A Visit to La Tour Saint-Martin, 2016: Tasting Notes
My history lesson done, Bertrand then took me through a tasting of the latest vintages. We started with a tasting of all his cuvées from the 2015 vintage, none of which – apart from the entry-level Menetou-Salon Morogues cuvée – have yet been blended. This was a fascinating look at the unblended components, sometimes from stainless steel vat, sometimes from wooden cuve, but mostly from barrel. Tasting through the various barrels of Pinot Noir, some destined for the top cuvée Célestin, and some for the domaine red, but all from the same 4-hectare vineyard, was particularly instructive.
After taking a quick look at the white and red cuvées from Valençay in the same vintage, Bertrand and I then launched ourselves at a multitude of older vintages, starting with 2014 and quickly progressing back in red and white. I won’t recount every wine here, as my tasting notes presented below should suffice in that regard, but a couple of wines stood out. The reds were particularly noteworthy, something I only realised when I first tasted some older vintages with Bertrand a couple of years ago. The strongest wine here was the 2012 Célestin, although the 2015 Célestin may well give it a run for its money once it has been blended. The 1997 Chêne Fût Chêne, a cuvée since replaced by Célestin, was also pretty smart.
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