2011 Domaine Albert Morot Beaune Les Teurons 1er Cru

The 2011 Beaune 1er Cru Teurons, like the Greves, feels a little muffled upon first opening, although it gains more delineation with aeration. The palate is better with lifted, slightly tinny raspberry and strawberry fruit. There is a pleasing weight in the mouth with a pleasant acidic bite on the finish, although it does not achieve much in the way of complexity for such a propitious Beaune premier cru. Drink 2014-2019. Albert Morot was a negociant for its first seven decades until they acquired a parcel of vines in 1890. The gloriously named Geoffrey Choppin de Janvry has been responsible for the wines since 2000, when his aunt (great-granddaughter of Albert Morot), Francoise Choppin, retired. Henceforth, they have concentrated on domaine-bottled wines. Traditionally they held back on the level of new oak, although this has crept up in recent vintages as well as longer elevage. Fruit is handpicked, bunches totally de-stemmed, and bottling done without fining or filtration. This was a solid set of 2011s with the exception of an under-performing Beaune Toussaints. Otherwise, the wines exhibited judicious winemaking, clean, fresh fruit, and poised finishes. While they did not elicit superlatives this time, I suspect that more benevolent vintages such as 2009 or 2010 may be worth investigating. For now, these 2011s represent fine Pinot Noirs that deserves another 12 to 18 months in bottle. Importer: Robert Kacher Selections, Washington, DC; tel. (202) 832-9083 and through Berry Brothers & Rudd (UK)