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Producer name: Domaine Bruno Clair

Wines:

2016 Chambertin Clos De Bèze Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2026 - 2040

Tasting notes: The 2016 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru has an expressive bouquet with brambly red fruit, mulch, mint and light marine scents that gradually gain momentum with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied and savoury with grainy tannins that frame the meaty red fruit. Touches of Provençal herbs emerge towards the rustic and muscular finish. Quite dense, this is a Clos de Bèze for the long term.

Producer Commentary:
2022 Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: The 2022 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru has a bold and upfront bouquet with vanilla pod, custard crèmes, blackened banana and light beeswax scents that gradually unfurl. The palate is medium-bodied with a viscous entry. This leans more towards a tropical style of Corton-Charlemagne, but it lacks real sapidity or minéralité on its flat-footed finish. Given the wonderful showing from barrel, I wonder if this was representative? Tasted blind at the annual Burgfest tasting.

Producer Commentary:
2024 Vosne Romanée Les Champs Perdrix
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2027 - 2038

Tasting notes: The 2024 Vosne-Romanée Les Champs Perdrix has a fragrant bouquet with lifted floral violet and iris scents, perfumed and expressive. The palate is medium-bodied with fine backbone and gentle grip with a sapid, almost Morey-like finish. This is a very fine Vosne-Romanée to enjoy over the next decade.

Producer Commentary:
If you asked me which domaine is currently on the rise in Burgundy at the moment, Domaine Bruno Clair would be at the top of my list. Since the generational baton was passed to Arthur and Edouard, I am not the only person to have discerned greater precision, tension and complexity across their wide range of wines that spans white and red bottlings from Beaune and the Côte de Nuits.

Nevertheless, they were not inured to the travails of the growing season: “We lost at least 50% of the volume at flowering and then mildew finished the work,” he told me. “So, we are down around 70% in total. We managed the mildew, but the real issue was that the flowering spun out in the Côte de Nuits for five weeks at least. We tried to be organic, but after the fifth or sixth treatment we had to apply a chemical spray. I don’t think it made a big difference, and maybe we should have done it earlier. We did have some cover crops which made it easier for tractors. We rolled the cover crop at the beginning of May to prevent the spread of mildew. We cropped at 12 hl/ha, starting the harvest on September 18 and picking over ten days. I resolved to keep the vineyards separate and keep our cuvées. I am happy with the wines, though it took a while to appreciate their quality. I don’t think they are missing any complexity despite being lighter than the 2021s. The wines are quite bright at this stage. The lees give structure to the wines as they become bigger and bigger [an opinion shared by Sylvain Pataille, a fellow denizen of Marsannay]. We still used a bit of whole bunch but reduced it to around 30%, with some cuvées completely de-stemmed. We tried to use less new oak, opting instead for more Tonnellerie Ermitage [cooperage], which imparts less wood influence. That was important as I could not use foudre or demi-muids [due to small volumes].”
2024 Vosne Romanée Aux Raignots 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2042

Tasting notes: The 2024 Vosne-Romanée Aux Raignots 1er Cru (yes, that is spelled correctly as Arthur Clair checked historical documents) consists of one barrel which is actually a normal crop. This has good intensity on the nose with violet-tinged red berry fruit. The palate is very harmonious with a keen line of acidity, exquisite blueberry and strawberry fruit with a silky finish. Very seductive. Will be almost impossible to find!

Producer Commentary:
If you asked me which domaine is currently on the rise in Burgundy at the moment, Domaine Bruno Clair would be at the top of my list. Since the generational baton was passed to Arthur and Edouard, I am not the only person to have discerned greater precision, tension and complexity across their wide range of wines that spans white and red bottlings from Beaune and the Côte de Nuits.

Nevertheless, they were not inured to the travails of the growing season: “We lost at least 50% of the volume at flowering and then mildew finished the work,” he told me. “So, we are down around 70% in total. We managed the mildew, but the real issue was that the flowering spun out in the Côte de Nuits for five weeks at least. We tried to be organic, but after the fifth or sixth treatment we had to apply a chemical spray. I don’t think it made a big difference, and maybe we should have done it earlier. We did have some cover crops which made it easier for tractors. We rolled the cover crop at the beginning of May to prevent the spread of mildew. We cropped at 12 hl/ha, starting the harvest on September 18 and picking over ten days. I resolved to keep the vineyards separate and keep our cuvées. I am happy with the wines, though it took a while to appreciate their quality. I don’t think they are missing any complexity despite being lighter than the 2021s. The wines are quite bright at this stage. The lees give structure to the wines as they become bigger and bigger [an opinion shared by Sylvain Pataille, a fellow denizen of Marsannay]. We still used a bit of whole bunch but reduced it to around 30%, with some cuvées completely de-stemmed. We tried to use less new oak, opting instead for more Tonnellerie Ermitage [cooperage], which imparts less wood influence. That was important as I could not use foudre or demi-muids [due to small volumes].”
2024 Savigny Lès Beaune La Dominode 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2027 - 2040

Tasting notes: The 2024 Savigny-lès-Beaune La Dominode 1er Cru has more vigour on the nose than the Les Jarrons, red cherries and wild strawberry blossoming in the glass. Fine delineation. The palate has a lattice of fine tannins, a silver thread of acidity with impressive tension and mineralité on the finish. Excellent.

Producer Commentary:
If you asked me which domaine is currently on the rise in Burgundy at the moment, Domaine Bruno Clair would be at the top of my list. Since the generational baton was passed to Arthur and Edouard, I am not the only person to have discerned greater precision, tension and complexity across their wide range of wines that spans white and red bottlings from Beaune and the Côte de Nuits.

Nevertheless, they were not inured to the travails of the growing season: “We lost at least 50% of the volume at flowering and then mildew finished the work,” he told me. “So, we are down around 70% in total. We managed the mildew, but the real issue was that the flowering spun out in the Côte de Nuits for five weeks at least. We tried to be organic, but after the fifth or sixth treatment we had to apply a chemical spray. I don’t think it made a big difference, and maybe we should have done it earlier. We did have some cover crops which made it easier for tractors. We rolled the cover crop at the beginning of May to prevent the spread of mildew. We cropped at 12 hl/ha, starting the harvest on September 18 and picking over ten days. I resolved to keep the vineyards separate and keep our cuvées. I am happy with the wines, though it took a while to appreciate their quality. I don’t think they are missing any complexity despite being lighter than the 2021s. The wines are quite bright at this stage. The lees give structure to the wines as they become bigger and bigger [an opinion shared by Sylvain Pataille, a fellow denizen of Marsannay]. We still used a bit of whole bunch but reduced it to around 30%, with some cuvées completely de-stemmed. We tried to use less new oak, opting instead for more Tonnellerie Ermitage [cooperage], which imparts less wood influence. That was important as I could not use foudre or demi-muids [due to small volumes].”
2024 Savigny Lès Beaune Les Jarrons 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2027 - 2036

Tasting notes: The 2024 Savigny-lès-Beaune Les Jarrons 1er Cru has a light nose with mainly red berry fruit, briar and light brown spice notes. The palate is medium-bodied with quite brittle tannins, quite linear with a little flintiness coming through on the finish. It lacks a bit of length but should drink well in its youth.

Producer Commentary:
If you asked me which domaine is currently on the rise in Burgundy at the moment, Domaine Bruno Clair would be at the top of my list. Since the generational baton was passed to Arthur and Edouard, I am not the only person to have discerned greater precision, tension and complexity across their wide range of wines that spans white and red bottlings from Beaune and the Côte de Nuits.

Nevertheless, they were not inured to the travails of the growing season: “We lost at least 50% of the volume at flowering and then mildew finished the work,” he told me. “So, we are down around 70% in total. We managed the mildew, but the real issue was that the flowering spun out in the Côte de Nuits for five weeks at least. We tried to be organic, but after the fifth or sixth treatment we had to apply a chemical spray. I don’t think it made a big difference, and maybe we should have done it earlier. We did have some cover crops which made it easier for tractors. We rolled the cover crop at the beginning of May to prevent the spread of mildew. We cropped at 12 hl/ha, starting the harvest on September 18 and picking over ten days. I resolved to keep the vineyards separate and keep our cuvées. I am happy with the wines, though it took a while to appreciate their quality. I don’t think they are missing any complexity despite being lighter than the 2021s. The wines are quite bright at this stage. The lees give structure to the wines as they become bigger and bigger [an opinion shared by Sylvain Pataille, a fellow denizen of Marsannay]. We still used a bit of whole bunch but reduced it to around 30%, with some cuvées completely de-stemmed. We tried to use less new oak, opting instead for more Tonnellerie Ermitage [cooperage], which imparts less wood influence. That was important as I could not use foudre or demi-muids [due to small volumes].”
2024 Morey Saint Denis en La Rue Vergy Blanc
Color: White

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2026 - 2038

Tasting notes: The 2024 Morey Saint-Denis En la Rue Vergy Blanc has a detailed nose with white flower, white peach, citrus peel and crushed stone scents. The palate is beautifully balanced with supremely well-integrated oak, impressive tension, a hint of vanilla and welcome leesy notes on the persistent finish. Superb.

Producer Commentary:
If you asked me which domaine is currently on the rise in Burgundy at the moment, Domaine Bruno Clair would be at the top of my list. Since the generational baton was passed to Arthur and Edouard, I am not the only person to have discerned greater precision, tension and complexity across their wide range of wines that spans white and red bottlings from Beaune and the Côte de Nuits.

Nevertheless, they were not inured to the travails of the growing season: “We lost at least 50% of the volume at flowering and then mildew finished the work,” he told me. “So, we are down around 70% in total. We managed the mildew, but the real issue was that the flowering spun out in the Côte de Nuits for five weeks at least. We tried to be organic, but after the fifth or sixth treatment we had to apply a chemical spray. I don’t think it made a big difference, and maybe we should have done it earlier. We did have some cover crops which made it easier for tractors. We rolled the cover crop at the beginning of May to prevent the spread of mildew. We cropped at 12 hl/ha, starting the harvest on September 18 and picking over ten days. I resolved to keep the vineyards separate and keep our cuvées. I am happy with the wines, though it took a while to appreciate their quality. I don’t think they are missing any complexity despite being lighter than the 2021s. The wines are quite bright at this stage. The lees give structure to the wines as they become bigger and bigger [an opinion shared by Sylvain Pataille, a fellow denizen of Marsannay]. We still used a bit of whole bunch but reduced it to around 30%, with some cuvées completely de-stemmed. We tried to use less new oak, opting instead for more Tonnellerie Ermitage [cooperage], which imparts less wood influence. That was important as I could not use foudre or demi-muids [due to small volumes].”
2024 Morey Saint Denis en La Rue Vergy
Color: Red

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2027 - 2037

Tasting notes: The 2024 Morey Saint-Denis En la Rue Vergy has wonderful transparency on the nose with vivid red fruit. Fine mineralité. The palate is medium-bodied with filigree tannins, a little tart with some attenuation towards the finish. Fine early drinking.

Producer Commentary:
If you asked me which domaine is currently on the rise in Burgundy at the moment, Domaine Bruno Clair would be at the top of my list. Since the generational baton was passed to Arthur and Edouard, I am not the only person to have discerned greater precision, tension and complexity across their wide range of wines that spans white and red bottlings from Beaune and the Côte de Nuits.

Nevertheless, they were not inured to the travails of the growing season: “We lost at least 50% of the volume at flowering and then mildew finished the work,” he told me. “So, we are down around 70% in total. We managed the mildew, but the real issue was that the flowering spun out in the Côte de Nuits for five weeks at least. We tried to be organic, but after the fifth or sixth treatment we had to apply a chemical spray. I don’t think it made a big difference, and maybe we should have done it earlier. We did have some cover crops which made it easier for tractors. We rolled the cover crop at the beginning of May to prevent the spread of mildew. We cropped at 12 hl/ha, starting the harvest on September 18 and picking over ten days. I resolved to keep the vineyards separate and keep our cuvées. I am happy with the wines, though it took a while to appreciate their quality. I don’t think they are missing any complexity despite being lighter than the 2021s. The wines are quite bright at this stage. The lees give structure to the wines as they become bigger and bigger [an opinion shared by Sylvain Pataille, a fellow denizen of Marsannay]. We still used a bit of whole bunch but reduced it to around 30%, with some cuvées completely de-stemmed. We tried to use less new oak, opting instead for more Tonnellerie Ermitage [cooperage], which imparts less wood influence. That was important as I could not use foudre or demi-muids [due to small volumes].”
2024 Marsannay La Charme Aux Prêtres
Color: Red

Score: 0.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: The 2024 Marsannay La Charme Aux Prêtres has been made but was not presented.

Producer Commentary:
If you asked me which domaine is currently on the rise in Burgundy at the moment, Domaine Bruno Clair would be at the top of my list. Since the generational baton was passed to Arthur and Edouard, I am not the only person to have discerned greater precision, tension and complexity across their wide range of wines that spans white and red bottlings from Beaune and the Côte de Nuits.

Nevertheless, they were not inured to the travails of the growing season: “We lost at least 50% of the volume at flowering and then mildew finished the work,” he told me. “So, we are down around 70% in total. We managed the mildew, but the real issue was that the flowering spun out in the Côte de Nuits for five weeks at least. We tried to be organic, but after the fifth or sixth treatment we had to apply a chemical spray. I don’t think it made a big difference, and maybe we should have done it earlier. We did have some cover crops which made it easier for tractors. We rolled the cover crop at the beginning of May to prevent the spread of mildew. We cropped at 12 hl/ha, starting the harvest on September 18 and picking over ten days. I resolved to keep the vineyards separate and keep our cuvées. I am happy with the wines, though it took a while to appreciate their quality. I don’t think they are missing any complexity despite being lighter than the 2021s. The wines are quite bright at this stage. The lees give structure to the wines as they become bigger and bigger [an opinion shared by Sylvain Pataille, a fellow denizen of Marsannay]. We still used a bit of whole bunch but reduced it to around 30%, with some cuvées completely de-stemmed. We tried to use less new oak, opting instead for more Tonnellerie Ermitage [cooperage], which imparts less wood influence. That was important as I could not use foudre or demi-muids [due to small volumes].”
2024 Marsannay Les Vaudenelles
Color: Red

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 2026 - 2031

Tasting notes: The 2024 Marsannay Les Vaudenelles contains 20% whole cluster this year. It has a pretty nose with cranberry and wild strawberry fruit, quite Gevrey-like in style. The palate is medium-bodied with light tannins, pretty red fruit, quite airy in style, though it just misses some body at the back end. Early drinking.

Producer Commentary:
If you asked me which domaine is currently on the rise in Burgundy at the moment, Domaine Bruno Clair would be at the top of my list. Since the generational baton was passed to Arthur and Edouard, I am not the only person to have discerned greater precision, tension and complexity across their wide range of wines that spans white and red bottlings from Beaune and the Côte de Nuits.

Nevertheless, they were not inured to the travails of the growing season: “We lost at least 50% of the volume at flowering and then mildew finished the work,” he told me. “So, we are down around 70% in total. We managed the mildew, but the real issue was that the flowering spun out in the Côte de Nuits for five weeks at least. We tried to be organic, but after the fifth or sixth treatment we had to apply a chemical spray. I don’t think it made a big difference, and maybe we should have done it earlier. We did have some cover crops which made it easier for tractors. We rolled the cover crop at the beginning of May to prevent the spread of mildew. We cropped at 12 hl/ha, starting the harvest on September 18 and picking over ten days. I resolved to keep the vineyards separate and keep our cuvées. I am happy with the wines, though it took a while to appreciate their quality. I don’t think they are missing any complexity despite being lighter than the 2021s. The wines are quite bright at this stage. The lees give structure to the wines as they become bigger and bigger [an opinion shared by Sylvain Pataille, a fellow denizen of Marsannay]. We still used a bit of whole bunch but reduced it to around 30%, with some cuvées completely de-stemmed. We tried to use less new oak, opting instead for more Tonnellerie Ermitage [cooperage], which imparts less wood influence. That was important as I could not use foudre or demi-muids [due to small volumes].”
2024 Marsannay Les Longeroies
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2027 - 2035

Tasting notes: The 2024 Marsannay Les Longeroies has a far more expressive bouquet than the Les Vaudenelles, with lifted red cherry and crushed strawberry fruit laced with rose petal and orange pith. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, much more weight and tension with tart red fruit on the finish. Just four barrels, unfortunately.

Producer Commentary:
If you asked me which domaine is currently on the rise in Burgundy at the moment, Domaine Bruno Clair would be at the top of my list. Since the generational baton was passed to Arthur and Edouard, I am not the only person to have discerned greater precision, tension and complexity across their wide range of wines that spans white and red bottlings from Beaune and the Côte de Nuits.

Nevertheless, they were not inured to the travails of the growing season: “We lost at least 50% of the volume at flowering and then mildew finished the work,” he told me. “So, we are down around 70% in total. We managed the mildew, but the real issue was that the flowering spun out in the Côte de Nuits for five weeks at least. We tried to be organic, but after the fifth or sixth treatment we had to apply a chemical spray. I don’t think it made a big difference, and maybe we should have done it earlier. We did have some cover crops which made it easier for tractors. We rolled the cover crop at the beginning of May to prevent the spread of mildew. We cropped at 12 hl/ha, starting the harvest on September 18 and picking over ten days. I resolved to keep the vineyards separate and keep our cuvées. I am happy with the wines, though it took a while to appreciate their quality. I don’t think they are missing any complexity despite being lighter than the 2021s. The wines are quite bright at this stage. The lees give structure to the wines as they become bigger and bigger [an opinion shared by Sylvain Pataille, a fellow denizen of Marsannay]. We still used a bit of whole bunch but reduced it to around 30%, with some cuvées completely de-stemmed. We tried to use less new oak, opting instead for more Tonnellerie Ermitage [cooperage], which imparts less wood influence. That was important as I could not use foudre or demi-muids [due to small volumes].”
2024 Marsannay Les Grasses Têtes
Color: Red

Score: 0.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: The 2024 Marsannay Les Grasses Têtes was not presented as it had just been racked.

