2012 Chambertin Clos de Beze

The 2012 Chambertin Clos de Bèze marries the pure intensity of the vintage with notable freshness. Dark red and black fruit, smoke, tar and spices build in a wine that impresses for its volume and resonance. Today the flavors are a bit compact, but I imagine that is just a function where the wine is in its life. I very much like the sense of power and density here.

The 2012 Chambertin Clos de Beze Grand Cru will see 33% new oak and again comes from contracted fruit. It has an attractive, quite intense bouquet with vibrant red berry fruit: wild strawberry, raspberry and cranberry to the fore. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins. It is fleshy and refined with well-judged acidity and a crisp, focused, elegant finish that expresses the terroir with some panache. Burguet Bros. – Jean-Luc and Eric – have been managing this domaine since their father Alain retired a couple of years ago, although Burguet pere actually took a back office role in 2000. They source fruit from around 8 hectares of vines, exclusively Pinot Noir. Some of their cuvees come from contracted growers on the condition that they are granted free rein to pick upon their choosing. Others come courtesy of the family’s own vines. Thereafter, their principles are founded upon strict sorting three times: first via the eagle-eyed picker, then on the first sorting table prior to de-stemming and then berry-by-berry with six to eight women working a second table de trie. Only wild yeasts are used to start the fermentation with minimal use of sulfur. The wine is usually transferred into barrel as soon as possible after pressing. The wines see a prudent use of new oak during maturation, although they seem keen to keep it as low as possible, with only one racking before bottling by gravity and without filtration. This address is a source of respectable, commendable wines. Sure I found nothing spectacular here in 2012, but I certainly appreciated their consistency and charm. Importer: Becky Wasserman Selections (Le Serbet) and through various US importers (see www.leserbet.com for full list.)