Domaine Louis Latour, Beaune Premier Cru (Burgundy, France) 2012

Consumers tend to forget that the top-tier négociants, such as Louis Latour, make wine from grapes grown in vineyards they own in addition to buying grapes from others.  Indeed, Latour, one of the largest vineyard owners in Burgundy, owns a substantial parcel in Vignes Franches, one of the best premier cru vineyards in Beaune.  Hence they bottle it under their Domaine label.   Always one their most engaging wines, the 2012 Vignes Franches has an opulence that reflects both the concentration of the vintage and the vineyard’s locale in the southern part of Beaune closer to Pommard.  Lovely firmness and bright acidity balances its fleshy character.  Though easy to enjoy if you like the youthful vigor or Burgundy, it should develop beautifully over the next decade.