillin@Twich22
Looking forward to reading their reviews! Because of covid it limited who I could have try the wine with me and unfortunately you got 2 red wine drinkers that do not really like Chardonnay but truly tried best to give my honest review.
Another Latour library selection. Different appellation then the previous Latour offer. Again, no oak. However, previous offer aged very well, while this one doesn’t sound like time has been kind to it? On the fence.
@WkdPanda
well, the one CT review from fantastisch in Amsterdam just two years after vintage was anything but complementary; age here may not really be a factor. Over 10% Chard consumption, a lot from Marlborough.
@WkdPanda As a rat on the Saint-Veran (and case purchaser), yeah, the rattage on this LL Macon is less than enthusiastic. I am glad I scratched that itch and am relieved of any temptation to pick up any of this one.
@baldwino0@FritzCat@PatrickKarcher@WkdPanda no doubt it’s a great deal for some 11 year old chard. I had the previous offer from the other vineyard and it was as good as one could hope, so I’m sure this one is just as good. I was more curious if there was significant bottle variation on these.
Interesting that this Mâcon-Villages is priced the same as the prior offer for Saint-Veran when the latter is generally a more expensive appellation. But then again, it’s still 11 years old.
Unlike @merrybill, I didn’t have a notepad in my pocket so this is all off the cuff.
This was the first bottle I tried at the Swap Meet, and I’m glad. I found it quite lightly aromatic, but it was served at ice-bath temperature. When it warmed up a touch I got more lemon and white flower. No noticeable oxidation or other “old” notes. Absolutely not buttery or oaky.
Wife and I generally don’t drink chardonnay because we’re butter-averse. However we both enjoyed it greatly!
It’s been at least 5-6 years since I’ve had a 2009 Louis Latour Macon-Villages. Here on the East Coast, if you want solid, drinkable, inexpensive (it’s all relative) unoaked Chardonnay, Louis Latour is a readily available go-to, in the $10-15 price point (it’s crept up over time). We usually end up with the Macon-Lugny (a specific village wine), but it depends where we’re buying. I’d say we probably go through a case, maybe two, of Louis Latour Macon per year. Best in many years was the 2014 - an outstanding white Burgundy vintage. I’m in the process of moving and have no place to store wine, or I would buy a case just for fun to see how it has aged.
This is not a wine from which you can expect to see what great Burgundy or Chablis is like, because it’s not a great wine. But, as I said, solid, drinkable, dependable and affordable. In my experience, there is nothing from California in its category that can compete on price - except I think we got some Iron Horse 2012 unoaked Chardonnay for not much more than this. But, 2012 was a very great year in CA.
Got to taste this last night with the gang, very enjoyable bottle. I tasted it early and found it to be very aromatic, opened up nicely and had a mellow but long rounded finish. We don’t drink much Chardonnay but do love the iron horse Unoaked and buy it when we find it on the cheap, this feels like that wine but less of the big CA fruit profile. There is zero butter or oak on this just fruit and at 11 years old showing very nicely. Candace enjoyed it quite a bit and was blown away by the age, she had assumed a much younger wine. I think it’s a solid buy at this price point and would assume it’s got some years of life left.
Yes, I had a notepad, but I also have awful handwriting, so we’ll see how it goes. This was the first bottle I poured at the swap meet (it was in an ice bucker), noting it was French but missing the vintage. I also had no idea where the Macon Villages were, although now I know they’re in southern Burgundy.
It was pale yellow, with a nice nose of lemon and flowers. It was fresh, smooth, with good acid, grapefruit up front and almonds in the back, with a nice mellow finish. And this was while it was pretty cold. My wife said she tasted some butter, but I disagree. We both liked it. I was shocked - shocked I say - to find out it was a 2009 vintage.
There was another Chardonnay there, from Napa and much younger, which provided quite a contrast. It had a bigger nose and bigger fruit than the Latour, so if you prefer that style, the Latour may not be for you. But if you like “old world” style, for the Casemates price, I don’t think you can beat this Latour.
@merrybill Yep. The “other bottle” was very tropical, vanilla, and stonefruit compared to the Latour’s subtle apple and citrus. Honestly, i’m not even sure i’d even peg them both as Chardonnay if they were hidden labels. I guess that’s new world vs old.
I could be wrong…but the notes above state this:
“The wine is bottled during the following Spring at the Clos Chameroy in the outskirts of Beaune.”
I believe that is incorrect for the offer here. There is in indeed a Chameroy bottling, but this isn’t it. The Louis Latour website seems to agree, as that is the description for the Chameroy. Seems someone copied and pasted the wrong note. fwiw
In fact that whole tasting note above is from the Chameroy bottling, not this wine.
