2009 Gevrey Chambertin

The 2009 Gevrey-Chambertin is mostly Carougeot, plus declassified Fontenys and Bel-Air, the latter two 1er Crus. Cool, mineral-laced fruit, crushed flowers, mint and spices come together nicely in this pointed, superbly delineated wine. The finish is long and articulate. The wine fills out a bit with time in the glass, so it will be interesting to see how things develop. The direction seems obvious, the degree less certain, but either way, this is a very fine Burgundy. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2024. This is a beautiful set of wines from Bruno Clair. Every wine I tasted with Clair’s longtime oenologist Philippe Brun was gorgeous from top to bottom. While the top 2009s are certainly superb, the real jewels here are the village level wines which appear to be among the great success stories of the 2009 vintage. I tasted all of the wines from barrel, except the Marsannay and Marsannay Les Vaudanelles, both of which were bottled before the 2010 harvest. In 2009 Clair began harvesting on September 15 and ended on the 23rd. I also tasted a handful of 2008s, from a much later harvest that stretched into October. The handful of wines I tasted from that vintage are equally impressive, and equally worth your time. A Becky Wasserman Selection, Le Serbet, various American importers, including: Martin Scott Wines, Little Neck, NY; tel. (516) 327-0808, Fine Vines, Melrose Park, IL; tel. (708) 343-6702, The Source, San Francisco, CA; tel. (415) 621-6151

Thick and sweet. Dense and spicy, and full and fun. (JR)

Bright red. Medicinal black cherry, coffee and smoke on the nose and palate, with a faint dried fruit character. Fat, supple and sweet, with a musky note of underbrush. Finishes with slightly dry, dusty tannins.