DOMAINE LAUREAU Savennieres Roche au Moines Magnum
Al Drinkle on 2019 Domaine Laureau Savennières Roche aux Moines
Instead of being denoted as “Grand Crus”, the two most historically-celebrated vineyards of Savennières simply have their own appellations. One is the famed Coulée de Serrant, a monopoly of the Joly family, and the other is Roche aux Moines, whose enviable virtues are interpreted through several different winegrowers. Laureau’s Roche aux Moines speaks in a chorus of whispers, or put in a different way, its aromas and flavours are numinously luminescent but akin to a million tiny candles as opposed to one big spotlight. Not without its detailed etching and deep-seated saltiness, this is primarily a triumph of subtlety—it’s infinitely complex but entirely bereft of bombast. In total, Laureau made enough to fill 900 bottles and 60 magnums, and if 2019 has any particular significance to you (the birth of a child, wedding year, the loss of your virginity, whatever), few wines are more fitting to celebrate and re-celebrate noteworthy milestones over the next couple of decades. Quantities are extremely limited.