Producer Commentary:
If you asked me which domaine is currently on the rise in Burgundy at the moment, Domaine Bruno Clair would be at the top of my list. Since the generational baton was passed to Arthur and Edouard, I am not the only person to have discerned greater precision, tension and complexity across their wide range of wines that spans white and red bottlings from Beaune and the Côte de Nuits.

Nevertheless, they were not inured to the travails of the growing season: “We lost at least 50% of the volume at flowering and then mildew finished the work,” he told me. “So, we are down around 70% in total. We managed the mildew, but the real issue was that the flowering spun out in the Côte de Nuits for five weeks at least. We tried to be organic, but after the fifth or sixth treatment we had to apply a chemical spray. I don’t think it made a big difference, and maybe we should have done it earlier. We did have some cover crops which made it easier for tractors. We rolled the cover crop at the beginning of May to prevent the spread of mildew. We cropped at 12 hl/ha, starting the harvest on September 18 and picking over ten days. I resolved to keep the vineyards separate and keep our cuvées. I am happy with the wines, though it took a while to appreciate their quality. I don’t think they are missing any complexity despite being lighter than the 2021s. The wines are quite bright at this stage. The lees give structure to the wines as they become bigger and bigger [an opinion shared by Sylvain Pataille, a fellow denizen of Marsannay]. We still used a bit of whole bunch but reduced it to around 30%, with some cuvées completely de-stemmed. We tried to use less new oak, opting instead for more Tonnellerie Ermitage [cooperage], which imparts less wood influence. That was important as I could not use foudre or demi-muids [due to small volumes].”
2024 Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru
Color: White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2040

Tasting notes: The 2024 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru was surprisingly reserved following the En La Rue de Vergy despite coaxing from the glass. It eventually offers Cornice pear and light apricot scents. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, notes of apricot, orange pith and a touch of ginger. Perhaps just misses the texture of the very best from the famous hillside but still it should give at least a decade of drinking pleasure.

Producer Commentary:
If you asked me which domaine is currently on the rise in Burgundy at the moment, Domaine Bruno Clair would be at the top of my list. Since the generational baton was passed to Arthur and Edouard, I am not the only person to have discerned greater precision, tension and complexity across their wide range of wines that spans white and red bottlings from Beaune and the Côte de Nuits.

Nevertheless, they were not inured to the travails of the growing season: “We lost at least 50% of the volume at flowering and then mildew finished the work,” he told me. “So, we are down around 70% in total. We managed the mildew, but the real issue was that the flowering spun out in the Côte de Nuits for five weeks at least. We tried to be organic, but after the fifth or sixth treatment we had to apply a chemical spray. I don’t think it made a big difference, and maybe we should have done it earlier. We did have some cover crops which made it easier for tractors. We rolled the cover crop at the beginning of May to prevent the spread of mildew. We cropped at 12 hl/ha, starting the harvest on September 18 and picking over ten days. I resolved to keep the vineyards separate and keep our cuvées. I am happy with the wines, though it took a while to appreciate their quality. I don’t think they are missing any complexity despite being lighter than the 2021s. The wines are quite bright at this stage. The lees give structure to the wines as they become bigger and bigger [an opinion shared by Sylvain Pataille, a fellow denizen of Marsannay]. We still used a bit of whole bunch but reduced it to around 30%, with some cuvées completely de-stemmed. We tried to use less new oak, opting instead for more Tonnellerie Ermitage [cooperage], which imparts less wood influence. That was important as I could not use foudre or demi-muids [due to small volumes].”
2024 Marsannay La Charme Aux Prêtres Blanc
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2027 - 2037

Tasting notes: The 2024 Marsannay La Charme Aux Prêtres Blanc has a lovely aniseed-tinged bouquet that soars from the glass. The palate is very well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, very pure fruit, pithy with an almost Viognier-like finish (without the blowsiness!) Wonderful.

Producer Commentary:
If you asked me which domaine is currently on the rise in Burgundy at the moment, Domaine Bruno Clair would be at the top of my list. Since the generational baton was passed to Arthur and Edouard, I am not the only person to have discerned greater precision, tension and complexity across their wide range of wines that spans white and red bottlings from Beaune and the Côte de Nuits.

Nevertheless, they were not inured to the travails of the growing season: “We lost at least 50% of the volume at flowering and then mildew finished the work,” he told me. “So, we are down around 70% in total. We managed the mildew, but the real issue was that the flowering spun out in the Côte de Nuits for five weeks at least. We tried to be organic, but after the fifth or sixth treatment we had to apply a chemical spray. I don’t think it made a big difference, and maybe we should have done it earlier. We did have some cover crops which made it easier for tractors. We rolled the cover crop at the beginning of May to prevent the spread of mildew. We cropped at 12 hl/ha, starting the harvest on September 18 and picking over ten days. I resolved to keep the vineyards separate and keep our cuvées. I am happy with the wines, though it took a while to appreciate their quality. I don’t think they are missing any complexity despite being lighter than the 2021s. The wines are quite bright at this stage. The lees give structure to the wines as they become bigger and bigger [an opinion shared by Sylvain Pataille, a fellow denizen of Marsannay]. We still used a bit of whole bunch but reduced it to around 30%, with some cuvées completely de-stemmed. We tried to use less new oak, opting instead for more Tonnellerie Ermitage [cooperage], which imparts less wood influence. That was important as I could not use foudre or demi-muids [due to small volumes].”
2024 Marsannay Village Blanc
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2026 - 2033

Tasting notes: The 2024 Marsannay Village Blanc has a very attractive nose with scents of lemon curd and hints of apricot blossom. The palate has impressive weight, quite rounded in texture with hints of tropical fruit on the finish. Recommended.

Producer Commentary:
If you asked me which domaine is currently on the rise in Burgundy at the moment, Domaine Bruno Clair would be at the top of my list. Since the generational baton was passed to Arthur and Edouard, I am not the only person to have discerned greater precision, tension and complexity across their wide range of wines that spans white and red bottlings from Beaune and the Côte de Nuits.

Nevertheless, they were not inured to the travails of the growing season: “We lost at least 50% of the volume at flowering and then mildew finished the work,” he told me. “So, we are down around 70% in total. We managed the mildew, but the real issue was that the flowering spun out in the Côte de Nuits for five weeks at least. We tried to be organic, but after the fifth or sixth treatment we had to apply a chemical spray. I don’t think it made a big difference, and maybe we should have done it earlier. We did have some cover crops which made it easier for tractors. We rolled the cover crop at the beginning of May to prevent the spread of mildew. We cropped at 12 hl/ha, starting the harvest on September 18 and picking over ten days. I resolved to keep the vineyards separate and keep our cuvées. I am happy with the wines, though it took a while to appreciate their quality. I don’t think they are missing any complexity despite being lighter than the 2021s. The wines are quite bright at this stage. The lees give structure to the wines as they become bigger and bigger [an opinion shared by Sylvain Pataille, a fellow denizen of Marsannay]. We still used a bit of whole bunch but reduced it to around 30%, with some cuvées completely de-stemmed. We tried to use less new oak, opting instead for more Tonnellerie Ermitage [cooperage], which imparts less wood influence. That was important as I could not use foudre or demi-muids [due to small volumes].”
2024 Gevrey Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2045

Tasting notes: The 2024 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru is reduced to just 300 bottles. Vibrant redcurrant and crushed strawberry on the energetic bouquet, its vigour inverse to its production. The palate is medium-bodied with quite powdery tannins, darker fruit than the Clos du Fonteny with respectable density for a Gevrey in this vintage. There is something assured about this Les Cazetiers that brushes off the travails of the growing season.

Producer Commentary:
If you asked me which domaine is currently on the rise in Burgundy at the moment, Domaine Bruno Clair would be at the top of my list. Since the generational baton was passed to Arthur and Edouard, I am not the only person to have discerned greater precision, tension and complexity across their wide range of wines that spans white and red bottlings from Beaune and the Côte de Nuits.

Nevertheless, they were not inured to the travails of the growing season: “We lost at least 50% of the volume at flowering and then mildew finished the work,” he told me. “So, we are down around 70% in total. We managed the mildew, but the real issue was that the flowering spun out in the Côte de Nuits for five weeks at least. We tried to be organic, but after the fifth or sixth treatment we had to apply a chemical spray. I don’t think it made a big difference, and maybe we should have done it earlier. We did have some cover crops which made it easier for tractors. We rolled the cover crop at the beginning of May to prevent the spread of mildew. We cropped at 12 hl/ha, starting the harvest on September 18 and picking over ten days. I resolved to keep the vineyards separate and keep our cuvées. I am happy with the wines, though it took a while to appreciate their quality. I don’t think they are missing any complexity despite being lighter than the 2021s. The wines are quite bright at this stage. The lees give structure to the wines as they become bigger and bigger [an opinion shared by Sylvain Pataille, a fellow denizen of Marsannay]. We still used a bit of whole bunch but reduced it to around 30%, with some cuvées completely de-stemmed. We tried to use less new oak, opting instead for more Tonnellerie Ermitage [cooperage], which imparts less wood influence. That was important as I could not use foudre or demi-muids [due to small volumes].”
2024 Gevrey Chambertin Petite Chapelle 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2027 - 2042

Tasting notes: The 2024 Gevrey-Chambertin Petite Chapelle 1er Cru comprises two barrels this year. This has plenty of sous-bois on the nose that percolates through the red fruit, with touches of blood orange in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, silky smooth with just a patina of wood to be assimilated on the finish. Very good potential.

Producer Commentary:
If you asked me which domaine is currently on the rise in Burgundy at the moment, Domaine Bruno Clair would be at the top of my list. Since the generational baton was passed to Arthur and Edouard, I am not the only person to have discerned greater precision, tension and complexity across their wide range of wines that spans white and red bottlings from Beaune and the Côte de Nuits.

Nevertheless, they were not inured to the travails of the growing season: “We lost at least 50% of the volume at flowering and then mildew finished the work,” he told me. “So, we are down around 70% in total. We managed the mildew, but the real issue was that the flowering spun out in the Côte de Nuits for five weeks at least. We tried to be organic, but after the fifth or sixth treatment we had to apply a chemical spray. I don’t think it made a big difference, and maybe we should have done it earlier. We did have some cover crops which made it easier for tractors. We rolled the cover crop at the beginning of May to prevent the spread of mildew. We cropped at 12 hl/ha, starting the harvest on September 18 and picking over ten days. I resolved to keep the vineyards separate and keep our cuvées. I am happy with the wines, though it took a while to appreciate their quality. I don’t think they are missing any complexity despite being lighter than the 2021s. The wines are quite bright at this stage. The lees give structure to the wines as they become bigger and bigger [an opinion shared by Sylvain Pataille, a fellow denizen of Marsannay]. We still used a bit of whole bunch but reduced it to around 30%, with some cuvées completely de-stemmed. We tried to use less new oak, opting instead for more Tonnellerie Ermitage [cooperage], which imparts less wood influence. That was important as I could not use foudre or demi-muids [due to small volumes].”
2024 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Du Fonteny 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2027 - 2042

Tasting notes: The 2024 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos du Fonteny 1er Cru comes from a naturally low-yielding parcel in more benevolent years, though in this vintage there are just one and a half barrels. It has quite an effervescent bouquet with blood orange infusing the red cherry and crushed strawberry fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, a little confit-like with a zesty damson-tinged finish. Lovely.

Producer Commentary:
If you asked me which domaine is currently on the rise in Burgundy at the moment, Domaine Bruno Clair would be at the top of my list. Since the generational baton was passed to Arthur and Edouard, I am not the only person to have discerned greater precision, tension and complexity across their wide range of wines that spans white and red bottlings from Beaune and the Côte de Nuits.

Nevertheless, they were not inured to the travails of the growing season: “We lost at least 50% of the volume at flowering and then mildew finished the work,” he told me. “So, we are down around 70% in total. We managed the mildew, but the real issue was that the flowering spun out in the Côte de Nuits for five weeks at least. We tried to be organic, but after the fifth or sixth treatment we had to apply a chemical spray. I don’t think it made a big difference, and maybe we should have done it earlier. We did have some cover crops which made it easier for tractors. We rolled the cover crop at the beginning of May to prevent the spread of mildew. We cropped at 12 hl/ha, starting the harvest on September 18 and picking over ten days. I resolved to keep the vineyards separate and keep our cuvées. I am happy with the wines, though it took a while to appreciate their quality. I don’t think they are missing any complexity despite being lighter than the 2021s. The wines are quite bright at this stage. The lees give structure to the wines as they become bigger and bigger [an opinion shared by Sylvain Pataille, a fellow denizen of Marsannay]. We still used a bit of whole bunch but reduced it to around 30%, with some cuvées completely de-stemmed. We tried to use less new oak, opting instead for more Tonnellerie Ermitage [cooperage], which imparts less wood influence. That was important as I could not use foudre or demi-muids [due to small volumes].”
2024 Gevrey Chambertin Village
Color: Red

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2027 - 2037

Tasting notes: The 2024 Gevrey-Chambertin Village, which no longer includes vines from Bel-Air that have been pulled up, has a refined bouquet with iris flower infusing the black plummy fruit and a little earthiness that emerges with time. The palate is medium-bodied with quite angular tannins on the entry but it is fresh and tensile, quite tart on the finish. Fine.

Producer Commentary:
If you asked me which domaine is currently on the rise in Burgundy at the moment, Domaine Bruno Clair would be at the top of my list. Since the generational baton was passed to Arthur and Edouard, I am not the only person to have discerned greater precision, tension and complexity across their wide range of wines that spans white and red bottlings from Beaune and the Côte de Nuits.

Nevertheless, they were not inured to the travails of the growing season: “We lost at least 50% of the volume at flowering and then mildew finished the work,” he told me. “So, we are down around 70% in total. We managed the mildew, but the real issue was that the flowering spun out in the Côte de Nuits for five weeks at least. We tried to be organic, but after the fifth or sixth treatment we had to apply a chemical spray. I don’t think it made a big difference, and maybe we should have done it earlier. We did have some cover crops which made it easier for tractors. We rolled the cover crop at the beginning of May to prevent the spread of mildew. We cropped at 12 hl/ha, starting the harvest on September 18 and picking over ten days. I resolved to keep the vineyards separate and keep our cuvées. I am happy with the wines, though it took a while to appreciate their quality. I don’t think they are missing any complexity despite being lighter than the 2021s. The wines are quite bright at this stage. The lees give structure to the wines as they become bigger and bigger [an opinion shared by Sylvain Pataille, a fellow denizen of Marsannay]. We still used a bit of whole bunch but reduced it to around 30%, with some cuvées completely de-stemmed. We tried to use less new oak, opting instead for more Tonnellerie Ermitage [cooperage], which imparts less wood influence. That was important as I could not use foudre or demi-muids [due to small volumes].”
2024 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2045

Tasting notes: The 2024 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques 1er Cru has an exquisite bouquet with precise and (again) mineral-driven red fruit that gracefully glide from the glass. Wonderful delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly chalky tannins, quite citrus and like other Gevreys from Bruno Clair there is an underlying blood orange note that defines the finish. Quite strict and linear, this will require some bottle age to just shave its corners.

Producer Commentary:
If you asked me which domaine is currently on the rise in Burgundy at the moment, Domaine Bruno Clair would be at the top of my list. Since the generational baton was passed to Arthur and Edouard, I am not the only person to have discerned greater precision, tension and complexity across their wide range of wines that spans white and red bottlings from Beaune and the Côte de Nuits.

Nevertheless, they were not inured to the travails of the growing season: “We lost at least 50% of the volume at flowering and then mildew finished the work,” he told me. “So, we are down around 70% in total. We managed the mildew, but the real issue was that the flowering spun out in the Côte de Nuits for five weeks at least. We tried to be organic, but after the fifth or sixth treatment we had to apply a chemical spray. I don’t think it made a big difference, and maybe we should have done it earlier. We did have some cover crops which made it easier for tractors. We rolled the cover crop at the beginning of May to prevent the spread of mildew. We cropped at 12 hl/ha, starting the harvest on September 18 and picking over ten days. I resolved to keep the vineyards separate and keep our cuvées. I am happy with the wines, though it took a while to appreciate their quality. I don’t think they are missing any complexity despite being lighter than the 2021s. The wines are quite bright at this stage. The lees give structure to the wines as they become bigger and bigger [an opinion shared by Sylvain Pataille, a fellow denizen of Marsannay]. We still used a bit of whole bunch but reduced it to around 30%, with some cuvées completely de-stemmed. We tried to use less new oak, opting instead for more Tonnellerie Ermitage [cooperage], which imparts less wood influence. That was important as I could not use foudre or demi-muids [due to small volumes].”
2024 Chambolle Musigny Les Charmes 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2027 - 2040

Tasting notes: The 2024 Chambolle-Musigny Les Charmes 1er Cru has a fragrant bouquet with pure red cherry and wild strawberry scents, hints of rose petal and crushed stone. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly chalky tannins, fresh and sapid, quite linear but with a pleasant bite on the stony finish.

Producer Commentary:
If you asked me which domaine is currently on the rise in Burgundy at the moment, Domaine Bruno Clair would be at the top of my list. Since the generational baton was passed to Arthur and Edouard, I am not the only person to have discerned greater precision, tension and complexity across their wide range of wines that spans white and red bottlings from Beaune and the Côte de Nuits.

