2022 Domaine Duroché Latricières-Chambertin Grand Cru

The 2022 Latricières-Chambertin Grand Cru is another cuvée that nips at the heels of its 2020 counterpart. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of dark berries, plum and rose petals mingled with notions of incense and exotic spices, it's full-bodied, deep and seamless, with a cool core of fleshy fruit, lively acids and velvety tannins, concluding with a long, perfumed, penetrating finish. Pierre Duroché has produced another superlative set of wines in 2022. While yields are down after hail struck the Combe Lavaux and the Brochon side of Gevrey-Chambertin, quality is undimmed, the vintage lending itself to the domaine's understated, delicate style. As I've written before, Duroché has been experimenting with "tressage,"—rolling vines' canopies instead of trimming them—and to that end, he's pragmatically raising stakes and trellising wires, so he has the option to hedge in a rainy, disease-prone vintage (such as 2021!) but can also opt not to in sunny, warm years. In the cellar, new oak continues to make a minimal contribution, but the historic emphasis on Tonnellerie Cadus has diminished to avoid any one cooper defining the domaine style. Vinifications continue to be rather delicate, with comparatively short macerations and little in the way of pigéage. Fully renovated winery facilities, complete with a battery of made-to-measure stainless steel tanks, facilitate precision vinification.(WK)