2009 Louis Latour Chardonnay, Mâcon-Villages, France
Tasting Notes
Specs
Included in the Box
4-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
Not for sale online, $360/case MSRP
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Dec 7 - Wednesday, Dec 9
Chardonnay from Maison Louis Latour
4 bottles for $54.99 $13.75/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $124.99 $10.42/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2009 Louis Latour Chardonnay
I have a bottle of this here at home but am holding for tomorrow nights casemates SoCal swap meet to get a few opinions.
tl;dr - go to the last paragraph.
Yesterday I discovered that a new employee where I work was a fan of wine. We discussed what we like, and found that we had many commonalities, the most salient being our shared distaste for Chardonnay. I stated that “Chardonnay tastes like Vodka to me”…and I don’t like Vodak. So, today I received the small box containing the treasure presaged by the notice of the Golden Ticket. I gleefully sliced open the corrugated container, and behold! 2009 Louis Latour Chardonnay! I am disappoint.
So, what do I do? I could give the bottle to SWMBO’s boss who loves dry whites. But would we get a thorough report from her? No, I’m going to do my duty and offer the best report that I can, and try not to be biased by this “White Burgundy”. I owe it to you to take one for the team!
It’s interesting that this Chardonnay is a brand that I have heard of, and it is a 2009 to boot. Maybe it is something special? It is the Macon-Villages bottling, and I think that Villages are the relatively low end of the French wines. I looked on Cellartracker, and nobody had reported on the 2009, and those shown were drunk within a couple of years of their vintage.
Veterans Day: My gratitude to those of you who have served.
Wine has been in the fridge for half an hour or so and I pop the cork…a nice pop and the composite cork is in perfect shape. The wine is at 18C, so I put it back for further cooling. (Don’t know why my thermometer won’t read in Fahrenheit.) 10C (50F) Beautiful golden color. Very pleasant odor/nose. Very little alcohol, pineapple, smooth - lovely. If it tastes like it smells, I will be a convert. On the palate it has a little viscosity…SWMBO says buttery. I don’t think it’s oaky, not in the sense that oak shows in red wines. Dry, no sweetness at all. Not crisp like a sauvignon blanc. The pineapple is there, but subdued. A little bit of orange pith bitterness at the finish for me, under the tongue for her. The years might have been good to this wine. On day one, not bad…she says “I wouldn’t buy it and drink it on purpose”. I’ll leave it in the fridge ‘til tomorrow, and report.
Day 2, straight out of the fridge. Nice nose, very fruity, still pineapple, but maybe a little apricot or melon too. The air didn’t hurt the flavor at all. “I think it would be good with spicy Thai food.” Still has a little of the grapefruit zest. “It’s much better today, I think”.
Conclusion: I’m not a Chard drinker, but this is by far the best I’ve tried. Beautiful golden color. A little buttery, dry, lots of fruit, particularly pineapple. Little alcohol. Did not detect oxidation, age has been kind to this wine. Since it was still very good the 2nd day, I suspect it will cellar well. If you’re a Chard or dry white drinker and the price is right, I’d recommend jumping on this deal.
@FritzCat Thank you for reviewing. the pic makes it look very refreshing.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2009 Chardonnay from Maison Louis Latour - $40 = 24.23%
I was lucky enough to be chosen to rat the iconic French Macon-Villages Chardonnay de Louis Latour 2009. The bottle arrived and I put it into the fridge to chill for dinner. Three hours later, I made feta & dill sheet pan chicken thighs and roasted potatoes for dinner. It was a great companion to the Chardonnay. I opened the wine to let it breathe and lose its chill for about 20 minutes before dinner.
First impressions
Nose: Startlingly little nose. Almost nothing. My friend and I both let it warm up to room temperature and still not much nose. It was so slight, I can’t even provide any sure notes. It was almost like a far away whiff of white wine.
Visuals: Light gold in color. Less dark than staw. Very translucent. It doesn’t form a long-lasting leg.
Flavors: Citrus, slightly floral, vanilla, dry without being tart or oaky.
After it fully opened (maybe 45 minutes out of the refrigerator and open)
Nose: It has not changed. Still, very little to notice. It’s not unpleasant, but so faint I couldn’t pull anything specific out of it.
Visuals: No change from the first impression.
Flavors: It’s mellowed a bit with time, but still has straw, citrus, and carambola fruit on the front. Not very oaky at all. Faint notes of pear, white peach, and honeydew are also included. It remains dry, but not desert dry either. Both my friend and I got a wonderful flavor of vanilla on the end. It became slightly creamy with honey notes over time. The finish is short and clean.
This is a very easy drinker and it paired perfectly with the feta and dill chicken. I finished the bottle the next night with a pork chop mushroom marsala. It paired fantastically with both meals. The wine was just as good the second day.