Nevertheless, they were not inured to the travails of the growing season: “We lost at least 50% of the volume at flowering and then mildew finished the work,” he told me. “So, we are down around 70% in total. We managed the mildew, but the real issue was that the flowering spun out in the Côte de Nuits for five weeks at least. We tried to be organic, but after the fifth or sixth treatment we had to apply a chemical spray. I don’t think it made a big difference, and maybe we should have done it earlier. We did have some cover crops which made it easier for tractors. We rolled the cover crop at the beginning of May to prevent the spread of mildew. We cropped at 12 hl/ha, starting the harvest on September 18 and picking over ten days. I resolved to keep the vineyards separate and keep our cuvées. I am happy with the wines, though it took a while to appreciate their quality. I don’t think they are missing any complexity despite being lighter than the 2021s. The wines are quite bright at this stage. The lees give structure to the wines as they become bigger and bigger [an opinion shared by Sylvain Pataille, a fellow denizen of Marsannay]. We still used a bit of whole bunch but reduced it to around 30%, with some cuvées completely de-stemmed. We tried to use less new oak, opting instead for more Tonnellerie Ermitage [cooperage], which imparts less wood influence. That was important as I could not use foudre or demi-muids [due to small volumes].”
2024 Chambolle Musigny Les Veroilles
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2026 - 2036

Tasting notes: The 2024 Chambolle-Musigny Les Veroilles has a pretty bouquet with red cherries and crushed strawberry, quite floral with violets blossoming in the glass. The palate is well balanced with filigree tannins, a keen thread of acidity and a bright, vibrant finish that lingers in the glass. Pure elegance.

Producer Commentary:
If you asked me which domaine is currently on the rise in Burgundy at the moment, Domaine Bruno Clair would be at the top of my list. Since the generational baton was passed to Arthur and Edouard, I am not the only person to have discerned greater precision, tension and complexity across their wide range of wines that spans white and red bottlings from Beaune and the Côte de Nuits.

Nevertheless, they were not inured to the travails of the growing season: “We lost at least 50% of the volume at flowering and then mildew finished the work,” he told me. “So, we are down around 70% in total. We managed the mildew, but the real issue was that the flowering spun out in the Côte de Nuits for five weeks at least. We tried to be organic, but after the fifth or sixth treatment we had to apply a chemical spray. I don’t think it made a big difference, and maybe we should have done it earlier. We did have some cover crops which made it easier for tractors. We rolled the cover crop at the beginning of May to prevent the spread of mildew. We cropped at 12 hl/ha, starting the harvest on September 18 and picking over ten days. I resolved to keep the vineyards separate and keep our cuvées. I am happy with the wines, though it took a while to appreciate their quality. I don’t think they are missing any complexity despite being lighter than the 2021s. The wines are quite bright at this stage. The lees give structure to the wines as they become bigger and bigger [an opinion shared by Sylvain Pataille, a fellow denizen of Marsannay]. We still used a bit of whole bunch but reduced it to around 30%, with some cuvées completely de-stemmed. We tried to use less new oak, opting instead for more Tonnellerie Ermitage [cooperage], which imparts less wood influence. That was important as I could not use foudre or demi-muids [due to small volumes].”
2024 Chambertin Clos De Bèze Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 96.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2052

Tasting notes: The 2024 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru has a vigorous and complex bouquet with blackberry, raspberry and subtle marine influences, just a hint of Japanese nori. Wonderful delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with a sweet core of cherry and strawberry fruit, orange sorbet and light spicy notes, very cohesive on the finish with more persistence than the Clos Saint-Jacques. Superb.

Producer Commentary:
If you asked me which domaine is currently on the rise in Burgundy at the moment, Domaine Bruno Clair would be at the top of my list. Since the generational baton was passed to Arthur and Edouard, I am not the only person to have discerned greater precision, tension and complexity across their wide range of wines that spans white and red bottlings from Beaune and the Côte de Nuits.

Nevertheless, they were not inured to the travails of the growing season: “We lost at least 50% of the volume at flowering and then mildew finished the work,” he told me. “So, we are down around 70% in total. We managed the mildew, but the real issue was that the flowering spun out in the Côte de Nuits for five weeks at least. We tried to be organic, but after the fifth or sixth treatment we had to apply a chemical spray. I don’t think it made a big difference, and maybe we should have done it earlier. We did have some cover crops which made it easier for tractors. We rolled the cover crop at the beginning of May to prevent the spread of mildew. We cropped at 12 hl/ha, starting the harvest on September 18 and picking over ten days. I resolved to keep the vineyards separate and keep our cuvées. I am happy with the wines, though it took a while to appreciate their quality. I don’t think they are missing any complexity despite being lighter than the 2021s. The wines are quite bright at this stage. The lees give structure to the wines as they become bigger and bigger [an opinion shared by Sylvain Pataille, a fellow denizen of Marsannay]. We still used a bit of whole bunch but reduced it to around 30%, with some cuvées completely de-stemmed. We tried to use less new oak, opting instead for more Tonnellerie Ermitage [cooperage], which imparts less wood influence. That was important as I could not use foudre or demi-muids [due to small volumes].”
2024 Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 97.0

Drinking window: 2027 - 2055

Tasting notes: The 2024 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru has an expressive, transparent bouquet with perfumed strawberry and raspberry scents, the 30-40% whole bunch completely subsumed by the fruit which is always a good sign. The palate is framed by filigree tannins, perfectly pitched acidity, very elegant in style, gentle grip with an almost pixelated finish that lingers temptingly in the mouth. What a fabulous Bonnes-Mares in the context of the growing season - certainly on par with the previous vintage. Just a gorgeous Bonnes-Mares in the making.

Producer Commentary:
If you asked me which domaine is currently on the rise in Burgundy at the moment, Domaine Bruno Clair would be at the top of my list. Since the generational baton was passed to Arthur and Edouard, I am not the only person to have discerned greater precision, tension and complexity across their wide range of wines that spans white and red bottlings from Beaune and the Côte de Nuits.

Nevertheless, they were not inured to the travails of the growing season: “We lost at least 50% of the volume at flowering and then mildew finished the work,” he told me. “So, we are down around 70% in total. We managed the mildew, but the real issue was that the flowering spun out in the Côte de Nuits for five weeks at least. We tried to be organic, but after the fifth or sixth treatment we had to apply a chemical spray. I don’t think it made a big difference, and maybe we should have done it earlier. We did have some cover crops which made it easier for tractors. We rolled the cover crop at the beginning of May to prevent the spread of mildew. We cropped at 12 hl/ha, starting the harvest on September 18 and picking over ten days. I resolved to keep the vineyards separate and keep our cuvées. I am happy with the wines, though it took a while to appreciate their quality. I don’t think they are missing any complexity despite being lighter than the 2021s. The wines are quite bright at this stage. The lees give structure to the wines as they become bigger and bigger [an opinion shared by Sylvain Pataille, a fellow denizen of Marsannay]. We still used a bit of whole bunch but reduced it to around 30%, with some cuvées completely de-stemmed. We tried to use less new oak, opting instead for more Tonnellerie Ermitage [cooperage], which imparts less wood influence. That was important as I could not use foudre or demi-muids [due to small volumes].”
2021 Chambertin Clos De Bèze Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 96.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2050

Tasting notes: The 2021 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru has a sophisticated bouquet with brambly red berry fruit, tobacco and undergrowth scents with discrete use of whole bunches. Fine delineation despite a touch of reduction. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red fruit laced with balsamic. Quite strict and mineral driven, clamming up somewhat towards the finish. However, it feels fresh and persistent and should repay time in bottle. Indeed, of all the wines in this flight, this improves the most in the glass. Tasted blind at the Burgfest tasting.

Producer Commentary:
2023 Chambertin Clos De Bèze Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 96.0

Drinking window: 2030 - 2060

Tasting notes: The 2023 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru has a delectable bouquet, so pure and refined, with razor-sharp delineation and gorgeous, vivacious red fruit tinged with bay leaf and forest floor. The palate is medium-bodied with red berry fruit, hints of dark chocolate and crushed stone minerality. It is wonderfully balanced, with a touch of black pepper lingering on the finish. Outstanding.

Producer Commentary:
This Marsannay-based producer has been on a roll in recent vintages, something that has registered with cognoscenti. Bruno Clair ran the estate from 1985 and expanded its holdings in recent years, joined by his son Edouard in 2010, then his daughter, Margaux, and younger son, Arthur, in 2018. Edouard focused on the vineyard while Arthur worked primarily in the winery and Margaux was put in charge of exports and vineyard work.

It was Arthur who welcomed me to the Domaine, always an interesting person with whom to exchange views on the vintage and Burgundy as a whole.

“We started the picking on September 9,” he tells me. “On average, we used 50% whole bunch, except for the Savigny La Dominode that has 30%. Marsannay did not have as much rain in 2023, which is why it has comparatively lower yields to other appellations. For example, we might have 5 mm in Marsannay when there was 20 mm in Gevrey-Chambertin. So, in a good way, we are surprised by the concentration of those wines. Yields were around 25 hl/ha in Marsannay compared to 40-45 hl/ha elsewhere. The pH levels were quite high and so we were concerned that the wines might be unbalanced, though after barreling – and thanks to the influence of whole bunch – it has imparted freshness, and we are finding more balance during élevage. One or two of the cuvées took longer to finish their alcoholic fermentation, including the Corton-Charlemagne. I added a bit of tartaric to some of the Village Crus.”
2020 Chambertin Clos De Bèze Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: The 2020 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru is slightly higher toned on the nose than the Rousseau. Raspberry, wild strawberry, cedar, a touch of ash and white pepper come through with time. This is quite complex. The palate is medium-bodied with sapid red fruit, black pepper and orange rind. Touches of Indian spice come through on the finish, and it feels a bit austere and unyielding. Perhaps a little heavy on the oak? It's a bit of a strange showing vis-a-vis in barrel, hence the question mark. Tasted blind at the Burgfest tasting. 

Producer Commentary:
2021 Chambertin Clos De Bèze Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 95.0

Drinking window: 2027 - 2048

Tasting notes: The 2021 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru, which contains 40%-50% whole bunches, has great clarity with brambly red fruit, briary, crushed rocks and sea spray. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins, focused though it needs the second winter to bid everything together and fine-tune those tannins. Nice build in the mouth and insistent grip. I like the cut of its jib.

Producer Commentary:
This is the first year that Edouard, son of Bruno Clair, is on hand to guide me through a selection of the 2021s. Rapid expansion in the eighties and nineties means that over 30 cuvées are now produced. Edouard tells me that he began working at the Marsannay-based winery in 2017. “We lost 50% red and 60% white production,” Clair tells me, a young vigneron with just the right amount of confidence without being brash. “But it was bad on the slopes as we had a lot of compact bunches due to the old vines. We picked from 20 September to 1 October. We did more pigeage than in 2020 but less in my father’s time. We want the wine to be a little more drinkable and approachable. We did one daily pigeage over five days. The whites were completely devastated and yielded 9-10hL/ha.”
2020 Chambertin Clos De Bèze Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 97.0

Drinking window: 2026 - 2055

Tasting notes: The 2020 Chambertin Clos de Bèze Grand Cru has a fabulous, pixelated bouquet with ebullient, brambly red fruit interlaced with minerals. Real pedigree here. The palate is medium-bodied with a sappy, saline entry. Great depth, cohesive with just the right amount of salinity. This lingers long in the mouth. Irresistible, surfeit with class. 

Producer Commentary:
2017 Chambertin Clos De Bèze Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 98.0

Drinking window: 2026 - 2055

Tasting notes: The 2017 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru has an open, generous bouquet of predominantly red fruit, a little earthier than its peers but still gaining intensity in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine, saturated tannins. It’s a little creamy in texture because of the oak, but there is plenty of fruit here and an almost sorbet-like freshness on the finish. Blimey... this surpasses all expectations and is contender for wine of the vintage. Brilliant. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2017 tasting.

Producer Commentary:
2019 Chambertin Clos De Bèze Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2024 - 2045

Tasting notes: The 2019 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru, populated by ancient vines planted in 1912, suffered a lot of millerandé berries. The bouquet is very well defined with white pepper and tea leaf infusing the mineral-rich black fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, very harmonious and smooth in texture, perhaps just needing a little more depth and grip to come through on the finish. Wonderful. 

Producer Commentary:
For the final time, I met Philippe Brun at the winery, as Brun is due to retire in the near future. It will be strange not seeing him flanking Bruno Clair next year. Marsannay’s ‘dynamic duo’ has produced some excellent visits in recent years. “We started the picking on 9 September,” Clair told me. “That was the Bonnes Mares because it was already very ripe. But the serious picking really began on 15 September. We finished on 24 and 25 September. The yields were half for the whites because of the dryness, for the reds it was 15-30% less than last year. Vines with deep roots that could penetrate the fissures performed best and did not show any stress. But overall, I am very pleased with the regularity of crop across the reds irrespective of vine age.” It was a wise decision to pick that Bonnes-Mares early because it may well turn out to be their star performer, closely followed by the Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze. Comparing them side-by-side, I might err for the 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques over the 2019, but we will see. Despite millerandage in the vineyard, the Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers displays superb mineralité. Though their 2019 Clos du Fonteny is very promising, the 2018 seemed out of sorts and I will endeavour to re-examine this. Overall, it was a superb set of 2019s from Bruno Clair that will age with style.
2018 Chambertin Clos De Bèze Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 96.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2050

Tasting notes: The 2018 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru has so much fruit on the nose: blackberry, sous-bois and cedar, more rose scents than I observed out of barrel last year. I feel that this is more powerful than the 2019, an unapologetically extravagant Clos de Bèze yet with a lithe, sensual finish that actually reminds more of Armand Rousseau. Yet - it's that good. 

Producer Commentary:
For the final time, I met Philippe Brun at the winery, as Brun is due to retire in the near future. It will be strange not seeing him flanking Bruno Clair next year. Marsannay’s ‘dynamic duo’ has produced some excellent visits in recent years. “We started the picking on 9 September,” Clair told me. “That was the Bonnes Mares because it was already very ripe. But the serious picking really began on 15 September. We finished on 24 and 25 September. The yields were half for the whites because of the dryness, for the reds it was 15-30% less than last year. Vines with deep roots that could penetrate the fissures performed best and did not show any stress. But overall, I am very pleased with the regularity of crop across the reds irrespective of vine age.” It was a wise decision to pick that Bonnes-Mares early because it may well turn out to be their star performer, closely followed by the Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze. Comparing them side-by-side, I might err for the 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques over the 2019, but we will see. Despite millerandage in the vineyard, the Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers displays superb mineralité. Though their 2019 Clos du Fonteny is very promising, the 2018 seemed out of sorts and I will endeavour to re-examine this. Overall, it was a superb set of 2019s from Bruno Clair that will age with style.
2017 Chambertin Clos De Bèze Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2022 - 2050

Tasting notes: The 2017 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru has a well-defined bouquet of broody black fruit (like the Clos Saint-Jacques) and traces of the sea – kelp and estuary mud flats – loitering in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannin. This is very well balanced, displaying impressive substance, sea-salt-lacquered black fruit and a tangy, very mineral-driven finish that fans out beautifully. Superb. 

Producer Commentary:
This year, Philippe Brun escorted me through the domaine’s 2017s. Once known for its intermittently rustic wines, there is a sense of newfound refinement and elegance that has seen Bruno Clair gain a wider and well-deserved following. This is partly because they have eased off the extraction and picked just a little earlier. They oversee a strong portfolio of cuvées, not just their Grand Crus and prized rows within Clos Saint-Jacques, but a cluster of excellent Village and Premier Crus that can offer great value. Brun told me that they commenced the picking on September 5 and picked over the following five days - quite a short harvest given their range of holdings. None of the wines had been racked when I visited, and they plan to blend the cuvées in January.

This was a very fine set of wines from Bruno Clair, though one or two, such as the Gevrey-Chambertin Petite Chapelle and perhaps the Cazetiers and Clos Saint-Jacques, left me wondering if they could have given more. It was another Gevrey-Chambertin – the 0.68-hectare monopole of Clos du Fonteny, which rises on a geological ledge a few meters above the rest of Fonteny – that really caught my eye, alongside a very impressive Marsannay Les Grasses-Têtes and a superb Bonnes-Mares that crowns their range. Generally, I found assiduous use of whole bunches here and a collection of wines that range from the easygoing to others that boast long-term potential.
2020 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 96.0

Drinking window: 2026 - 2052

Tasting notes: The 2020 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques 1er Cru has an intense but delineated bouquet. It combines red and blue fruit, violet and subtle flinty aromas. There's fine mineralité here. The palate is quite robust with firm tannins. It's one of the grippier Clos Saint-Jacques, overtly spiced with compact black fruit towards the finish. It may be just a bit tough at the moment, but it will loosen up with time. Tasted blind at the Burgfest tasting. 

Producer Commentary:
2021 Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 97.0

Drinking window: 2027 - 2055

Tasting notes: The 2021 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru is beguiling on the nose with pure beautifully defined red fruit that soars from the glass. Real sophistication and utterly absorbing. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins very focused and harmonious. Precise, complex, engaging hints of Earl Grey infuse the red fruit on the finish that is so refined. Complete class. Precision, precision, precision. Tasted blind at the Burgfest tasting.

Producer Commentary:
2021 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2050

Tasting notes: The 2021 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques 1er Cru still has some oak to be subsumed, though it is certainly proportionate with the fruit concentration. Redcurrant, wild strawberry, thyme and crushed stone develop nicely in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with sapid ripe red fruit. Fine tannins, well focused with a slight creaminess towards the finish. This needs just a couple of years in bottle. Tasted blind at the Burgfest tasting.

Producer Commentary:
2021 Gevrey Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2048

Tasting notes: The 2021 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru has a very pure nose with raspberry and wild strawberry scents and just a hint of iodine in the background. It just needs more mineralité. The palate is medium-bodied with sapid red berry fruit. Good body and depth, a little muscular compared to its peers but I admire the precision and nascent vigour that comes through. A work in progress so to speak. I would afford this two or three years in bottle. Tasted blind at the Burgfest tasting.

