2010 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru 1,5 l Olivier Bernstein
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Tasting notes
Good deep red. Soil-driven aromas and flavors of wild berries, cinnamon, nutmeg, chocolate and underbrush. At once silky and energetic, with perfectly integrated acidity intensifying the wine's flavors. Most impressive today on the rising finish, where ripe tannins are well supported by palate-staining black cherry fruit. This outstanding example of Clos de la Roche seemed to shut down in the glass and is likely to need a decade or more of bottle aging.
Critic scores
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
The 2010 Clos de la Roche looks like it will be a wine for the very patient. It possesses striking sweetness and perfume, yet comes across as a touch clenched on the mid-palate. Still, there is enough energy and vibrancy to make me think the wine will blossom nicely after it has settled down post bottling. Mint, flowers and sweet herbs come together in a rich tapestry of aromas and flavors on the highly expressive finish. As good as this is right now, the firm tannins really do beg for patience.
The 2010 Clos de la Roche looks like it will be a wine for the very patient. It possesses striking sweetness and perfume, yet comes across as a touch clenched on the mid-palate. Still, there is enough energy and vibrancy to make me think the wine will blossom nicely after it has settled down post bottling. Mint, flowers and sweet herbs come together in a rich tapestry of aromas and flavors on the highly expressive finish. As good as this is right now, the firm tannins really do beg for patience. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2030. Olivier Bernstein is one of the younger generation of micro-negociants who owns no vineyards, but rather sources fruit from a variety of vineyards. In just a few years Bernstein has put together an impressive collection of wines from some of the Cote d’Or’s most prestigious appellations. Bernstein describes 2010 as a vintage with a lot of millerandage (shot berries). The 2010s were vinified with 50% stems and the malos finished in July, which is fairly standard for the year. None of the 2010s had been racked at the time of my visit in late November 2011 and bottling was planned for March and April 2012. Stylistically, these are fleshy, generous wines that stand apart for their textural depth. A Becky Wasserman Selection, Le Serbet, imported by: Fine Vines LLC, Melrose Park. IL; tel. (708) 343-6702
Firm and lively on the nose. Lots of juice and then a backbone. A bit sweeter than some. Very user-friendly though perhaps doesn’t express terroir to the max. Vivacious. (JR)
About the producer
Olivier Bernstein is among the most successful producers in Burgundy, setting the bar high for the growing number of micro-négociants in the region by producing wines that compete with those of the Côte d’Or’s finest domaines.