The CaseMates case price for this wine is a great deal. I was thinking I’d be really happy to purchase this wine for about $12-$14 a bottle, so at $10.42/bottle, this offer has great QPR.
If you are looking for an easy-drinking, unoaked chardonnay, this is a great choice. It pairs very well with food but is lovely on its own too. It would make a fantastic Thanksgiving dinner wine.
@gemeinschaft79 Thank you for the report. I do like an easy drinking chard.
Good morning fellow casemates! Last weekend I received the exciting email that I was to be a lab rat. Anxiously waited for the package to arrive to see what we got. Just like Christmas! When it did I opened it with much anticipation and was immediately let down when I saw a bottle of Chardonnay. Definitely not one of my liked varietals. With that said I figured I would try my best so here it goes!
Let the bottle chill in the wine fridge overnight. Took the bottle out of the wine fridge let it sit on the counter for about 15 minutes. Nice pop of the cork when opened. In glass a light golden color. Aroma seemed very muted I feel. Maybe hints of apricots or pear? First taste we noted dry no hint of sweetness at all and no hint of oak or butter either. We thought that it had some bitterness at the finish. We didn’t notice much change as wine warmed up. My wine partner stated " I can drink it but wouldn’t go out and buy it." We paired it with a bay scallop recipe and didn’t notice a change with food. So alone or with the pairing not a big fan.
Saved half the bottle in refrigerator overnight and on day 2 it opened a little. Little less bitter to me. Maybe little more nose little citrus some butter on the taste but not much.
We thought probably a $20-25 bottle and it would be Casemates priced at $10-12.
If you like a dry Chardonnay then this might do well for you at this price. I am still on the hunt for a Chardonnay I like! I bought the Poundstone offering here on Casemates will say liked the Sangiacomo but wasn’t a fan of the Russian River if that helps.
Thank you Casemates for the opportunity! I always enjoyed reading the lab rat reviews!
@dawnlac Thank you for reporting even though chards are not your fav. I will make a notation on your profile.
3 rats and 3 different opinions. I wonder if these bottles were stored differently or something.
@Twich22
I put mine in wine fridge for 24-36 hours at 52 degrees after it arrived then stored after opening it in my regular refrigerator.
@Twich22 I just kept mine in my regular refrigerator, because I don’t have a wine fridge. I think some of the disparity may be that we rats were not fans of Chardonnay to begin with. I also think that if you drink Chardonnay too cold, you lose a lot of the flavor. I prefer it just barely chilled.
@gemeinschaft79 @Twich22 @dawnlac
Interesting observation, but how many times might you have read ~professional~ review and tried to match reviews of the same wine, to the same wine? I frequently chuckle how different they can be.
Hopefully, @cortot will have the the bottle for the Socal Swap Meet #1 all queued up for that group of 'mates, to see if there is any consensus. There are definitely Chard drinkers in that group.
@CorTot @gemeinschaft79 @rjquillin @Twich22
Looking forward to reading their reviews! Because of covid it limited who I could have try the wine with me and unfortunately you got 2 red wine drinkers that do not really like Chardonnay but truly tried best to give my honest review.
@CorTot @dawnlac @gemeinschaft79 @Twich22
That’s all we can ask, except, perhaps, @wccwinegirl could try to target bottles to those that have responded with what they like, feel comfortable with.
@CorTot @dawnlac @gemeinschaft79 @rjquillin @Twich22
Maybe b/c two of them aren’t Chardonnay drinkers?
Another Latour library selection. Different appellation then the previous Latour offer. Again, no oak. However, previous offer aged very well, while this one doesn’t sound like time has been kind to it? On the fence.
@WkdPanda
well, the one CT review from fantastisch in Amsterdam just two years after vintage was anything but complementary; age here may not really be a factor. Over 10% Chard consumption, a lot from Marlborough.
@WkdPanda As a rat on the Saint-Veran (and case purchaser), yeah, the rattage on this LL Macon is less than enthusiastic. I am glad I scratched that itch and am relieved of any temptation to pick up any of this one.
@baldwino0 @WkdPanda I’m confused about what you are reading. Labrats:
So, the lab rat reports sound very very good. Making me want to buy this.
@baldwino0 @PatrickKarcher @WkdPanda
I agree, I thought the rattage was positive. I say, if you like Chard, this is a great deal.
@baldwino0 @FritzCat @PatrickKarcher @WkdPanda no doubt it’s a great deal for some 11 year old chard. I had the previous offer from the other vineyard and it was as good as one could hope, so I’m sure this one is just as good. I was more curious if there was significant bottle variation on these.
@baldwino0 @FritzCat @PatrickKarcher @WkdPanda also, for what it’s worth, I bought some out of curiosity.
Interesting that this Mâcon-Villages is priced the same as the prior offer for Saint-Veran when the latter is generally a more expensive appellation. But then again, it’s still 11 years old.