Producer Commentary:
2015 Gevrey Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru
Color:

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2024 - 2032

Tasting notes: The 2015 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru has a gleaming bouquet with transparent red cherry and white-tipped strawberries that contain such brightness and vivacity. There's wonderful mineralité both aromatically and on the palate, where one finds filigree tannins. Irresistibly pure and elegant. Arthur Clair told me that when he made this wine at the beginning of his career, his father, Bruno, quipped that he had made a Rosé, due to its pallid hue. Well, just goes to show!

Producer Commentary:
2005 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques 1er Cru
Color:

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2038

Tasting notes: The 2005 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques 1er Cru from Domaine Bruno Clair precedes the dazzling run of form this estate has shown in recent years. It is rustic and, again, quite Bretty on the nose, missing some freshness and definition. Old school! The palate is medium-bodied with a soft entry, furry tannins and a hint of wild mushroom on the finish. The 2005 is actually quite enjoyable, but it is far removed from the purity that can be regularly found here these days. Tasted at the 05/15 Burgundy dinner in The Good Earth and again at the Sanglier dinner in Savigny-lès-Beaune with consistent notes. 

Producer Commentary:
2023 Savigny Lès Beaune Les Jarrons 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2026 - 2042

Tasting notes: The 2023 Savigny-lès-Beaune Les Jarrons 1er Cru has a little more nuance and mineralité compared to the La Dominode, with light floral scents emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied, taut and fresh, with finely chiseled tannins and a little more persistence toward the finish. This is a delightful, well-crafted Savigny to enjoy over the next decade.

Producer Commentary:
This Marsannay-based producer has been on a roll in recent vintages, something that has registered with cognoscenti. Bruno Clair ran the estate from 1985 and expanded its holdings in recent years, joined by his son Edouard in 2010, then his daughter, Margaux, and younger son, Arthur, in 2018. Edouard focused on the vineyard while Arthur worked primarily in the winery and Margaux was put in charge of exports and vineyard work.

It was Arthur who welcomed me to the Domaine, always an interesting person with whom to exchange views on the vintage and Burgundy as a whole.

“We started the picking on September 9,” he tells me. “On average, we used 50% whole bunch, except for the Savigny La Dominode that has 30%. Marsannay did not have as much rain in 2023, which is why it has comparatively lower yields to other appellations. For example, we might have 5 mm in Marsannay when there was 20 mm in Gevrey-Chambertin. So, in a good way, we are surprised by the concentration of those wines. Yields were around 25 hl/ha in Marsannay compared to 40-45 hl/ha elsewhere. The pH levels were quite high and so we were concerned that the wines might be unbalanced, though after barreling – and thanks to the influence of whole bunch – it has imparted freshness, and we are finding more balance during élevage. One or two of the cuvées took longer to finish their alcoholic fermentation, including the Corton-Charlemagne. I added a bit of tartaric to some of the Village Crus.”
2023 Marsannay Blanc La Charme Aux Prêtres
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2026 - 2036

Tasting notes: The 2023 Marsannay Blanc La Charme Aux Prêtres (80% of which used to comprise the "Source des Roches" cuvée) has a perfumed, minerally bouquet that exudes energy. Edgy in style, the palate is very well balanced with a saline entry. Notes of sour lemon and orange rind carry through the oily-textured finish that shows plenty of extract. Very fine.

Producer Commentary:
This Marsannay-based producer has been on a roll in recent vintages, something that has registered with cognoscenti. Bruno Clair ran the estate from 1985 and expanded its holdings in recent years, joined by his son Edouard in 2010, then his daughter, Margaux, and younger son, Arthur, in 2018. Edouard focused on the vineyard while Arthur worked primarily in the winery and Margaux was put in charge of exports and vineyard work.

It was Arthur who welcomed me to the Domaine, always an interesting person with whom to exchange views on the vintage and Burgundy as a whole.

“We started the picking on September 9,” he tells me. “On average, we used 50% whole bunch, except for the Savigny La Dominode that has 30%. Marsannay did not have as much rain in 2023, which is why it has comparatively lower yields to other appellations. For example, we might have 5 mm in Marsannay when there was 20 mm in Gevrey-Chambertin. So, in a good way, we are surprised by the concentration of those wines. Yields were around 25 hl/ha in Marsannay compared to 40-45 hl/ha elsewhere. The pH levels were quite high and so we were concerned that the wines might be unbalanced, though after barreling – and thanks to the influence of whole bunch – it has imparted freshness, and we are finding more balance during élevage. One or two of the cuvées took longer to finish their alcoholic fermentation, including the Corton-Charlemagne. I added a bit of tartaric to some of the Village Crus.”
2023 Gevrey Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2027 - 2050

Tasting notes: The 2023 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru is a worthy follow-up to the 2022. It has a wonderful bouquet with immense purity and charm, quite floral in style and very complex. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannins, wonderful symmetry and a precise and persistent finish. This is a fantastic Gevrey Premier Cru.

Producer Commentary:
This Marsannay-based producer has been on a roll in recent vintages, something that has registered with cognoscenti. Bruno Clair ran the estate from 1985 and expanded its holdings in recent years, joined by his son Edouard in 2010, then his daughter, Margaux, and younger son, Arthur, in 2018. Edouard focused on the vineyard while Arthur worked primarily in the winery and Margaux was put in charge of exports and vineyard work.

It was Arthur who welcomed me to the Domaine, always an interesting person with whom to exchange views on the vintage and Burgundy as a whole.

“We started the picking on September 9,” he tells me. “On average, we used 50% whole bunch, except for the Savigny La Dominode that has 30%. Marsannay did not have as much rain in 2023, which is why it has comparatively lower yields to other appellations. For example, we might have 5 mm in Marsannay when there was 20 mm in Gevrey-Chambertin. So, in a good way, we are surprised by the concentration of those wines. Yields were around 25 hl/ha in Marsannay compared to 40-45 hl/ha elsewhere. The pH levels were quite high and so we were concerned that the wines might be unbalanced, though after barreling – and thanks to the influence of whole bunch – it has imparted freshness, and we are finding more balance during élevage. One or two of the cuvées took longer to finish their alcoholic fermentation, including the Corton-Charlemagne. I added a bit of tartaric to some of the Village Crus.”
2023 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 95.0

Drinking window: 2027 - 2055

Tasting notes: The 2023 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques 1er Cru offers an extremely focused and detailed bouquet with vibrant, mineral-inflected redcurrant and strawberry fruit. The medium-bodied palate features ripe dark cherry and strawberry on the entry, with a hint of vanilla from the oak. It finishes quite linear in style, as if it's holding something back for later. This is one for the patient among you.

Producer Commentary:
This Marsannay-based producer has been on a roll in recent vintages, something that has registered with cognoscenti. Bruno Clair ran the estate from 1985 and expanded its holdings in recent years, joined by his son Edouard in 2010, then his daughter, Margaux, and younger son, Arthur, in 2018. Edouard focused on the vineyard while Arthur worked primarily in the winery and Margaux was put in charge of exports and vineyard work.

It was Arthur who welcomed me to the Domaine, always an interesting person with whom to exchange views on the vintage and Burgundy as a whole.

“We started the picking on September 9,” he tells me. “On average, we used 50% whole bunch, except for the Savigny La Dominode that has 30%. Marsannay did not have as much rain in 2023, which is why it has comparatively lower yields to other appellations. For example, we might have 5 mm in Marsannay when there was 20 mm in Gevrey-Chambertin. So, in a good way, we are surprised by the concentration of those wines. Yields were around 25 hl/ha in Marsannay compared to 40-45 hl/ha elsewhere. The pH levels were quite high and so we were concerned that the wines might be unbalanced, though after barreling – and thanks to the influence of whole bunch – it has imparted freshness, and we are finding more balance during élevage. One or two of the cuvées took longer to finish their alcoholic fermentation, including the Corton-Charlemagne. I added a bit of tartaric to some of the Village Crus.”
2023 Chambolles Musigny Les Veroilles
Color: Red

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2038

Tasting notes: The 2023 Chambolles-Musigny Les Veroilles has a well-defined bouquet with mainly red fruit. An appealing mineralité comes through with aeration. The palate is well balanced with good concentration and firm grip, lightly spiced with a touch of sour cherry on the slightly short finish. Give this two or three years in bottle.

Producer Commentary:
This Marsannay-based producer has been on a roll in recent vintages, something that has registered with cognoscenti. Bruno Clair ran the estate from 1985 and expanded its holdings in recent years, joined by his son Edouard in 2010, then his daughter, Margaux, and younger son, Arthur, in 2018. Edouard focused on the vineyard while Arthur worked primarily in the winery and Margaux was put in charge of exports and vineyard work.

It was Arthur who welcomed me to the Domaine, always an interesting person with whom to exchange views on the vintage and Burgundy as a whole.

“We started the picking on September 9,” he tells me. “On average, we used 50% whole bunch, except for the Savigny La Dominode that has 30%. Marsannay did not have as much rain in 2023, which is why it has comparatively lower yields to other appellations. For example, we might have 5 mm in Marsannay when there was 20 mm in Gevrey-Chambertin. So, in a good way, we are surprised by the concentration of those wines. Yields were around 25 hl/ha in Marsannay compared to 40-45 hl/ha elsewhere. The pH levels were quite high and so we were concerned that the wines might be unbalanced, though after barreling – and thanks to the influence of whole bunch – it has imparted freshness, and we are finding more balance during élevage. One or two of the cuvées took longer to finish their alcoholic fermentation, including the Corton-Charlemagne. I added a bit of tartaric to some of the Village Crus.”
2023 Chambolle Musigny Les Charmes 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2026 - 2040

Tasting notes: The 2023 Chambolle-Musigny Les Charmes 1er Cru has an exquisite bouquet with brambly red fruit, briar and light sous-bois scents, very delineated and focused. The palate is medium-bodied with a light chocolatey note on the entry, quite sweet yet tensile, with a dash of white pepper toward the finish. The 2022 had a little more persistence, but this should give 15 or more years of pleasure.

Producer Commentary:
This Marsannay-based producer has been on a roll in recent vintages, something that has registered with cognoscenti. Bruno Clair ran the estate from 1985 and expanded its holdings in recent years, joined by his son Edouard in 2010, then his daughter, Margaux, and younger son, Arthur, in 2018. Edouard focused on the vineyard while Arthur worked primarily in the winery and Margaux was put in charge of exports and vineyard work.

It was Arthur who welcomed me to the Domaine, always an interesting person with whom to exchange views on the vintage and Burgundy as a whole.

“We started the picking on September 9,” he tells me. “On average, we used 50% whole bunch, except for the Savigny La Dominode that has 30%. Marsannay did not have as much rain in 2023, which is why it has comparatively lower yields to other appellations. For example, we might have 5 mm in Marsannay when there was 20 mm in Gevrey-Chambertin. So, in a good way, we are surprised by the concentration of those wines. Yields were around 25 hl/ha in Marsannay compared to 40-45 hl/ha elsewhere. The pH levels were quite high and so we were concerned that the wines might be unbalanced, though after barreling – and thanks to the influence of whole bunch – it has imparted freshness, and we are finding more balance during élevage. One or two of the cuvées took longer to finish their alcoholic fermentation, including the Corton-Charlemagne. I added a bit of tartaric to some of the Village Crus.”
2023 Marsannay Les Vaudenelles
Color: Red

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2032

Tasting notes: The 2023 Marsannay Les Vaudenelles has a punchy nose with black cherries and boysenberry fruit. The palate is a little hard on the entry, with crisp, slightly edgy tannins and a little austerity on the finish that should fill out during élevage. Fine.

Producer Commentary:
This Marsannay-based producer has been on a roll in recent vintages, something that has registered with cognoscenti. Bruno Clair ran the estate from 1985 and expanded its holdings in recent years, joined by his son Edouard in 2010, then his daughter, Margaux, and younger son, Arthur, in 2018. Edouard focused on the vineyard while Arthur worked primarily in the winery and Margaux was put in charge of exports and vineyard work.

It was Arthur who welcomed me to the Domaine, always an interesting person with whom to exchange views on the vintage and Burgundy as a whole.

“We started the picking on September 9,” he tells me. “On average, we used 50% whole bunch, except for the Savigny La Dominode that has 30%. Marsannay did not have as much rain in 2023, which is why it has comparatively lower yields to other appellations. For example, we might have 5 mm in Marsannay when there was 20 mm in Gevrey-Chambertin. So, in a good way, we are surprised by the concentration of those wines. Yields were around 25 hl/ha in Marsannay compared to 40-45 hl/ha elsewhere. The pH levels were quite high and so we were concerned that the wines might be unbalanced, though after barreling – and thanks to the influence of whole bunch – it has imparted freshness, and we are finding more balance during élevage. One or two of the cuvées took longer to finish their alcoholic fermentation, including the Corton-Charlemagne. I added a bit of tartaric to some of the Village Crus.”
2023 Morey Saint Denis en La Rue Vergy
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2026 - 2040

Tasting notes: The 2023 Morey Saint-Denis En la Rue Vergy has a very classy bouquet with wonderful definition and a sense of control as it unfurls with blackberry, briar and light blood orange scents. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent, fleshy tannins. There is a slightly candied quality to this Morey-Saint-Denis and a touch menthol on the finish. Real vibrancy here.

Producer Commentary:
This Marsannay-based producer has been on a roll in recent vintages, something that has registered with cognoscenti. Bruno Clair ran the estate from 1985 and expanded its holdings in recent years, joined by his son Edouard in 2010, then his daughter, Margaux, and younger son, Arthur, in 2018. Edouard focused on the vineyard while Arthur worked primarily in the winery and Margaux was put in charge of exports and vineyard work.

It was Arthur who welcomed me to the Domaine, always an interesting person with whom to exchange views on the vintage and Burgundy as a whole.

“We started the picking on September 9,” he tells me. “On average, we used 50% whole bunch, except for the Savigny La Dominode that has 30%. Marsannay did not have as much rain in 2023, which is why it has comparatively lower yields to other appellations. For example, we might have 5 mm in Marsannay when there was 20 mm in Gevrey-Chambertin. So, in a good way, we are surprised by the concentration of those wines. Yields were around 25 hl/ha in Marsannay compared to 40-45 hl/ha elsewhere. The pH levels were quite high and so we were concerned that the wines might be unbalanced, though after barreling – and thanks to the influence of whole bunch – it has imparted freshness, and we are finding more balance during élevage. One or two of the cuvées took longer to finish their alcoholic fermentation, including the Corton-Charlemagne. I added a bit of tartaric to some of the Village Crus.”
2023 Vosne Romanée Les Champs Perdrix
Color: Red

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2026 - 2035

Tasting notes: The 2023 Vosne-Romanée Les Champs Perdrix has an open and generous bouquet, nicely poised, with light floral scents in the background. The palate is well balanced with chalky tannins, bright red fruit and a note of orange rind toward the finish. This has an easy-drinking personality.

Producer Commentary:
This Marsannay-based producer has been on a roll in recent vintages, something that has registered with cognoscenti. Bruno Clair ran the estate from 1985 and expanded its holdings in recent years, joined by his son Edouard in 2010, then his daughter, Margaux, and younger son, Arthur, in 2018. Edouard focused on the vineyard while Arthur worked primarily in the winery and Margaux was put in charge of exports and vineyard work.

It was Arthur who welcomed me to the Domaine, always an interesting person with whom to exchange views on the vintage and Burgundy as a whole.

“We started the picking on September 9,” he tells me. “On average, we used 50% whole bunch, except for the Savigny La Dominode that has 30%. Marsannay did not have as much rain in 2023, which is why it has comparatively lower yields to other appellations. For example, we might have 5 mm in Marsannay when there was 20 mm in Gevrey-Chambertin. So, in a good way, we are surprised by the concentration of those wines. Yields were around 25 hl/ha in Marsannay compared to 40-45 hl/ha elsewhere. The pH levels were quite high and so we were concerned that the wines might be unbalanced, though after barreling – and thanks to the influence of whole bunch – it has imparted freshness, and we are finding more balance during élevage. One or two of the cuvées took longer to finish their alcoholic fermentation, including the Corton-Charlemagne. I added a bit of tartaric to some of the Village Crus.”
2023 Savigny Lès Beaune La Dominode 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2026 - 2038

Tasting notes: The 2023 Savigny-lès-Beaune La Dominode 1er Cru has quite a bit of reduction on the nose in this tasting. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins and a crisp line of acidity, though the finish is a little linear and lacks a bit of grip and complexity.

Producer Commentary:
This Marsannay-based producer has been on a roll in recent vintages, something that has registered with cognoscenti. Bruno Clair ran the estate from 1985 and expanded its holdings in recent years, joined by his son Edouard in 2010, then his daughter, Margaux, and younger son, Arthur, in 2018. Edouard focused on the vineyard while Arthur worked primarily in the winery and Margaux was put in charge of exports and vineyard work.

It was Arthur who welcomed me to the Domaine, always an interesting person with whom to exchange views on the vintage and Burgundy as a whole.

“We started the picking on September 9,” he tells me. “On average, we used 50% whole bunch, except for the Savigny La Dominode that has 30%. Marsannay did not have as much rain in 2023, which is why it has comparatively lower yields to other appellations. For example, we might have 5 mm in Marsannay when there was 20 mm in Gevrey-Chambertin. So, in a good way, we are surprised by the concentration of those wines. Yields were around 25 hl/ha in Marsannay compared to 40-45 hl/ha elsewhere. The pH levels were quite high and so we were concerned that the wines might be unbalanced, though after barreling – and thanks to the influence of whole bunch – it has imparted freshness, and we are finding more balance during élevage. One or two of the cuvées took longer to finish their alcoholic fermentation, including the Corton-Charlemagne. I added a bit of tartaric to some of the Village Crus.”
2023 Marsannay Les Longeroies
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2026 - 2042

Tasting notes: The 2023 Marsannay Les Longeroies is one of the hidden gems of the range, very well defined with a mixture of vibrant red and black fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with crunchy red fruit—a real expression of Pinot Noir here, with a precise and persistent finish. Excellent.

