2011 Vosne Romanee Champs Perdrix

The 2011 Vosne-Romanee Les Champs Perdrix is located around 45 meters in altitude farther up the slope from Romanee-Conti and is usually picked about ten days later. It has a slightly subdued bouquet at the moment, but it is nicely defined with subtle Morello cherry and fresh strawberry scents that muster more intensity with aeration, but decline to soar from the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with a feminine, very fresh opening: crisp raspberry and strawberry fruit enmeshed with fine tannins and structure toward the finish. One of those wines where less is more. Drink 2014-2022. I have tasted the wines of this Marsannay-based producer, born from the original Clair-Dau estate in 1979, since tasting my first Pinot Noir, and yet somehow I had never visited their cellars until now. Bruno Clair was on hand himself to guide me through the wines in his blur of French that at times can be difficult to understand, as if every word is joined together. As usual, at his side was cellar-master Philippe Brun. His is a relatively large portfolio spread over their 23 hectares of vineyard, which has expanded in recent years when leasehold contracts with Fougeray de Beauclair and Louis Jadot came to an end. While I found the white 2011s needing a little more precision and complexity, his reds are evolving into fine examples of the vintage and often exhibit a degree of finesse that I could not discern a decade ago. In particular, at the top end there is much to admire from wines that I feel belong within the top tier of producers. The domaine’s Corton-Charlemagne vines lie on the limit of Pernand-Vergelesses and Aloxe-Corton. Though they lie on the side of the latter, their orientation means that the wines tend to evolve more like those located on the Pernand side. Importer: Becky Wasserman Selection (various importers), Le Serbet, Beaune; fax 011-33-3-80-24-29-70. Also available in UK through Berry Brothers & Rudd and Justerini & Brooks.