2012 Santenay 1er Cru Clos des Mouches

The 2012 Santenay 1er Cru Clos des Mouches has a more masculine, austere bouquet than the Clos Rousseau at this prenatal juncture: earthier, perhaps more aloof. The palate is structured with thick tannins, very good weight in the mouth and a solid finish of impressive density. It is (of course) still primal and feels sinewy, but it should mellow with continued elevage and soften once in bottle. Again, patience will be necessary. Give this at least three to five years in bottle before broaching. I introduced Santenay winemaker David Moreau in my report on Burgundy 2011s in the August issue of The Wine Advocate. A few weeks later I was back to take a look at his 2012s from barrel. The samples had been bottled the previous evening with a little CO2 removed, though the blend was practically identical to what will be in bottle without sulfur. “I don’t like empty barrels,” he told me, “so I have one stock of full barrels, which do not see any sulfur until they are racked being filled with the 2013. For the 2012s, the remainder of the elevage will be done in tank.” I asked David about the maturation of his 2012s. “It was a very late malo-lactic, most (barrels) finishing mid- to late August. I don’t like early malos but I was starting to get worried after the summer. We started picking on September 26 when everyone else had finished. I remember it was very wet on the first day, but after that we had only sun and we had no botrytis. Our work in the vineyard paid off and the grass (cultivated) between the rows absorbed much of the water.” This is a very promising set of 2012s that expressed the leitmotifs of the vintage: bright red fruit, ample freshness and good structures. Importer: Becky Wasserman Selection (Le Serbet) and through various US importers (see www.leserbet.com for full list.)