Producer Commentary:
This Marsannay-based producer has been on a roll in recent vintages, something that has registered with cognoscenti. Bruno Clair ran the estate from 1985 and expanded its holdings in recent years, joined by his son Edouard in 2010, then his daughter, Margaux, and younger son, Arthur, in 2018. Edouard focused on the vineyard while Arthur worked primarily in the winery and Margaux was put in charge of exports and vineyard work.

It was Arthur who welcomed me to the Domaine, always an interesting person with whom to exchange views on the vintage and Burgundy as a whole.

“We started the picking on September 9,” he tells me. “On average, we used 50% whole bunch, except for the Savigny La Dominode that has 30%. Marsannay did not have as much rain in 2023, which is why it has comparatively lower yields to other appellations. For example, we might have 5 mm in Marsannay when there was 20 mm in Gevrey-Chambertin. So, in a good way, we are surprised by the concentration of those wines. Yields were around 25 hl/ha in Marsannay compared to 40-45 hl/ha elsewhere. The pH levels were quite high and so we were concerned that the wines might be unbalanced, though after barreling – and thanks to the influence of whole bunch – it has imparted freshness, and we are finding more balance during élevage. One or two of the cuvées took longer to finish their alcoholic fermentation, including the Corton-Charlemagne. I added a bit of tartaric to some of the Village Crus.”
2023 Marsannay Les Grasses Têtes
Color: Red

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2033

Tasting notes: The 2023 Marsannay Les Grasses Têtes has a slightly more opulent bouquet than other cuvées, though it's nicely controlled, with candied orange peel tincturing the blackcurrant pastille scents. The palate is medium-bodied with a little more oak on the entry, fine depth, smooth texture and a touch of brown spice on the finish. Drink over six to eight years.

Producer Commentary:
This Marsannay-based producer has been on a roll in recent vintages, something that has registered with cognoscenti. Bruno Clair ran the estate from 1985 and expanded its holdings in recent years, joined by his son Edouard in 2010, then his daughter, Margaux, and younger son, Arthur, in 2018. Edouard focused on the vineyard while Arthur worked primarily in the winery and Margaux was put in charge of exports and vineyard work.

It was Arthur who welcomed me to the Domaine, always an interesting person with whom to exchange views on the vintage and Burgundy as a whole.

“We started the picking on September 9,” he tells me. “On average, we used 50% whole bunch, except for the Savigny La Dominode that has 30%. Marsannay did not have as much rain in 2023, which is why it has comparatively lower yields to other appellations. For example, we might have 5 mm in Marsannay when there was 20 mm in Gevrey-Chambertin. So, in a good way, we are surprised by the concentration of those wines. Yields were around 25 hl/ha in Marsannay compared to 40-45 hl/ha elsewhere. The pH levels were quite high and so we were concerned that the wines might be unbalanced, though after barreling – and thanks to the influence of whole bunch – it has imparted freshness, and we are finding more balance during élevage. One or two of the cuvées took longer to finish their alcoholic fermentation, including the Corton-Charlemagne. I added a bit of tartaric to some of the Village Crus.”
2023 Marsannay La Charme Aux Prêtres
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2026 - 2036

Tasting notes: The 2023 Marsannay La Charme Aux Prêtres has a lively nose with black cherries, black olive and light veins of blue fruit. There is a sense of joie de vivre here. The palate is medium-bodied, crisp and lively, with crunchy tannins and a dash of pepperiness on the finish. This is worth seeking out.

Producer Commentary:
This Marsannay-based producer has been on a roll in recent vintages, something that has registered with cognoscenti. Bruno Clair ran the estate from 1985 and expanded its holdings in recent years, joined by his son Edouard in 2010, then his daughter, Margaux, and younger son, Arthur, in 2018. Edouard focused on the vineyard while Arthur worked primarily in the winery and Margaux was put in charge of exports and vineyard work.

It was Arthur who welcomed me to the Domaine, always an interesting person with whom to exchange views on the vintage and Burgundy as a whole.

“We started the picking on September 9,” he tells me. “On average, we used 50% whole bunch, except for the Savigny La Dominode that has 30%. Marsannay did not have as much rain in 2023, which is why it has comparatively lower yields to other appellations. For example, we might have 5 mm in Marsannay when there was 20 mm in Gevrey-Chambertin. So, in a good way, we are surprised by the concentration of those wines. Yields were around 25 hl/ha in Marsannay compared to 40-45 hl/ha elsewhere. The pH levels were quite high and so we were concerned that the wines might be unbalanced, though after barreling – and thanks to the influence of whole bunch – it has imparted freshness, and we are finding more balance during élevage. One or two of the cuvées took longer to finish their alcoholic fermentation, including the Corton-Charlemagne. I added a bit of tartaric to some of the Village Crus.”
2023 Gevrey Chambertin Village
Color: Red

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2026 - 2040

Tasting notes: The 2023 Gevrey-Chambertin Village will be the last vintage that includes fruit from Belair, as that was pulled up after the harvest. A touch of reduction is present on the nose here, although pleasant red fruit is coiled underneath. The palate is medium-bodied, fresh and saline, with gentle grip, fine tannins and an elegant, open finish. Fine.

Producer Commentary:
This Marsannay-based producer has been on a roll in recent vintages, something that has registered with cognoscenti. Bruno Clair ran the estate from 1985 and expanded its holdings in recent years, joined by his son Edouard in 2010, then his daughter, Margaux, and younger son, Arthur, in 2018. Edouard focused on the vineyard while Arthur worked primarily in the winery and Margaux was put in charge of exports and vineyard work.

It was Arthur who welcomed me to the Domaine, always an interesting person with whom to exchange views on the vintage and Burgundy as a whole.

“We started the picking on September 9,” he tells me. “On average, we used 50% whole bunch, except for the Savigny La Dominode that has 30%. Marsannay did not have as much rain in 2023, which is why it has comparatively lower yields to other appellations. For example, we might have 5 mm in Marsannay when there was 20 mm in Gevrey-Chambertin. So, in a good way, we are surprised by the concentration of those wines. Yields were around 25 hl/ha in Marsannay compared to 40-45 hl/ha elsewhere. The pH levels were quite high and so we were concerned that the wines might be unbalanced, though after barreling – and thanks to the influence of whole bunch – it has imparted freshness, and we are finding more balance during élevage. One or two of the cuvées took longer to finish their alcoholic fermentation, including the Corton-Charlemagne. I added a bit of tartaric to some of the Village Crus.”
2023 Gevrey Chambertin Petite Chapelle 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2027 - 2045

Tasting notes: The 2023 Gevrey-Chambertin Petite Chapelle 1er Cru has quite an intense mineralité on the nose that is an absolute joy. The oak is beautifully integrated. The palate is medium-bodied and high-toned with a sweet entry, slightly vanilla-like red fruit and a touch of black pepper toward the finish. This will require a bit of time to fully integrate, but it will be worth the wait.

Producer Commentary:
This Marsannay-based producer has been on a roll in recent vintages, something that has registered with cognoscenti. Bruno Clair ran the estate from 1985 and expanded its holdings in recent years, joined by his son Edouard in 2010, then his daughter, Margaux, and younger son, Arthur, in 2018. Edouard focused on the vineyard while Arthur worked primarily in the winery and Margaux was put in charge of exports and vineyard work.

It was Arthur who welcomed me to the Domaine, always an interesting person with whom to exchange views on the vintage and Burgundy as a whole.

“We started the picking on September 9,” he tells me. “On average, we used 50% whole bunch, except for the Savigny La Dominode that has 30%. Marsannay did not have as much rain in 2023, which is why it has comparatively lower yields to other appellations. For example, we might have 5 mm in Marsannay when there was 20 mm in Gevrey-Chambertin. So, in a good way, we are surprised by the concentration of those wines. Yields were around 25 hl/ha in Marsannay compared to 40-45 hl/ha elsewhere. The pH levels were quite high and so we were concerned that the wines might be unbalanced, though after barreling – and thanks to the influence of whole bunch – it has imparted freshness, and we are finding more balance during élevage. One or two of the cuvées took longer to finish their alcoholic fermentation, including the Corton-Charlemagne. I added a bit of tartaric to some of the Village Crus.”
2023 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Du Fonteny 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2027 - 2040

Tasting notes: The 2023 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos du Fonteny 1er Cru has around 50% whole bunch in the blend. Here, the stems are just a little more apparent, leaning more toward the vegetal side (in a good manner). The palate is medium-bodied and very linear, a little slender for a Premier Cru… Hopefully it will flesh out during the remainder of its time in barrel.

Producer Commentary:
This Marsannay-based producer has been on a roll in recent vintages, something that has registered with cognoscenti. Bruno Clair ran the estate from 1985 and expanded its holdings in recent years, joined by his son Edouard in 2010, then his daughter, Margaux, and younger son, Arthur, in 2018. Edouard focused on the vineyard while Arthur worked primarily in the winery and Margaux was put in charge of exports and vineyard work.

It was Arthur who welcomed me to the Domaine, always an interesting person with whom to exchange views on the vintage and Burgundy as a whole.

“We started the picking on September 9,” he tells me. “On average, we used 50% whole bunch, except for the Savigny La Dominode that has 30%. Marsannay did not have as much rain in 2023, which is why it has comparatively lower yields to other appellations. For example, we might have 5 mm in Marsannay when there was 20 mm in Gevrey-Chambertin. So, in a good way, we are surprised by the concentration of those wines. Yields were around 25 hl/ha in Marsannay compared to 40-45 hl/ha elsewhere. The pH levels were quite high and so we were concerned that the wines might be unbalanced, though after barreling – and thanks to the influence of whole bunch – it has imparted freshness, and we are finding more balance during élevage. One or two of the cuvées took longer to finish their alcoholic fermentation, including the Corton-Charlemagne. I added a bit of tartaric to some of the Village Crus.”
2023 Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 96.0

Drinking window: 2027 - 2055

Tasting notes: The 2023 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru has a well-defined bouquet with black cherries, wild strawberries and light loamy aromas coming through with aeration. It is maybe a little Musigny-like. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins and gentle grip, slightly peppery in style with a persistent, quite saline finish. Without a doubt, this is a fabulous Bonnes-Mares with great potential. It may very well land at the top of my banded score.

Producer Commentary:
This Marsannay-based producer has been on a roll in recent vintages, something that has registered with cognoscenti. Bruno Clair ran the estate from 1985 and expanded its holdings in recent years, joined by his son Edouard in 2010, then his daughter, Margaux, and younger son, Arthur, in 2018. Edouard focused on the vineyard while Arthur worked primarily in the winery and Margaux was put in charge of exports and vineyard work.

It was Arthur who welcomed me to the Domaine, always an interesting person with whom to exchange views on the vintage and Burgundy as a whole.

“We started the picking on September 9,” he tells me. “On average, we used 50% whole bunch, except for the Savigny La Dominode that has 30%. Marsannay did not have as much rain in 2023, which is why it has comparatively lower yields to other appellations. For example, we might have 5 mm in Marsannay when there was 20 mm in Gevrey-Chambertin. So, in a good way, we are surprised by the concentration of those wines. Yields were around 25 hl/ha in Marsannay compared to 40-45 hl/ha elsewhere. The pH levels were quite high and so we were concerned that the wines might be unbalanced, though after barreling – and thanks to the influence of whole bunch – it has imparted freshness, and we are finding more balance during élevage. One or two of the cuvées took longer to finish their alcoholic fermentation, including the Corton-Charlemagne. I added a bit of tartaric to some of the Village Crus.”
2023 Morey Saint Denis en La Rue Vergy Blanc
Color: White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2037

Tasting notes: The 2023 Morey Saint-Denis En la Rue Vergy Blanc has a very perfumed nose with lemon verbena, orange pith and light sea spray scents. The palate is well balanced with a honeyed entry counterbalanced by acidity. Touches of honeycomb and Satsuma build toward the finish, leaving hints of chai on the aftertaste. Excellent.

Producer Commentary:
This Marsannay-based producer has been on a roll in recent vintages, something that has registered with cognoscenti. Bruno Clair ran the estate from 1985 and expanded its holdings in recent years, joined by his son Edouard in 2010, then his daughter, Margaux, and younger son, Arthur, in 2018. Edouard focused on the vineyard while Arthur worked primarily in the winery and Margaux was put in charge of exports and vineyard work.

It was Arthur who welcomed me to the Domaine, always an interesting person with whom to exchange views on the vintage and Burgundy as a whole.

“We started the picking on September 9,” he tells me. “On average, we used 50% whole bunch, except for the Savigny La Dominode that has 30%. Marsannay did not have as much rain in 2023, which is why it has comparatively lower yields to other appellations. For example, we might have 5 mm in Marsannay when there was 20 mm in Gevrey-Chambertin. So, in a good way, we are surprised by the concentration of those wines. Yields were around 25 hl/ha in Marsannay compared to 40-45 hl/ha elsewhere. The pH levels were quite high and so we were concerned that the wines might be unbalanced, though after barreling – and thanks to the influence of whole bunch – it has imparted freshness, and we are finding more balance during élevage. One or two of the cuvées took longer to finish their alcoholic fermentation, including the Corton-Charlemagne. I added a bit of tartaric to some of the Village Crus.”
2023 Marsannay Village Blanc
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2024 - 2032

Tasting notes: The 2023 Marsannay Village Blanc has a lovely nose with touches of white fruit, freshly sliced pear and vanilla. The palate is well balanced with a little flintiness on the entry, fine acidity and hints of butterscotch and almond toward the finish. Fine.

Producer Commentary:
This Marsannay-based producer has been on a roll in recent vintages, something that has registered with cognoscenti. Bruno Clair ran the estate from 1985 and expanded its holdings in recent years, joined by his son Edouard in 2010, then his daughter, Margaux, and younger son, Arthur, in 2018. Edouard focused on the vineyard while Arthur worked primarily in the winery and Margaux was put in charge of exports and vineyard work.

It was Arthur who welcomed me to the Domaine, always an interesting person with whom to exchange views on the vintage and Burgundy as a whole.

“We started the picking on September 9,” he tells me. “On average, we used 50% whole bunch, except for the Savigny La Dominode that has 30%. Marsannay did not have as much rain in 2023, which is why it has comparatively lower yields to other appellations. For example, we might have 5 mm in Marsannay when there was 20 mm in Gevrey-Chambertin. So, in a good way, we are surprised by the concentration of those wines. Yields were around 25 hl/ha in Marsannay compared to 40-45 hl/ha elsewhere. The pH levels were quite high and so we were concerned that the wines might be unbalanced, though after barreling – and thanks to the influence of whole bunch – it has imparted freshness, and we are finding more balance during élevage. One or two of the cuvées took longer to finish their alcoholic fermentation, including the Corton-Charlemagne. I added a bit of tartaric to some of the Village Crus.”
2023 Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru
Color: White

Score: 95.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2045

Tasting notes: The 2023 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru has an enticing bouquet with lemon curd, fresh orange pith and candlewax scents that blossom with aeration. Boasting wonderful balance and composure on the palate, this fans out beautifully. I commented that it reminded me of the CC from DRC, not knowing that theirs is located just above Bruno Clair's. Superb.

Producer Commentary:
This Marsannay-based producer has been on a roll in recent vintages, something that has registered with cognoscenti. Bruno Clair ran the estate from 1985 and expanded its holdings in recent years, joined by his son Edouard in 2010, then his daughter, Margaux, and younger son, Arthur, in 2018. Edouard focused on the vineyard while Arthur worked primarily in the winery and Margaux was put in charge of exports and vineyard work.

It was Arthur who welcomed me to the Domaine, always an interesting person with whom to exchange views on the vintage and Burgundy as a whole.

“We started the picking on September 9,” he tells me. “On average, we used 50% whole bunch, except for the Savigny La Dominode that has 30%. Marsannay did not have as much rain in 2023, which is why it has comparatively lower yields to other appellations. For example, we might have 5 mm in Marsannay when there was 20 mm in Gevrey-Chambertin. So, in a good way, we are surprised by the concentration of those wines. Yields were around 25 hl/ha in Marsannay compared to 40-45 hl/ha elsewhere. The pH levels were quite high and so we were concerned that the wines might be unbalanced, though after barreling – and thanks to the influence of whole bunch – it has imparted freshness, and we are finding more balance during élevage. One or two of the cuvées took longer to finish their alcoholic fermentation, including the Corton-Charlemagne. I added a bit of tartaric to some of the Village Crus.”
2020 Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 96.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2060

Tasting notes: The 2020 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru has a little more new oak on the nose, though it is simpatico with the fruit: black cherries, boysenberry and violets. This gains complexity and nuance with aeration. It is absolutely seductive. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, powdery in texture, linear and with a sapid, quite Clos Saint-Denis-like finish. Très. Grand. Cru. Tasted blind at the Burgfest tasting. 

Producer Commentary:
2020 Gevrey Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2050

Tasting notes: The 2020 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru has an attractive bouquet. This is some clever use of whole bunches. Black pepper mixes with red berry fruit and briar. There's fine delineation, and it becomes more floral with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins. This is a structured Cazetiers, linear in style, conservative perhaps, but there is a class here, and I appreciate its aloofness. Maybe a little dry on the finish? It just needs to loosen its tie, but there's real class here. Tasted blind at the Burgfest tasting. 

Producer Commentary:
2020 Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2026 - 2040

Tasting notes: The 2020 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru has an attractive bouquet with white peach, wilted white flowers, and touches of jasmine and broom. It shows fine delineation and presence, gaining intensity in the glass. The palate is well-defined, with a twist of bitter lemon on the entry. It feels a bit "hemmed in" for a Corton-Charlemagne, and I am looking for a little more fatness on the mid-palate. Resolutely linear with a strict finish, I find quality here stacked in the aromatics rather than the palate. Tasted blind at the annual Burgfest tasting. 

