Tasting Notes

WA96

The 2014 La Tâche Grand Cru was picked on 17, 18 and 20 September at 32 hectoliters per hectare, bottled between 1 and 25 April 2016. It has a quite startling bouquet: dark berry fruit, bay leaf, hints of jasmine tea and autumn leaves. It delivers multi-faceted aromatics, a mercurial bouquet, brown spices emerging with continued aeration in the glass. It is a tad more forward than I expected. The palate is medium-bodied with great structure and fine grip. This is a slightly more masculine La Tâche and replicating its performance in barrel, the fruit spectrum shimmies from red to black (incidentally, exactly as I observed when I tasted it in barrel). There is a lovely lift on the finish that leaves you with a piquant kiss on the cheek. This is wonderful.

BH96

Fireworks in a glass would be the operative description of the super-fresh nose of the 2014 La Tâche and while it's not necessarily spicier or more floral than the Riche, there is a broader range of elements present and in particular better overall aromatic depth along with more red fruits than dark. The imposingly powerful and tautly muscular flavors possess outstanding mid-palate density while simultaneously offering excellent delineation on the intensely mineral-infused, youthfully austere and very firmly structured finish that just goes on and on. While I suspect that this will drink reasonably well after only 15 to 18 years of bottle age note well that if you want to drink it when fully mature it will require in the range of 20 to 25 years of cellaring.

Other wines you may like