Solar-Spear Silk: Clos des Lambrays 2015 and the High-Noon Shockwave in Burgundy
Watch Bacchus hurl a solar spear, then ride Clos des Lambrays 2015’s rare Grand Cru momentum all the way to portfolio glory.
Solar Spear in the Stones
High noon: the Côte de Nuits blazes white-hot under Apollo’s glare. I – Bacchus, vine-crowned and restless – vault a sun-blasted wall and hurl my vine-laced spear at a slab of chalky limestone. The impact detonates in a shock-ring of molten gold; ruby droplets swirl into a tornado of shimmering Pinot while emerald vines lash skyward like serpents. Apollo’s arrows of light streak through the dust as villagers dive for cover and panthers skate across flying gravel. That scorched patch became Clos des Lambrays. Every bottle of the 2015 vintage still thrums with that solar-forged burst of power – silk spun from daylight and stone.
What’s in the Bottle
Clos des Lambrays 2015 is pure Pinot Noir, clocking in around 13.5 % ABV and limited to roughly 30 000–35 000 bottles from this walled monopole. Critics have lavished praise on the wine’s satin texture and violet-infused power - 95 points from Wine Advocate, 94 from Vinous, and a barrel-to-bottle spread of 94-96 from Jasper Morris MW. Expect a core of ripe raspberry layered with black-tea spice and suede-soft tannin, all set to evolve gracefully from its early-drinking plateau today through at least 2040.
Market pulse
Global pricing hovers near $390 a bottle ex-tax, with U.S. retail clustering around $370-430. Pristine original-wooden-case lots clear $500-650 at major auctions, and despite Burgundy’s 2024 slide the wine still shows about 30-35 % appreciation from its 2020 trough. Trade at this level sits 20-40 % below comparably scored Côte de Nuits peers – a gap begging to close when confidence returns.
Why the Shockwave Keeps Echoing
Clos des Lambrays 2015 fuses genuine scarcity with LVMH’s global muscle. The luxury giant’s 2014 purchase upgraded farming, cellar tech, and brand reach, while master vintner Jacques Devauges (ex-Clos de Tart) dialed in precision. Because the clos is a walled monopole, every drop springs from the same sun-struck soil I cracked open, and with no second wine, supply stays tight. Warm-vintage generosity resonates with Asia and the U.S., and at today’s sub-$400 print the bottle still trails Grand Cru neighbors carrying similar scores – a price anomaly few analysts expect to last.
Risks Even a God Concedes
Post-correction Burgundy liquidity is thinner than for First-Growth Bordeaux, so unloading full cases can take weeks. Provenance flaws shave 15-20 %. Limited replanting inside the clos may nudge yields, though Grand Cru regulations cap any major bump.
Bacchic Blueprint for Profit
Snare six- or twelve-bottle OWCs – magnums if you can find them – from trusted merchants or direct Liv-ex offers. Cellar under bond at 12-13 °C and 70 % RH. Hold until 2030-2032, when sous-bois and truffle notes bloom, then aim for $600-750 per bottle – a tidy 7-9 % annualized uplift from today’s midpoint. Magnums already fetch a 30 % premium and tend to widen with time. When you finally uncork one, pair it with roast hare and retell the noon-day spear strike that turned limestone into liquid velvet.
Final Goblet
Clos des Lambrays 2015 proves that sunlight, stone, and a burst of divine mayhem can mint both pleasure and profit. Stake your claim, let it slumber, and toast the solar spear when it rises again.