Producer Commentary:
2014 Gevrey Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2030

Tasting notes: The 2014 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru has a well-defined bouquet with earthy red fruit and tobacco touches. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins and a little austere. Sour cherry and a touch of leanness appear on the finish. 

Producer Commentary:
2022 Marsannay Source Des Roches
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2024 - 2032

Tasting notes: The 2022 Marsannay Source des Roches has a light grapefruit and beeswax-scented bouquet that opens in the glass. The palate is well-balanced with a sapid entry, cohesive with fine weight and tension towards the pithy finish. It's well worth seeking out.

Producer Commentary:
Arthur Clair, who now runs the Domaine with brother Edouard, guided me through most of the Domaine’s range of wines. There are 32 cuvées across 27 hectares, so I didn’t have time to go through them all. Clair is an engaging winemaker with which to exchange views, thankfully one of the dwindling instances whereby the next generation seamlessly took over, with father Bruno and longtime cellar master Philippe Brun now retired.

“We didn’t have much problem with disease, but we did miss the water, which was a problem as our vines are located on well-draining soils. Those sites were advantageous in the past [when seasons were rainier.] They still offer fruit that has ripeness and concentration and the quality has increased. In Clos Saint-Jacques, we did not suffer too much soil erosion because we use cover crops. [By August], everything was ready to pick, but the phenolics and the taste were not there when we tasted the berries. We would have missed some aromas, and so we waited. My grandfather and great-grandfather planted massal selection using early ripening vines, and so despite delaying picking, we were still one of the first to pick in the Côte de Nuits. We started to pick around the 28 August with Côte de Beaune cuvées and also one parcel of Bonnes-Mares that ripens early. It was a classic vinification. We did a 12-day cuvaison with a lot of whole clusters [mainly 50% across all cuvées] with less pigeage, around seven or eight in total across all appellations. We didn’t want to ferment at more than 31° Celsius in order to avoid dark fruit. We will bottle our 2022s between March and June.”

Tasting the domaine’s wines over more than 20 years, I have seen a refinement over the last five or six years. There was once as much rusticity as charm. Nowadays, there’s a real delicacy, a fineness of touch, stylistically moving their wines towards Rousseau-like transparency and precision. There’s much to offer across the range away from magnets like their Clos Saint-Jacques and Bonnes-Mares, excellent as they are. Readers should check out their superb spread of single vineyard Marsannay cuvées or their overlooked range of whites. If not there already, this producer is fast becoming one of my favorites.
2022 Marsannay Blanc Les Longerois
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2035

Tasting notes: The 2022 Marsannay Blanc Les Longerois has an effervescent bouquet with quince and Japanese yuzu complementing the citrus fruit. The palate is well-balanced with fine acidity, grapefruit and lemon thyme towards the detailed, quite persistent finish. Another delicious white in the making from the Domaine.

Producer Commentary:
Arthur Clair, who now runs the Domaine with brother Edouard, guided me through most of the Domaine’s range of wines. There are 32 cuvées across 27 hectares, so I didn’t have time to go through them all. Clair is an engaging winemaker with which to exchange views, thankfully one of the dwindling instances whereby the next generation seamlessly took over, with father Bruno and longtime cellar master Philippe Brun now retired.

“We didn’t have much problem with disease, but we did miss the water, which was a problem as our vines are located on well-draining soils. Those sites were advantageous in the past [when seasons were rainier.] They still offer fruit that has ripeness and concentration and the quality has increased. In Clos Saint-Jacques, we did not suffer too much soil erosion because we use cover crops. [By August], everything was ready to pick, but the phenolics and the taste were not there when we tasted the berries. We would have missed some aromas, and so we waited. My grandfather and great-grandfather planted massal selection using early ripening vines, and so despite delaying picking, we were still one of the first to pick in the Côte de Nuits. We started to pick around the 28 August with Côte de Beaune cuvées and also one parcel of Bonnes-Mares that ripens early. It was a classic vinification. We did a 12-day cuvaison with a lot of whole clusters [mainly 50% across all cuvées] with less pigeage, around seven or eight in total across all appellations. We didn’t want to ferment at more than 31° Celsius in order to avoid dark fruit. We will bottle our 2022s between March and June.”

Tasting the domaine’s wines over more than 20 years, I have seen a refinement over the last five or six years. There was once as much rusticity as charm. Nowadays, there’s a real delicacy, a fineness of touch, stylistically moving their wines towards Rousseau-like transparency and precision. There’s much to offer across the range away from magnets like their Clos Saint-Jacques and Bonnes-Mares, excellent as they are. Readers should check out their superb spread of single vineyard Marsannay cuvées or their overlooked range of whites. If not there already, this producer is fast becoming one of my favorites.
2022 Marsannay Blanc Les Grasses Têtes
Color: White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2035

Tasting notes: The 2022 Marsannay Blanc Les Grasses Têtes has a slightly reductive but mineral-led bouquet that lends a fine edge and focus. The palate is very well-balanced with a slightly creamy, vanilla pod-tinged opening. It offers hints of hazelnut and caramel towards the poised and long finish - very complex and mercurial. Excellent.

Producer Commentary:
Arthur Clair, who now runs the Domaine with brother Edouard, guided me through most of the Domaine’s range of wines. There are 32 cuvées across 27 hectares, so I didn’t have time to go through them all. Clair is an engaging winemaker with which to exchange views, thankfully one of the dwindling instances whereby the next generation seamlessly took over, with father Bruno and longtime cellar master Philippe Brun now retired.

“We didn’t have much problem with disease, but we did miss the water, which was a problem as our vines are located on well-draining soils. Those sites were advantageous in the past [when seasons were rainier.] They still offer fruit that has ripeness and concentration and the quality has increased. In Clos Saint-Jacques, we did not suffer too much soil erosion because we use cover crops. [By August], everything was ready to pick, but the phenolics and the taste were not there when we tasted the berries. We would have missed some aromas, and so we waited. My grandfather and great-grandfather planted massal selection using early ripening vines, and so despite delaying picking, we were still one of the first to pick in the Côte de Nuits. We started to pick around the 28 August with Côte de Beaune cuvées and also one parcel of Bonnes-Mares that ripens early. It was a classic vinification. We did a 12-day cuvaison with a lot of whole clusters [mainly 50% across all cuvées] with less pigeage, around seven or eight in total across all appellations. We didn’t want to ferment at more than 31° Celsius in order to avoid dark fruit. We will bottle our 2022s between March and June.”

Tasting the domaine’s wines over more than 20 years, I have seen a refinement over the last five or six years. There was once as much rusticity as charm. Nowadays, there’s a real delicacy, a fineness of touch, stylistically moving their wines towards Rousseau-like transparency and precision. There’s much to offer across the range away from magnets like their Clos Saint-Jacques and Bonnes-Mares, excellent as they are. Readers should check out their superb spread of single vineyard Marsannay cuvées or their overlooked range of whites. If not there already, this producer is fast becoming one of my favorites.
2022 Morey Saint Denis Blanc en La Rue Vergy
Color: White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2037

Tasting notes: The 2022 Morey Saint-Denis Blanc En la Rue Vergy has a slightly petrol-y and Germanic bouquet that opens beautifully in the glass. Quite intense. The medium-bodied palate has a generous entry, quite spicy and phenolic, finishing with a dash of lemon thyme and lemongrass. Another superb white from the Domaine.

Producer Commentary:
Arthur Clair, who now runs the Domaine with brother Edouard, guided me through most of the Domaine’s range of wines. There are 32 cuvées across 27 hectares, so I didn’t have time to go through them all. Clair is an engaging winemaker with which to exchange views, thankfully one of the dwindling instances whereby the next generation seamlessly took over, with father Bruno and longtime cellar master Philippe Brun now retired.

“We didn’t have much problem with disease, but we did miss the water, which was a problem as our vines are located on well-draining soils. Those sites were advantageous in the past [when seasons were rainier.] They still offer fruit that has ripeness and concentration and the quality has increased. In Clos Saint-Jacques, we did not suffer too much soil erosion because we use cover crops. [By August], everything was ready to pick, but the phenolics and the taste were not there when we tasted the berries. We would have missed some aromas, and so we waited. My grandfather and great-grandfather planted massal selection using early ripening vines, and so despite delaying picking, we were still one of the first to pick in the Côte de Nuits. We started to pick around the 28 August with Côte de Beaune cuvées and also one parcel of Bonnes-Mares that ripens early. It was a classic vinification. We did a 12-day cuvaison with a lot of whole clusters [mainly 50% across all cuvées] with less pigeage, around seven or eight in total across all appellations. We didn’t want to ferment at more than 31° Celsius in order to avoid dark fruit. We will bottle our 2022s between March and June.”

Tasting the domaine’s wines over more than 20 years, I have seen a refinement over the last five or six years. There was once as much rusticity as charm. Nowadays, there’s a real delicacy, a fineness of touch, stylistically moving their wines towards Rousseau-like transparency and precision. There’s much to offer across the range away from magnets like their Clos Saint-Jacques and Bonnes-Mares, excellent as they are. Readers should check out their superb spread of single vineyard Marsannay cuvées or their overlooked range of whites. If not there already, this producer is fast becoming one of my favorites.
2022 Pernand Vergelesses Blanc
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2024 - 2032

Tasting notes: The 2022 Pernand-Vergelesses Blanc has a generous nose with rose water, dried honey scents, and a touch of white tea. The well-balanced palate has a fine bead of acidity, with lime cordial and orange peel, slightly pithy on the finish. Lovely.

Producer Commentary:
Arthur Clair, who now runs the Domaine with brother Edouard, guided me through most of the Domaine’s range of wines. There are 32 cuvées across 27 hectares, so I didn’t have time to go through them all. Clair is an engaging winemaker with which to exchange views, thankfully one of the dwindling instances whereby the next generation seamlessly took over, with father Bruno and longtime cellar master Philippe Brun now retired.

“We didn’t have much problem with disease, but we did miss the water, which was a problem as our vines are located on well-draining soils. Those sites were advantageous in the past [when seasons were rainier.] They still offer fruit that has ripeness and concentration and the quality has increased. In Clos Saint-Jacques, we did not suffer too much soil erosion because we use cover crops. [By August], everything was ready to pick, but the phenolics and the taste were not there when we tasted the berries. We would have missed some aromas, and so we waited. My grandfather and great-grandfather planted massal selection using early ripening vines, and so despite delaying picking, we were still one of the first to pick in the Côte de Nuits. We started to pick around the 28 August with Côte de Beaune cuvées and also one parcel of Bonnes-Mares that ripens early. It was a classic vinification. We did a 12-day cuvaison with a lot of whole clusters [mainly 50% across all cuvées] with less pigeage, around seven or eight in total across all appellations. We didn’t want to ferment at more than 31° Celsius in order to avoid dark fruit. We will bottle our 2022s between March and June.”

Tasting the domaine’s wines over more than 20 years, I have seen a refinement over the last five or six years. There was once as much rusticity as charm. Nowadays, there’s a real delicacy, a fineness of touch, stylistically moving their wines towards Rousseau-like transparency and precision. There’s much to offer across the range away from magnets like their Clos Saint-Jacques and Bonnes-Mares, excellent as they are. Readers should check out their superb spread of single vineyard Marsannay cuvées or their overlooked range of whites. If not there already, this producer is fast becoming one of my favorites.
2022 Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru
Color: White

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2026 - 2042

Tasting notes: The 2022 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru has a very delineated, focused bouquet, well controlled with citrus fruit, lemon verbena, and light orange pith scents. The palate is poised, quite intense and certainly has superb tension. There are Golden Delicious and light marzipan notes on the persistent finish, completing a very promising Corton Charlemagne.

Producer Commentary:
Arthur Clair, who now runs the Domaine with brother Edouard, guided me through most of the Domaine’s range of wines. There are 32 cuvées across 27 hectares, so I didn’t have time to go through them all. Clair is an engaging winemaker with which to exchange views, thankfully one of the dwindling instances whereby the next generation seamlessly took over, with father Bruno and longtime cellar master Philippe Brun now retired.

“We didn’t have much problem with disease, but we did miss the water, which was a problem as our vines are located on well-draining soils. Those sites were advantageous in the past [when seasons were rainier.] They still offer fruit that has ripeness and concentration and the quality has increased. In Clos Saint-Jacques, we did not suffer too much soil erosion because we use cover crops. [By August], everything was ready to pick, but the phenolics and the taste were not there when we tasted the berries. We would have missed some aromas, and so we waited. My grandfather and great-grandfather planted massal selection using early ripening vines, and so despite delaying picking, we were still one of the first to pick in the Côte de Nuits. We started to pick around the 28 August with Côte de Beaune cuvées and also one parcel of Bonnes-Mares that ripens early. It was a classic vinification. We did a 12-day cuvaison with a lot of whole clusters [mainly 50% across all cuvées] with less pigeage, around seven or eight in total across all appellations. We didn’t want to ferment at more than 31° Celsius in order to avoid dark fruit. We will bottle our 2022s between March and June.”

Tasting the domaine’s wines over more than 20 years, I have seen a refinement over the last five or six years. There was once as much rusticity as charm. Nowadays, there’s a real delicacy, a fineness of touch, stylistically moving their wines towards Rousseau-like transparency and precision. There’s much to offer across the range away from magnets like their Clos Saint-Jacques and Bonnes-Mares, excellent as they are. Readers should check out their superb spread of single vineyard Marsannay cuvées or their overlooked range of whites. If not there already, this producer is fast becoming one of my favorites.
2022 Marsannay Les Grasses Têtes
Color: Red

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2033

Tasting notes: The 2022 Marsannay Les Grasses Têtes has one of the more mineral/rocky bouquets engendering a Marsannay with great transparency. The medium-bodied palate is taut and linear with a crisp entry. It is quite an uncompromising wine with a slightly tapered, austere finish. I suspect it will fill out during the remaining élevage.

Producer Commentary:
Arthur Clair, who now runs the Domaine with brother Edouard, guided me through most of the Domaine’s range of wines. There are 32 cuvées across 27 hectares, so I didn’t have time to go through them all. Clair is an engaging winemaker with which to exchange views, thankfully one of the dwindling instances whereby the next generation seamlessly took over, with father Bruno and longtime cellar master Philippe Brun now retired.

“We didn’t have much problem with disease, but we did miss the water, which was a problem as our vines are located on well-draining soils. Those sites were advantageous in the past [when seasons were rainier.] They still offer fruit that has ripeness and concentration and the quality has increased. In Clos Saint-Jacques, we did not suffer too much soil erosion because we use cover crops. [By August], everything was ready to pick, but the phenolics and the taste were not there when we tasted the berries. We would have missed some aromas, and so we waited. My grandfather and great-grandfather planted massal selection using early ripening vines, and so despite delaying picking, we were still one of the first to pick in the Côte de Nuits. We started to pick around the 28 August with Côte de Beaune cuvées and also one parcel of Bonnes-Mares that ripens early. It was a classic vinification. We did a 12-day cuvaison with a lot of whole clusters [mainly 50% across all cuvées] with less pigeage, around seven or eight in total across all appellations. We didn’t want to ferment at more than 31° Celsius in order to avoid dark fruit. We will bottle our 2022s between March and June.”

Tasting the domaine’s wines over more than 20 years, I have seen a refinement over the last five or six years. There was once as much rusticity as charm. Nowadays, there’s a real delicacy, a fineness of touch, stylistically moving their wines towards Rousseau-like transparency and precision. There’s much to offer across the range away from magnets like their Clos Saint-Jacques and Bonnes-Mares, excellent as they are. Readers should check out their superb spread of single vineyard Marsannay cuvées or their overlooked range of whites. If not there already, this producer is fast becoming one of my favorites.
2022 Marsannay Les Longeroies
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2038

Tasting notes: The 2022 Marsannay Les Longeroies has some of my favorite aromatics amongst the Domaine's Marsannay: ebullient dark cherry fruit mixed with violet and light loamy aromas. The palate has more depth and concentration, a touch of cola infusing the black fruit with insistent grip on the finish. Great focus and energy here.

Producer Commentary:
Arthur Clair, who now runs the Domaine with brother Edouard, guided me through most of the Domaine’s range of wines. There are 32 cuvées across 27 hectares, so I didn’t have time to go through them all. Clair is an engaging winemaker with which to exchange views, thankfully one of the dwindling instances whereby the next generation seamlessly took over, with father Bruno and longtime cellar master Philippe Brun now retired.

“We didn’t have much problem with disease, but we did miss the water, which was a problem as our vines are located on well-draining soils. Those sites were advantageous in the past [when seasons were rainier.] They still offer fruit that has ripeness and concentration and the quality has increased. In Clos Saint-Jacques, we did not suffer too much soil erosion because we use cover crops. [By August], everything was ready to pick, but the phenolics and the taste were not there when we tasted the berries. We would have missed some aromas, and so we waited. My grandfather and great-grandfather planted massal selection using early ripening vines, and so despite delaying picking, we were still one of the first to pick in the Côte de Nuits. We started to pick around the 28 August with Côte de Beaune cuvées and also one parcel of Bonnes-Mares that ripens early. It was a classic vinification. We did a 12-day cuvaison with a lot of whole clusters [mainly 50% across all cuvées] with less pigeage, around seven or eight in total across all appellations. We didn’t want to ferment at more than 31° Celsius in order to avoid dark fruit. We will bottle our 2022s between March and June.”

