2010 Chambertin Clos de Beze

The 2010 Chambertin Clos–de-Beze is a bit more vibrant and detailed than the Chambertin. Silky tannins convey an impression of energy and refinement. Texturally, the Beze comes across as weightless, pure and totally elegant with no shortage of energy, but perhaps just a little less density than is characteristic. Clean saline notes resonate on the finish. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2035. Henri Boillot turned out a superb set of 2010 reds. Best of all, readers won’t have to shell out a fortune to enjoy them, as a number of the more modestly priced wines far exceed the quality of their respective appellations. Yields came in at 20-22 hectoliters per hectare, a 40% decrease over the more typical production of 35 hectoliters per hectare. Boillot began harvesting on September 29 and ended on October 7, among the latest, if not the latest, to finish picking. Fermentations lasted about 29 days on average. Boillot has augmented his holdings with 5 hectares of vineyards that came online in 2010. I tasted all of these wines at Boillot’s cellars in Volnay. Boillot told me he plans to have his new facility in the Champ Lins section of Meursault fully operational for both whites and reds by summer 2012. Importers: Massanois Imports, Washington, DC; tel. (202) 470-6769, Cynthia Hurley French Wines, West Newton, MA Tel 617-965-4251 www.cynthiahurley.com and Chelsea Ventures, LLC, 1601 South Canal St, Chicago, IL 60616 tel. 847-920-5052

Good bright, deep red. The nose communicates powerful minerality and a note of dark chocolate but shows much less complexity today than the Chambertin. Fat, round, creamy and sweet, with a very silky, refined texture but not yet showing the definition of the Chambertin. Even a bit youthfully monolithic, but the extremely long finish features noble tannins. I would not be at all surprised if this wine eventually merited a rating at the high end of my projected range.