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- 2016 Domaine Louis Latour, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
$LLAT
2016 Domaine Louis Latour, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
Bottle size (ML)
Current price
$616
Start Your Wine Collection with 2016 Domaine Louis Latour, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
Begin your portfolio with a prestigious wine that has a history of growth.- Enjoy fully managed, secure storage facilities with insurance coverage.
- Get expert advice on when to hold and when to sell.
Why We're Buying
The phylloxera epidemic raged through vineyards until the end of the 19th century. With dead aligoté and pinot noir vines, the Latour family faced a difficult decision. Ultimately, they replaced the vines and planted chardonnay in their place. The decision proved fortuitous, giving wine lovers Louis Latour Corton Charlemagne, one of Burgundy’s most beloved white wines. The 100 chardonnay comes from grand cru terroir that sits on the southeastern facing slopes of Aloxe-Corton. The fruit is aged in 100 new oak from the estate’s own cooperage, delivering a touch of wood flavor to the rich and creamy body. Stone fruit, Meyer lemons, lime zest, and freshly baked pastries form a powerful centerpiece, while the long, penetrating finish leaves the palate with a kiss of salinity. The Final Sip: Louis Latour is one of the best-known wine houses in Burgundy, and this full, focused, and fruity chardonnay underscores why.
Critics Scores
Wine Spectator
Ripe and creamy, offering lemon cake, floral and peach flavors, shaded by oak spice. Subtle, yet builds to a long, complex finish. The tangy aftertaste echoes lemon, mineral and spice notes. Best from 2020 through 2029.
James Suckling
This is a formidable white that grows on the palate with dried apples, pears, lemons and hints of lime. Full-bodied, tight and focused. This is a tight and powerful wine. Phenolic and bright. This is an ager as always. Get it on release.
Decanter
This retains good cut and precision in a challenging vintage, opening in the glass with notes of confit citrus, lime, white flowers and a hint of brioche. On the palate the wine boasts a glossy, textural attack, underpinned by a nicely taut, vibrant core of acidity and stony minerality. This shows promise. Drinking Window 2018-2026
Allen Meadows - Burghound
Moderate reduction masks the fruit today though it doesn't seem as though it will last for more than a few years. There is excellent punch to the beautifully well-detailed big-bodied flavors that ooze an evident salinity on the muscular and powerful finish that evidences enough dryness to be of some concern. My intuition is that the dryness is sulfur-based and thus will progressively dissipate with age.
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru is showing well from bottle, offering up aromas of lime zest, crisp green orchard fruit, fresh peach and pastry cream. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, ample and notably saline, with a bright line of acidity to underpin its ripe fruit and an attractively penetrating finish. Though I would like to see more of the flesh and texture that I found from barrel, this has turned out well.
Region Summary
Small in size but mighty in influence, Burgundy is home to some of the most sought-after and investment-worthy wines on Earth. Legendary vineyards and centuries of winemaking tradition combine to produce incomparably powerful pinot noirs and subtle chardonnays. Add in extremely low annual yields, and it’s easy to see why Burgundy’s prices are second to none.
Why We're Investing
Pound for pound, Burgundy (or Bourgogne to the locals) produces more expensive, high-appreciating wines than any other wine region. According to Liv-ex, Burgundy is also the best-performing region over the last five years, ten years, and 15 years. There’s no reason to think that will change anytime soon. That’s because Burgundians are obsessed with winegrowing. The fixation on slopes, soil, and sunlight is a way of life. And while demand is high, two historical figures have ensured that this world-class wine is increasingly produced in smaller and smaller quantities. First are the Cistercians, an order of Catholic monks founded in the 11th century who owned extensive property in Burgundy. They noticed that each of their vineyards produced slightly different wines based on the soil and sunlight. This realization laid the foundation for the region’s vineyard lines and its fixation with terroir. Today, French law protects vineyard lines, which prevents the expansion of property. But aren’t other regions like this? Not quite. Châteaux and producers in Bordeaux, Champagne, and elsewhere can source grapes from other vineyards for their wine. That is not the case in Burgundy. A vigneron cannot expand production unless they buy more land in their existing vineyard. That requires finding a willing seller, something that is rarer than most top-shelf Burgundies. The second important figure is Napoleon. (Yes, that Napoleon.) His Napoleonic Code required the equal distribution of inherited property and land amongst heirs. As a result, Burgundy’s vineyards are becoming further fragmented with each generation. Some prestigious winemakers have no more than one row of vines to their name. That’s not all. Burgundy has a semi-continental climate that contributes to low annual yields. A single severe frost or hail can decimate a harvest, even limiting the production of some wines to a single barrel. With unpredictable weather leaving yields in limbo each year, names like Domaine Leroy, Armand Rosseau, and Joseph Drouhin command a premium at auctions. Taken to the extreme, a single bottle of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti once sold for $558,000 at auction, a then-world record.
What's the Latest
Historically, Bordeaux has dominated the secondary wine market, once accounting for 96 of the trade by value. Buyers viewed Burgundy as too risky and fickle because of its semi-continental climate that contributed to inconsistent vintages. Modern technological advances in viticulture and vinification have offset some climate challenges, and Burgundy has rapidly gained market share. In 2022, Burgundy reached its highest percentage of trade by value at 51.0, temporarily eclipsing Bordeaux atop the wine world. People aren’t just investing in more Burgundy. They’re investing in different kinds of Burgundy wine, too. Over the last three years, the number of different Burgundies traded on the secondary market has risen 284. Consumer demand has expanded beyond the top sub-regions like Vosne-Romanée and Gevrey-Chambertin, and there is still room to grow. Perhaps most importantly, Burgundy remains resilient even in bumpy economic times. The iconic French region delivers what collectors and connoisseurs want most – brand equity, liquidity, and an extensive track record of growth. It makes Burgundy an easy asset to appreciate in any economic climate.
Looking Forward
The insatiable demand for Burgundy has taken the region to stratospheric heights. According to Liv-ex, the Burgundy 150 grew 39.3 in 2021. That was the second-best mark of any wine region, behind only Champagne at 41.5. Experts predict that momentum will carry into the coming years. Charles Antin, an auctioneer and head of wine auction sales at Zachys, put it this way, “We’re still setting world records for certain wines, but the graph can’t go up as steeply as it has, forever. My prediction is a cooling off, not a falling, but continuing to rise in the long run.” Even with climbing prices, eagle-eyed Vinovestors can still find remarkable deals. For instance, 2015 Domaine Leroy Musigny Grand Cru was released at $2,000 per bottle. Today, it retails for more than $100,000, if you can find it. Meanwhile, 2020 Domaine Leflaive Bâtard-Montrachet debuted at $1,600 per bottle, a bargain for anyone lucky enough to get their hands on a bottle.