Lucien Le Moine

An Atherton Wine Imports Direct Domaine

Lucien Le Moine is one the most exciting Burgundy producers to come along in the last few years. Mounir Saouma and Rotem Brakin bottled the first wines of their negociant firm in 1999 and are already receiving rave reviews from the top critics.

Mounir was born in Lebanon and made wine in a French Monastery in Israel before moving to France with Rotem. They do not grow any of their own grapes but have managed to earn the favor of excellent growers in the best Premiers and Grands Crus. Mounir and Rotem are allowed to taste immediately after pressing and decide only then if they will purchase the wine. Every wine is aged in new, grains fins, custom-toasted barrels made exclusively for Lucien Le Moine by Seguin-Moreau with oak from the Jupilles Forest.

After the wines have been placed in barrel, Mounir and Rotem practice a minimal intervention style of winemaking. Both reds and whites are aged on 100% of their lees, with a gentle batonage three or four times a month. Their cellar is naturally cold and they are able to extend malolactic fermentation late into summer. They use CO2 whenever possible to minimize the use of SO2. After the malolactic fermentation is complete, they taste each barrel twice a month until it is ready to be bottled. The wine is then racked and bottled without either fining or filtration in order to preserve the character of the wine.

Read more about Lucien Le Moine on the official website: www.lucienlemoine.com

Praise for Lucien Le Moine

"This bright, hard-working extroverted man has created, in a few short years, one of Burgundy's finest independent négociant firms." – Pierre Rovani, Wine Advocate

"The Lucien Le Moine wines have limited availability but are worth a special search of the marketplace." – Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar

“One of a new breed of négociants, Lucien Le Moine offers high-end Burgundy with richness and character” – Bruce Sanderson, Wine Spectator

"An extraordinary micro-negociant run by a Lebanese-Israeli couple from cellars in Beaune. Very serious quality" – Jancis Robinson