@klezman agree on that. The Saint-Veran was simply magnificent. Trying a case of this for comparison
Just had a few sips of this at the gathering. It’s really really good. Very impressive!
@klezman this one comment cost me $130. Thank you? I guess
@klezman Are we going to get any more?
Details from you or comments from others?
@pete0744 You’re welcome/I’m sorry.
Choice taste in music. One of my favorite instrumental albums
Unlike @merrybill, I didn’t have a notepad in my pocket so this is all off the cuff.
This was the first bottle I tried at the Swap Meet, and I’m glad. I found it quite lightly aromatic, but it was served at ice-bath temperature. When it warmed up a touch I got more lemon and white flower. No noticeable oxidation or other “old” notes. Absolutely not buttery or oaky.
Wife and I generally don’t drink chardonnay because we’re butter-averse. However we both enjoyed it greatly!
It’s been at least 5-6 years since I’ve had a 2009 Louis Latour Macon-Villages. Here on the East Coast, if you want solid, drinkable, inexpensive (it’s all relative) unoaked Chardonnay, Louis Latour is a readily available go-to, in the $10-15 price point (it’s crept up over time). We usually end up with the Macon-Lugny (a specific village wine), but it depends where we’re buying. I’d say we probably go through a case, maybe two, of Louis Latour Macon per year. Best in many years was the 2014 - an outstanding white Burgundy vintage. I’m in the process of moving and have no place to store wine, or I would buy a case just for fun to see how it has aged.
This is not a wine from which you can expect to see what great Burgundy or Chablis is like, because it’s not a great wine. But, as I said, solid, drinkable, dependable and affordable. In my experience, there is nothing from California in its category that can compete on price - except I think we got some Iron Horse 2012 unoaked Chardonnay for not much more than this. But, 2012 was a very great year in CA.
Got to taste this last night with the gang, very enjoyable bottle. I tasted it early and found it to be very aromatic, opened up nicely and had a mellow but long rounded finish. We don’t drink much Chardonnay but do love the iron horse Unoaked and buy it when we find it on the cheap, this feels like that wine but less of the big CA fruit profile. There is zero butter or oak on this just fruit and at 11 years old showing very nicely. Candace enjoyed it quite a bit and was blown away by the age, she had assumed a much younger wine. I think it’s a solid buy at this price point and would assume it’s got some years of life left.
Well, the Swap Meet comments pushed me over the fence. In for a four pack.
Yes, I had a notepad, but I also have awful handwriting, so we’ll see how it goes. This was the first bottle I poured at the swap meet (it was in an ice bucker), noting it was French but missing the vintage. I also had no idea where the Macon Villages were, although now I know they’re in southern Burgundy.
It was pale yellow, with a nice nose of lemon and flowers. It was fresh, smooth, with good acid, grapefruit up front and almonds in the back, with a nice mellow finish. And this was while it was pretty cold. My wife said she tasted some butter, but I disagree. We both liked it. I was shocked - shocked I say - to find out it was a 2009 vintage.
There was another Chardonnay there, from Napa and much younger, which provided quite a contrast. It had a bigger nose and bigger fruit than the Latour, so if you prefer that style, the Latour may not be for you. But if you like “old world” style, for the Casemates price, I don’t think you can beat this Latour.
@merrybill Yep. The “other bottle” was very tropical, vanilla, and stonefruit compared to the Latour’s subtle apple and citrus. Honestly, i’m not even sure i’d even peg them both as Chardonnay if they were hidden labels. I guess that’s new world vs old.
Thanks for the swap meet comments, in for a case.
/giphy mad-malignant-cow
I could be wrong…but the notes above state this:
“The wine is bottled during the following Spring at the Clos Chameroy in the outskirts of Beaune.”
I believe that is incorrect for the offer here. There is in indeed a Chameroy bottling, but this isn’t it. The Louis Latour website seems to agree, as that is the description for the Chameroy. Seems someone copied and pasted the wrong note. fwiw
In fact that whole tasting note above is from the Chameroy bottling, not this wine.
https://www.louislatour.com/en/wines/65/macon-villages-chameroy/2009
but hey, details details…
@kaolis
/giphy dreamy-laborious-vest
Last one to post!!
@kitkat34 So you say.
@InFrom @kitkat34 Yeah, the thread doesn’t get locked at the end of the sale…
@InFrom @kitkat34 @rjquillin are you sure?
@InFrom @rjquillin True…LAST ONE TO BUY!!
@InFrom @rjquillin
@kitkat34 So you say…
@InFrom @kitkat34 @rjquillin I remember first sucker (usually Mill) from the other site, not last sucker.
@davirom @InFrom @rjquillin Correct… Last W-er to W-0-0-!