2015 Louis Latour Corton Clos du Roi Grand Cru Cote de Beaune 750 ml

The secret to Louis Latour’s value proposition is simple: 250 years of experience in Burgundy have given the family unmatched access to prime vineyard land, and unparalleled expertise in the cellars. After acquiring their first vineyards in the Côte d’Or in 1731, they have acquired choice parcels one by one—and longstanding family ownership means Louis Latour can offer stunning wines for a fraction of what their Grand Cru neighbors are charging.

A crown jewel from one of our favorite Burgundy producers, Louis Latour’s Clos du Roi is beautifully structured and irresistible in its youth, yet built on a serious structure that will yield rewards for patient collectors over the next quarter-century. 2015 was called a “paradise” vintage, but yields were down, which means fewer than 350 cases of this ruby Pinot Noir were made… and far fewer imported to our shores.  

Classified as Grand Cru since 1937, the appellation of Corton Clos du Roi has existed since the 15th century, when the King of France would stock his personal cellar with its wines, hence the name "Clos du Roi" (Plot of the King). With a perfect easterly exposure on the famed hill of Corton, it makes sense that these vines have always had the royal treatment through today.

Latour’s vines on this hallowed slope are traditionally farmed, with pruning enacted to encourage later harvests as well as a ripe fullness in the finished wine, priming it for long-term aging. In 2015, yields were low, resulting in concentrated wines with considerable appeal which captured plenty of site-specificity and nuance. Clos du Roi is a Grand Cru that especially benefits from terroir-driven vintages like 2015, and its regal sense of place comes through with every sip.

Earlier this year, we joined Louis Latour President Bernard Retornaz in San Francisco for a special tasting featuring a baker’s dozen of the domaine’s most prized bottles, and this 2015 stole the show—even surrounded by Grand Cru bottlings from 1999 to 2017.

Usually, when we embark on a retrospective tasting of library Grand Cru Burgundy, the unanimous standout isn’t one of the youngest wines on the table—it takes a tremendously beautiful young Pinot Noir to overshadow the haunting evolution of its elders. 

We credit equal parts Louis Latour virtuosity and the sublime 2015 vintage. As Vinous titled their report on the 2015 Burgundies, “You Are So Going to Want Them.” That’s exactly how we feel about this wine, and we hope you’ll join us in stocking up.