2012 Gevrey Chambertin Clos St Jacques
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Tasted blind at the annual "Burgfest" tasting in Beaune. The 2012 Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru Clos Saint Jacques from Sylvie Esmonin has an overly savory, meaty nose that suggests the possibility of a touch of brettanomyces. The palate is a little reduced with grainy tannin, good acidity but it feels quite forward and very meaty towards the finish. It is enjoyable but I wonder if there are better bottles out there because it does not fulfill the potential it showed from barrel.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
(vinified with 75% whole clusters; 90% new oak): Bright, dark red. Reduced aromas of black raspberry and licorice accented by spices. Rich, round and voluminous yet light on its feet owing to intense minerality and lively acidity; offers complex flavors of black raspberry, black cherry, redcurrant, spices, flowers and crushed rock. An element of peppery, spicy herbs really lifts the finish today while giving the wine a slight edge that calls for patience.
(75% vendange entier; harvested with 12.7% potential alcohol; production was just 25 hectoliters per hectare, according to Esmonin): Good deep red. Slightly reduced but complex aromas of black raspberry, cherry, spices, coffee, mocha and smoky oak. Dense, sappy and sweet, showing a seriously rich texture to its saline berry and mocha flavors. I don't find this layered, very ripe Clos Saint-Jacques particularly floral today but there's superb fruit intensity here. And the huge, palate-dusting finish, with captivating saline minerality and a suggestion of wild small berries, leaves the taste buds vibrating.
70% whole bunch, 90% new oak. Malolactic fermentation pretty late. The most reduced of all the Esmonin wines. Lots of substance on the palate but not much on the nose. Very rich and sweet at first but too young to get much more. It's all potential…! But it certainly should come beautifully right at the end and already the finish is most impressive. (JR)