Tasting the domaine’s wines over more than 20 years, I have seen a refinement over the last five or six years. There was once as much rusticity as charm. Nowadays, there’s a real delicacy, a fineness of touch, stylistically moving their wines towards Rousseau-like transparency and precision. There’s much to offer across the range away from magnets like their Clos Saint-Jacques and Bonnes-Mares, excellent as they are. Readers should check out their superb spread of single vineyard Marsannay cuvées or their overlooked range of whites. If not there already, this producer is fast becoming one of my favorites.
2022 Marsannay Les Vaudenelles
Color: Red

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2032

Tasting notes: The 2022 Marsannay Les Vaudenelles has a well-defined, quite perfumed bouquet, with wilted rose petals percolating through the red cherry and strawberry fruit. The medium-bodied palate is light-bodied and fresh, if a little simple. Fine tension on the finish.

Producer Commentary:
Arthur Clair, who now runs the Domaine with brother Edouard, guided me through most of the Domaine’s range of wines. There are 32 cuvées across 27 hectares, so I didn’t have time to go through them all. Clair is an engaging winemaker with which to exchange views, thankfully one of the dwindling instances whereby the next generation seamlessly took over, with father Bruno and longtime cellar master Philippe Brun now retired.

“We didn’t have much problem with disease, but we did miss the water, which was a problem as our vines are located on well-draining soils. Those sites were advantageous in the past [when seasons were rainier.] They still offer fruit that has ripeness and concentration and the quality has increased. In Clos Saint-Jacques, we did not suffer too much soil erosion because we use cover crops. [By August], everything was ready to pick, but the phenolics and the taste were not there when we tasted the berries. We would have missed some aromas, and so we waited. My grandfather and great-grandfather planted massal selection using early ripening vines, and so despite delaying picking, we were still one of the first to pick in the Côte de Nuits. We started to pick around the 28 August with Côte de Beaune cuvées and also one parcel of Bonnes-Mares that ripens early. It was a classic vinification. We did a 12-day cuvaison with a lot of whole clusters [mainly 50% across all cuvées] with less pigeage, around seven or eight in total across all appellations. We didn’t want to ferment at more than 31° Celsius in order to avoid dark fruit. We will bottle our 2022s between March and June.”

Tasting the domaine’s wines over more than 20 years, I have seen a refinement over the last five or six years. There was once as much rusticity as charm. Nowadays, there’s a real delicacy, a fineness of touch, stylistically moving their wines towards Rousseau-like transparency and precision. There’s much to offer across the range away from magnets like their Clos Saint-Jacques and Bonnes-Mares, excellent as they are. Readers should check out their superb spread of single vineyard Marsannay cuvées or their overlooked range of whites. If not there already, this producer is fast becoming one of my favorites.
2022 Marsannay La Charme Aux Prêtres
Color: Red

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2034

Tasting notes: The 2022 Marsannay La Charme Aux Prêtres has a well-defined bouquet offering bright red cherry and wild strawberry fruit with a real spring in its step. The palate is medium-bodied with finely chiseled tannins. It is quite linear in style with a cohesive, tensile, almost steely finish. Minimalist Marsannay done extremely well!

Producer Commentary:
Arthur Clair, who now runs the Domaine with brother Edouard, guided me through most of the Domaine’s range of wines. There are 32 cuvées across 27 hectares, so I didn’t have time to go through them all. Clair is an engaging winemaker with which to exchange views, thankfully one of the dwindling instances whereby the next generation seamlessly took over, with father Bruno and longtime cellar master Philippe Brun now retired.

“We didn’t have much problem with disease, but we did miss the water, which was a problem as our vines are located on well-draining soils. Those sites were advantageous in the past [when seasons were rainier.] They still offer fruit that has ripeness and concentration and the quality has increased. In Clos Saint-Jacques, we did not suffer too much soil erosion because we use cover crops. [By August], everything was ready to pick, but the phenolics and the taste were not there when we tasted the berries. We would have missed some aromas, and so we waited. My grandfather and great-grandfather planted massal selection using early ripening vines, and so despite delaying picking, we were still one of the first to pick in the Côte de Nuits. We started to pick around the 28 August with Côte de Beaune cuvées and also one parcel of Bonnes-Mares that ripens early. It was a classic vinification. We did a 12-day cuvaison with a lot of whole clusters [mainly 50% across all cuvées] with less pigeage, around seven or eight in total across all appellations. We didn’t want to ferment at more than 31° Celsius in order to avoid dark fruit. We will bottle our 2022s between March and June.”

Tasting the domaine’s wines over more than 20 years, I have seen a refinement over the last five or six years. There was once as much rusticity as charm. Nowadays, there’s a real delicacy, a fineness of touch, stylistically moving their wines towards Rousseau-like transparency and precision. There’s much to offer across the range away from magnets like their Clos Saint-Jacques and Bonnes-Mares, excellent as they are. Readers should check out their superb spread of single vineyard Marsannay cuvées or their overlooked range of whites. If not there already, this producer is fast becoming one of my favorites.
2022 Morey Saint Denis en La Rue Vergy
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2036

Tasting notes: The 2022 Morey Saint-Denis En la Rue Vergy has a generous bouquet with black plum and iodine scents, finely delineated. The palate is medium-bodied with impressive purity of fruit, fine tannins and a sapid finish beckoning you back for more. What a delicious Morey this is going to be.

Producer Commentary:
Arthur Clair, who now runs the Domaine with brother Edouard, guided me through most of the Domaine’s range of wines. There are 32 cuvées across 27 hectares, so I didn’t have time to go through them all. Clair is an engaging winemaker with which to exchange views, thankfully one of the dwindling instances whereby the next generation seamlessly took over, with father Bruno and longtime cellar master Philippe Brun now retired.

“We didn’t have much problem with disease, but we did miss the water, which was a problem as our vines are located on well-draining soils. Those sites were advantageous in the past [when seasons were rainier.] They still offer fruit that has ripeness and concentration and the quality has increased. In Clos Saint-Jacques, we did not suffer too much soil erosion because we use cover crops. [By August], everything was ready to pick, but the phenolics and the taste were not there when we tasted the berries. We would have missed some aromas, and so we waited. My grandfather and great-grandfather planted massal selection using early ripening vines, and so despite delaying picking, we were still one of the first to pick in the Côte de Nuits. We started to pick around the 28 August with Côte de Beaune cuvées and also one parcel of Bonnes-Mares that ripens early. It was a classic vinification. We did a 12-day cuvaison with a lot of whole clusters [mainly 50% across all cuvées] with less pigeage, around seven or eight in total across all appellations. We didn’t want to ferment at more than 31° Celsius in order to avoid dark fruit. We will bottle our 2022s between March and June.”

Tasting the domaine’s wines over more than 20 years, I have seen a refinement over the last five or six years. There was once as much rusticity as charm. Nowadays, there’s a real delicacy, a fineness of touch, stylistically moving their wines towards Rousseau-like transparency and precision. There’s much to offer across the range away from magnets like their Clos Saint-Jacques and Bonnes-Mares, excellent as they are. Readers should check out their superb spread of single vineyard Marsannay cuvées or their overlooked range of whites. If not there already, this producer is fast becoming one of my favorites.
2022 Vosne Romanée Les Champs Perdrix
Color: Red

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2026 - 2040

Tasting notes: The 2022 Vosne-Romanée Le Champ Perdrix showed some reduction on the nose, but there seems to be ample, quite floral fruit in situ. The fresh, vibrant palate offers dark cherries mixed with citrus fruit. It is focused and tensile with an energetic finish and a touch of sour cherry on the aftertaste. Very fine.

Producer Commentary:
Arthur Clair, who now runs the Domaine with brother Edouard, guided me through most of the Domaine’s range of wines. There are 32 cuvées across 27 hectares, so I didn’t have time to go through them all. Clair is an engaging winemaker with which to exchange views, thankfully one of the dwindling instances whereby the next generation seamlessly took over, with father Bruno and longtime cellar master Philippe Brun now retired.

“We didn’t have much problem with disease, but we did miss the water, which was a problem as our vines are located on well-draining soils. Those sites were advantageous in the past [when seasons were rainier.] They still offer fruit that has ripeness and concentration and the quality has increased. In Clos Saint-Jacques, we did not suffer too much soil erosion because we use cover crops. [By August], everything was ready to pick, but the phenolics and the taste were not there when we tasted the berries. We would have missed some aromas, and so we waited. My grandfather and great-grandfather planted massal selection using early ripening vines, and so despite delaying picking, we were still one of the first to pick in the Côte de Nuits. We started to pick around the 28 August with Côte de Beaune cuvées and also one parcel of Bonnes-Mares that ripens early. It was a classic vinification. We did a 12-day cuvaison with a lot of whole clusters [mainly 50% across all cuvées] with less pigeage, around seven or eight in total across all appellations. We didn’t want to ferment at more than 31° Celsius in order to avoid dark fruit. We will bottle our 2022s between March and June.”

Tasting the domaine’s wines over more than 20 years, I have seen a refinement over the last five or six years. There was once as much rusticity as charm. Nowadays, there’s a real delicacy, a fineness of touch, stylistically moving their wines towards Rousseau-like transparency and precision. There’s much to offer across the range away from magnets like their Clos Saint-Jacques and Bonnes-Mares, excellent as they are. Readers should check out their superb spread of single vineyard Marsannay cuvées or their overlooked range of whites. If not there already, this producer is fast becoming one of my favorites.
2022 Savigny Lès Beaune Les Jarrons 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2038

Tasting notes: The 2022 Savigny-lès-Beaune Les Jarrons 1er Cru is a little riper on the nose than the La Dominode, though perhaps doesn't deliver the same degree of complexity. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, black plum, cranberry, and graphite notes on the cohesive finish. Superb.

Producer Commentary:
Arthur Clair, who now runs the Domaine with brother Edouard, guided me through most of the Domaine’s range of wines. There are 32 cuvées across 27 hectares, so I didn’t have time to go through them all. Clair is an engaging winemaker with which to exchange views, thankfully one of the dwindling instances whereby the next generation seamlessly took over, with father Bruno and longtime cellar master Philippe Brun now retired.

“We didn’t have much problem with disease, but we did miss the water, which was a problem as our vines are located on well-draining soils. Those sites were advantageous in the past [when seasons were rainier.] They still offer fruit that has ripeness and concentration and the quality has increased. In Clos Saint-Jacques, we did not suffer too much soil erosion because we use cover crops. [By August], everything was ready to pick, but the phenolics and the taste were not there when we tasted the berries. We would have missed some aromas, and so we waited. My grandfather and great-grandfather planted massal selection using early ripening vines, and so despite delaying picking, we were still one of the first to pick in the Côte de Nuits. We started to pick around the 28 August with Côte de Beaune cuvées and also one parcel of Bonnes-Mares that ripens early. It was a classic vinification. We did a 12-day cuvaison with a lot of whole clusters [mainly 50% across all cuvées] with less pigeage, around seven or eight in total across all appellations. We didn’t want to ferment at more than 31° Celsius in order to avoid dark fruit. We will bottle our 2022s between March and June.”

Tasting the domaine’s wines over more than 20 years, I have seen a refinement over the last five or six years. There was once as much rusticity as charm. Nowadays, there’s a real delicacy, a fineness of touch, stylistically moving their wines towards Rousseau-like transparency and precision. There’s much to offer across the range away from magnets like their Clos Saint-Jacques and Bonnes-Mares, excellent as they are. Readers should check out their superb spread of single vineyard Marsannay cuvées or their overlooked range of whites. If not there already, this producer is fast becoming one of my favorites.
2022 Savigny Lès Beaune La Dominode 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2040

Tasting notes: The 2022 Savigny-lès-Beaune La Dominode 1er Cru was taken directly from demi-muids, though it is raised in regular barrels, too. The nose has wonderful delineation and purity: redcurrant and wild strawberry fruit, elegant and poised with judicious oak use. The palate is medium-bodied with fine structure and grip. The 20% whole bunches is less than others due to the natural pH, a wise decision as the finish maintains tension. A gem.

Producer Commentary:
Arthur Clair, who now runs the Domaine with brother Edouard, guided me through most of the Domaine’s range of wines. There are 32 cuvées across 27 hectares, so I didn’t have time to go through them all. Clair is an engaging winemaker with which to exchange views, thankfully one of the dwindling instances whereby the next generation seamlessly took over, with father Bruno and longtime cellar master Philippe Brun now retired.

“We didn’t have much problem with disease, but we did miss the water, which was a problem as our vines are located on well-draining soils. Those sites were advantageous in the past [when seasons were rainier.] They still offer fruit that has ripeness and concentration and the quality has increased. In Clos Saint-Jacques, we did not suffer too much soil erosion because we use cover crops. [By August], everything was ready to pick, but the phenolics and the taste were not there when we tasted the berries. We would have missed some aromas, and so we waited. My grandfather and great-grandfather planted massal selection using early ripening vines, and so despite delaying picking, we were still one of the first to pick in the Côte de Nuits. We started to pick around the 28 August with Côte de Beaune cuvées and also one parcel of Bonnes-Mares that ripens early. It was a classic vinification. We did a 12-day cuvaison with a lot of whole clusters [mainly 50% across all cuvées] with less pigeage, around seven or eight in total across all appellations. We didn’t want to ferment at more than 31° Celsius in order to avoid dark fruit. We will bottle our 2022s between March and June.”

Tasting the domaine’s wines over more than 20 years, I have seen a refinement over the last five or six years. There was once as much rusticity as charm. Nowadays, there’s a real delicacy, a fineness of touch, stylistically moving their wines towards Rousseau-like transparency and precision. There’s much to offer across the range away from magnets like their Clos Saint-Jacques and Bonnes-Mares, excellent as they are. Readers should check out their superb spread of single vineyard Marsannay cuvées or their overlooked range of whites. If not there already, this producer is fast becoming one of my favorites.
2022 Chambolles Musigny Les Veroilles
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2038

Tasting notes: The 2022 Chambolles-Musigny Les Veroilles has a very slight reduction as the gestating wine moves into its second winter in barrel (it will be racked soon). The open, fresh palate offers dark berry fruit with light sous-bois scents, fresh and saline with a poised, quite linear finish. Well-crafted and classic in style.

Producer Commentary:
Arthur Clair, who now runs the Domaine with brother Edouard, guided me through most of the Domaine’s range of wines. There are 32 cuvées across 27 hectares, so I didn’t have time to go through them all. Clair is an engaging winemaker with which to exchange views, thankfully one of the dwindling instances whereby the next generation seamlessly took over, with father Bruno and longtime cellar master Philippe Brun now retired.

“We didn’t have much problem with disease, but we did miss the water, which was a problem as our vines are located on well-draining soils. Those sites were advantageous in the past [when seasons were rainier.] They still offer fruit that has ripeness and concentration and the quality has increased. In Clos Saint-Jacques, we did not suffer too much soil erosion because we use cover crops. [By August], everything was ready to pick, but the phenolics and the taste were not there when we tasted the berries. We would have missed some aromas, and so we waited. My grandfather and great-grandfather planted massal selection using early ripening vines, and so despite delaying picking, we were still one of the first to pick in the Côte de Nuits. We started to pick around the 28 August with Côte de Beaune cuvées and also one parcel of Bonnes-Mares that ripens early. It was a classic vinification. We did a 12-day cuvaison with a lot of whole clusters [mainly 50% across all cuvées] with less pigeage, around seven or eight in total across all appellations. We didn’t want to ferment at more than 31° Celsius in order to avoid dark fruit. We will bottle our 2022s between March and June.”

Tasting the domaine’s wines over more than 20 years, I have seen a refinement over the last five or six years. There was once as much rusticity as charm. Nowadays, there’s a real delicacy, a fineness of touch, stylistically moving their wines towards Rousseau-like transparency and precision. There’s much to offer across the range away from magnets like their Clos Saint-Jacques and Bonnes-Mares, excellent as they are. Readers should check out their superb spread of single vineyard Marsannay cuvées or their overlooked range of whites. If not there already, this producer is fast becoming one of my favorites.
2022 Chambolle Musigny Les Charmes 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2026 - 2042

Tasting notes: The 2022 Chambolle-Musigny Les Charmes 1er Cru has a very impressive bouquet with delineated black cherries and wild strawberry fruit, with lovely mineralité tucked underneath. The medium-bodied palate has filigree tannins. It is very elegant and approachable (apparently, it has always been generous). It finishes supple and pliant - this will be difficult to resist young.

Producer Commentary:
Arthur Clair, who now runs the Domaine with brother Edouard, guided me through most of the Domaine’s range of wines. There are 32 cuvées across 27 hectares, so I didn’t have time to go through them all. Clair is an engaging winemaker with which to exchange views, thankfully one of the dwindling instances whereby the next generation seamlessly took over, with father Bruno and longtime cellar master Philippe Brun now retired.

“We didn’t have much problem with disease, but we did miss the water, which was a problem as our vines are located on well-draining soils. Those sites were advantageous in the past [when seasons were rainier.] They still offer fruit that has ripeness and concentration and the quality has increased. In Clos Saint-Jacques, we did not suffer too much soil erosion because we use cover crops. [By August], everything was ready to pick, but the phenolics and the taste were not there when we tasted the berries. We would have missed some aromas, and so we waited. My grandfather and great-grandfather planted massal selection using early ripening vines, and so despite delaying picking, we were still one of the first to pick in the Côte de Nuits. We started to pick around the 28 August with Côte de Beaune cuvées and also one parcel of Bonnes-Mares that ripens early. It was a classic vinification. We did a 12-day cuvaison with a lot of whole clusters [mainly 50% across all cuvées] with less pigeage, around seven or eight in total across all appellations. We didn’t want to ferment at more than 31° Celsius in order to avoid dark fruit. We will bottle our 2022s between March and June.”

