2008 Gevrey Chambertin Cazetiers

The estate’s 2008 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers is a cool, inward wine graced with exquisite finesse. Dark wild cherries, sage, rosemary and menthol are some of the nuances that come together in the glass. This is a relatively juicy 2008, but it will be even better in a few years’ time. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2028. 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

Bright, deep red. Very ripe, complex nose melds black cherry, violet, licorice, bitter chocolate, underbrush and whiff of game; this could only be from Gevrey. Supple and sweet on the palate, conveying a soft impression and a chocolatey ripeness in spite of firm underlying minerality. Substantial but creamy tannins arrive late, contributing to an impression of finesse. Clair describes his Cazetiers as a "fragile" wine, as it always shows more tannin than acidity. But the crop level of 20 hectoliters per hectare has given this 2008 strong supporting material. Clair's holding is "just across the wall from Clos Saint-Jacques."

Very bright crimson. Sweet, relatively complex nose. Very juicy and sweet and direct in its appeal. I think this should give a lot of pleasure, though it is far from a bargain. (JR)