Tasting the domaine’s wines over more than 20 years, I have seen a refinement over the last five or six years. There was once as much rusticity as charm. Nowadays, there’s a real delicacy, a fineness of touch, stylistically moving their wines towards Rousseau-like transparency and precision. There’s much to offer across the range away from magnets like their Clos Saint-Jacques and Bonnes-Mares, excellent as they are. Readers should check out their superb spread of single vineyard Marsannay cuvées or their overlooked range of whites. If not there already, this producer is fast becoming one of my favorites.
2022 Gevrey Chambertin Village
Color: Red

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2026 - 2040

Tasting notes: The 2022 Gevrey-Chambertin Village contains a little Premier Cru fruit. It has an appealing bouquet with joyful crushed strawberry and raspberry fruit and a little oak to be subsumed still. The palate is medium-bodied and quite broad-shouldered for a Village Cru, yet well-balanced with an attractive peppery finish. Very fine.

Producer Commentary:
Arthur Clair, who now runs the Domaine with brother Edouard, guided me through most of the Domaine’s range of wines. There are 32 cuvées across 27 hectares, so I didn’t have time to go through them all. Clair is an engaging winemaker with which to exchange views, thankfully one of the dwindling instances whereby the next generation seamlessly took over, with father Bruno and longtime cellar master Philippe Brun now retired.

“We didn’t have much problem with disease, but we did miss the water, which was a problem as our vines are located on well-draining soils. Those sites were advantageous in the past [when seasons were rainier.] They still offer fruit that has ripeness and concentration and the quality has increased. In Clos Saint-Jacques, we did not suffer too much soil erosion because we use cover crops. [By August], everything was ready to pick, but the phenolics and the taste were not there when we tasted the berries. We would have missed some aromas, and so we waited. My grandfather and great-grandfather planted massal selection using early ripening vines, and so despite delaying picking, we were still one of the first to pick in the Côte de Nuits. We started to pick around the 28 August with Côte de Beaune cuvées and also one parcel of Bonnes-Mares that ripens early. It was a classic vinification. We did a 12-day cuvaison with a lot of whole clusters [mainly 50% across all cuvées] with less pigeage, around seven or eight in total across all appellations. We didn’t want to ferment at more than 31° Celsius in order to avoid dark fruit. We will bottle our 2022s between March and June.”

Tasting the domaine’s wines over more than 20 years, I have seen a refinement over the last five or six years. There was once as much rusticity as charm. Nowadays, there’s a real delicacy, a fineness of touch, stylistically moving their wines towards Rousseau-like transparency and precision. There’s much to offer across the range away from magnets like their Clos Saint-Jacques and Bonnes-Mares, excellent as they are. Readers should check out their superb spread of single vineyard Marsannay cuvées or their overlooked range of whites. If not there already, this producer is fast becoming one of my favorites.
2022 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 95.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2055

Tasting notes: The 2022 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques 1er Cru has a pixelated bouquet that blossoms in the glass. The terroir’s nobility really floods through here: animated red fruit and crushed stone, hints of white flower and freshly tilled earth. The taut, linear palate is quite strict; it’s a serious Clos Saint-Jacques with a long, saline finish. The palate is not giving much away at the moment—it’s all on the nose, but I have confidence in it.

Producer Commentary:
Arthur Clair, who now runs the Domaine with brother Edouard, guided me through most of the Domaine’s range of wines. There are 32 cuvées across 27 hectares, so I didn’t have time to go through them all. Clair is an engaging winemaker with which to exchange views, thankfully one of the dwindling instances whereby the next generation seamlessly took over, with father Bruno and longtime cellar master Philippe Brun now retired.

“We didn’t have much problem with disease, but we did miss the water, which was a problem as our vines are located on well-draining soils. Those sites were advantageous in the past [when seasons were rainier.] They still offer fruit that has ripeness and concentration and the quality has increased. In Clos Saint-Jacques, we did not suffer too much soil erosion because we use cover crops. [By August], everything was ready to pick, but the phenolics and the taste were not there when we tasted the berries. We would have missed some aromas, and so we waited. My grandfather and great-grandfather planted massal selection using early ripening vines, and so despite delaying picking, we were still one of the first to pick in the Côte de Nuits. We started to pick around the 28 August with Côte de Beaune cuvées and also one parcel of Bonnes-Mares that ripens early. It was a classic vinification. We did a 12-day cuvaison with a lot of whole clusters [mainly 50% across all cuvées] with less pigeage, around seven or eight in total across all appellations. We didn’t want to ferment at more than 31° Celsius in order to avoid dark fruit. We will bottle our 2022s between March and June.”

Tasting the domaine’s wines over more than 20 years, I have seen a refinement over the last five or six years. There was once as much rusticity as charm. Nowadays, there’s a real delicacy, a fineness of touch, stylistically moving their wines towards Rousseau-like transparency and precision. There’s much to offer across the range away from magnets like their Clos Saint-Jacques and Bonnes-Mares, excellent as they are. Readers should check out their superb spread of single vineyard Marsannay cuvées or their overlooked range of whites. If not there already, this producer is fast becoming one of my favorites.
2022 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Du Fonteny 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2027 - 2045

Tasting notes: The 2022 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos du Fonteny 1er Cru has red and black fruit on the nose, with hints of dried violet petals and sous-bois percolating through with time in the glass. The palate is quite closed at the moment, but the energy and balance are clear to see. The rather grippy finish suggests it will age well in bottle. It's very promising, but patience is needed.

Producer Commentary:
Arthur Clair, who now runs the Domaine with brother Edouard, guided me through most of the Domaine’s range of wines. There are 32 cuvées across 27 hectares, so I didn’t have time to go through them all. Clair is an engaging winemaker with which to exchange views, thankfully one of the dwindling instances whereby the next generation seamlessly took over, with father Bruno and longtime cellar master Philippe Brun now retired.

“We didn’t have much problem with disease, but we did miss the water, which was a problem as our vines are located on well-draining soils. Those sites were advantageous in the past [when seasons were rainier.] They still offer fruit that has ripeness and concentration and the quality has increased. In Clos Saint-Jacques, we did not suffer too much soil erosion because we use cover crops. [By August], everything was ready to pick, but the phenolics and the taste were not there when we tasted the berries. We would have missed some aromas, and so we waited. My grandfather and great-grandfather planted massal selection using early ripening vines, and so despite delaying picking, we were still one of the first to pick in the Côte de Nuits. We started to pick around the 28 August with Côte de Beaune cuvées and also one parcel of Bonnes-Mares that ripens early. It was a classic vinification. We did a 12-day cuvaison with a lot of whole clusters [mainly 50% across all cuvées] with less pigeage, around seven or eight in total across all appellations. We didn’t want to ferment at more than 31° Celsius in order to avoid dark fruit. We will bottle our 2022s between March and June.”

Tasting the domaine’s wines over more than 20 years, I have seen a refinement over the last five or six years. There was once as much rusticity as charm. Nowadays, there’s a real delicacy, a fineness of touch, stylistically moving their wines towards Rousseau-like transparency and precision. There’s much to offer across the range away from magnets like their Clos Saint-Jacques and Bonnes-Mares, excellent as they are. Readers should check out their superb spread of single vineyard Marsannay cuvées or their overlooked range of whites. If not there already, this producer is fast becoming one of my favorites.
2022 Gevrey Chambertin Petite Chapelle 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2027 - 2045

Tasting notes: The 2022 Gevrey-Chambertin Petite Chapelle 1er Cru is very backward and just a bit of a grump-bag on the nose. The palate is medium-bodied with good concentration, yet tight and a little stoic at the moment. It will definitely come good, but it will require some time.

Producer Commentary:
Arthur Clair, who now runs the Domaine with brother Edouard, guided me through most of the Domaine’s range of wines. There are 32 cuvées across 27 hectares, so I didn’t have time to go through them all. Clair is an engaging winemaker with which to exchange views, thankfully one of the dwindling instances whereby the next generation seamlessly took over, with father Bruno and longtime cellar master Philippe Brun now retired.

“We didn’t have much problem with disease, but we did miss the water, which was a problem as our vines are located on well-draining soils. Those sites were advantageous in the past [when seasons were rainier.] They still offer fruit that has ripeness and concentration and the quality has increased. In Clos Saint-Jacques, we did not suffer too much soil erosion because we use cover crops. [By August], everything was ready to pick, but the phenolics and the taste were not there when we tasted the berries. We would have missed some aromas, and so we waited. My grandfather and great-grandfather planted massal selection using early ripening vines, and so despite delaying picking, we were still one of the first to pick in the Côte de Nuits. We started to pick around the 28 August with Côte de Beaune cuvées and also one parcel of Bonnes-Mares that ripens early. It was a classic vinification. We did a 12-day cuvaison with a lot of whole clusters [mainly 50% across all cuvées] with less pigeage, around seven or eight in total across all appellations. We didn’t want to ferment at more than 31° Celsius in order to avoid dark fruit. We will bottle our 2022s between March and June.”

Tasting the domaine’s wines over more than 20 years, I have seen a refinement over the last five or six years. There was once as much rusticity as charm. Nowadays, there’s a real delicacy, a fineness of touch, stylistically moving their wines towards Rousseau-like transparency and precision. There’s much to offer across the range away from magnets like their Clos Saint-Jacques and Bonnes-Mares, excellent as they are. Readers should check out their superb spread of single vineyard Marsannay cuvées or their overlooked range of whites. If not there already, this producer is fast becoming one of my favorites.
2022 Gevrey Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2027 - 2050

Tasting notes: The 2022 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru has a compelling bouquet with mineral-rich, transparent red fruit articulating its terroir with style. The palate is medium-bodied with deep red berry fruit, crushed stone and sous-bois. It is energetic and very tensile, with a peacock's tail on the finish. This outstanding Cazetiers will age beautifully in bottle.

Producer Commentary:
Arthur Clair, who now runs the Domaine with brother Edouard, guided me through most of the Domaine’s range of wines. There are 32 cuvées across 27 hectares, so I didn’t have time to go through them all. Clair is an engaging winemaker with which to exchange views, thankfully one of the dwindling instances whereby the next generation seamlessly took over, with father Bruno and longtime cellar master Philippe Brun now retired.

“We didn’t have much problem with disease, but we did miss the water, which was a problem as our vines are located on well-draining soils. Those sites were advantageous in the past [when seasons were rainier.] They still offer fruit that has ripeness and concentration and the quality has increased. In Clos Saint-Jacques, we did not suffer too much soil erosion because we use cover crops. [By August], everything was ready to pick, but the phenolics and the taste were not there when we tasted the berries. We would have missed some aromas, and so we waited. My grandfather and great-grandfather planted massal selection using early ripening vines, and so despite delaying picking, we were still one of the first to pick in the Côte de Nuits. We started to pick around the 28 August with Côte de Beaune cuvées and also one parcel of Bonnes-Mares that ripens early. It was a classic vinification. We did a 12-day cuvaison with a lot of whole clusters [mainly 50% across all cuvées] with less pigeage, around seven or eight in total across all appellations. We didn’t want to ferment at more than 31° Celsius in order to avoid dark fruit. We will bottle our 2022s between March and June.”

Tasting the domaine’s wines over more than 20 years, I have seen a refinement over the last five or six years. There was once as much rusticity as charm. Nowadays, there’s a real delicacy, a fineness of touch, stylistically moving their wines towards Rousseau-like transparency and precision. There’s much to offer across the range away from magnets like their Clos Saint-Jacques and Bonnes-Mares, excellent as they are. Readers should check out their superb spread of single vineyard Marsannay cuvées or their overlooked range of whites. If not there already, this producer is fast becoming one of my favorites.
2022 Chambertin Clos De Bèze Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 97.0

Drinking window: 2030 - 2060

Tasting notes: The 2022 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru has a slightly deeper and more powerful bouquet than the Clos Saint-Jacques. Exquisite definition and focus—there are more oyster shell scents here. The medium-bodied palate has finely chiseled tannins, a little chalky in texture, building wonderfully to a saline, persistent finish that exudes real breeding. A noble wine in the making.

Producer Commentary:
Arthur Clair, who now runs the Domaine with brother Edouard, guided me through most of the Domaine’s range of wines. There are 32 cuvées across 27 hectares, so I didn’t have time to go through them all. Clair is an engaging winemaker with which to exchange views, thankfully one of the dwindling instances whereby the next generation seamlessly took over, with father Bruno and longtime cellar master Philippe Brun now retired.

“We didn’t have much problem with disease, but we did miss the water, which was a problem as our vines are located on well-draining soils. Those sites were advantageous in the past [when seasons were rainier.] They still offer fruit that has ripeness and concentration and the quality has increased. In Clos Saint-Jacques, we did not suffer too much soil erosion because we use cover crops. [By August], everything was ready to pick, but the phenolics and the taste were not there when we tasted the berries. We would have missed some aromas, and so we waited. My grandfather and great-grandfather planted massal selection using early ripening vines, and so despite delaying picking, we were still one of the first to pick in the Côte de Nuits. We started to pick around the 28 August with Côte de Beaune cuvées and also one parcel of Bonnes-Mares that ripens early. It was a classic vinification. We did a 12-day cuvaison with a lot of whole clusters [mainly 50% across all cuvées] with less pigeage, around seven or eight in total across all appellations. We didn’t want to ferment at more than 31° Celsius in order to avoid dark fruit. We will bottle our 2022s between March and June.”

Tasting the domaine’s wines over more than 20 years, I have seen a refinement over the last five or six years. There was once as much rusticity as charm. Nowadays, there’s a real delicacy, a fineness of touch, stylistically moving their wines towards Rousseau-like transparency and precision. There’s much to offer across the range away from magnets like their Clos Saint-Jacques and Bonnes-Mares, excellent as they are. Readers should check out their superb spread of single vineyard Marsannay cuvées or their overlooked range of whites. If not there already, this producer is fast becoming one of my favorites.
2022 Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 97.0

Drinking window: 2027 - 2055

Tasting notes: The 2022 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru has a delightful, charming bouquet with a mixture of blackberry and blueberry fruit, pressed violets and iris flowers, and wonderful mineralité. The medium-bodied palate has grainy tannins. It’s very saline in the mouth, with a hint of licorice in the background. Very elegant and stylish, this lovely Bonnes-Mares has a long future ahead. Sublime.

Producer Commentary:
Arthur Clair, who now runs the Domaine with brother Edouard, guided me through most of the Domaine’s range of wines. There are 32 cuvées across 27 hectares, so I didn’t have time to go through them all. Clair is an engaging winemaker with which to exchange views, thankfully one of the dwindling instances whereby the next generation seamlessly took over, with father Bruno and longtime cellar master Philippe Brun now retired.

“We didn’t have much problem with disease, but we did miss the water, which was a problem as our vines are located on well-draining soils. Those sites were advantageous in the past [when seasons were rainier.] They still offer fruit that has ripeness and concentration and the quality has increased. In Clos Saint-Jacques, we did not suffer too much soil erosion because we use cover crops. [By August], everything was ready to pick, but the phenolics and the taste were not there when we tasted the berries. We would have missed some aromas, and so we waited. My grandfather and great-grandfather planted massal selection using early ripening vines, and so despite delaying picking, we were still one of the first to pick in the Côte de Nuits. We started to pick around the 28 August with Côte de Beaune cuvées and also one parcel of Bonnes-Mares that ripens early. It was a classic vinification. We did a 12-day cuvaison with a lot of whole clusters [mainly 50% across all cuvées] with less pigeage, around seven or eight in total across all appellations. We didn’t want to ferment at more than 31° Celsius in order to avoid dark fruit. We will bottle our 2022s between March and June.”

Tasting the domaine’s wines over more than 20 years, I have seen a refinement over the last five or six years. There was once as much rusticity as charm. Nowadays, there’s a real delicacy, a fineness of touch, stylistically moving their wines towards Rousseau-like transparency and precision. There’s much to offer across the range away from magnets like their Clos Saint-Jacques and Bonnes-Mares, excellent as they are. Readers should check out their superb spread of single vineyard Marsannay cuvées or their overlooked range of whites. If not there already, this producer is fast becoming one of my favorites.
2019 Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2027 - 2045

Tasting notes: The 2019 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru has a very cohesive nose of raspberry, wild strawberry and veins of blueberry fruit, opening gradually in the glass to reveal top notes of pressed violet. The oak is present but integrated —simpatico with the fruit. The palate is medium-bodied, with fine tannins that frame concentrated, slightly confit-like red fruit, liberally sprinkled with white pepper. With an assertive, structured finish that is just a little drier than I would have liked, this should be afforded this 3-5 years in a cool dank cellar. Tasted blind at the Burgfest tasting. 

Producer Commentary:
2019 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2045

Tasting notes: Showing a notable concentration of red and black fruit but with more prominent oak, at least at the moment, the 2019 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques 1er Cru is perhaps the most low-key of the quintet. The palate is medium-bodied, round and plush, with light mineral notes toward a finish that doesn't quite have the panache or complexity of the best examples from the Premier Cru. Nonetheless, this is commendable, and there is a lovely tanginess on the aftertaste. Tasted blind at the Burgfest tasting.

Producer Commentary:
2019 Gevrey Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2027 - 2043

Tasting notes: The 2019 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru has a lot of reduction on the nose, and the wood is far less integrated than the others in the flight. It certainly doesn't hold a torch to Rousseau's Cazetiers. The palate is medium-bodied, with a firm structure, good backbone and commendable sapidity. It is a bit backward and doesn't have the complexity of its peers toward the finish. Again, there is a touch of reduction. It may well find its groove with continued aeration, but I will be prudent with my score for now. Tasted blind at the Burgfest tasting.

Producer Commentary:
2019 Chambertin Clos De Bèze Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 96.0

Drinking window: 2030 - 2065

Tasting notes: The 2019 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru has immense fruit concentration on the nose, displaying ample dark plum and wild strawberry, earthenware and sous-bois aromas. This is complex and engaging, yet at the same time, unapologetically backward. The palate is medium-bodied, with a dash of black pepper on the entry. This is an intense, all-guns-a-blazing Clos-de-Bèze and it pulls it off with some style, though it does become more refined with time in the glass. How much time are you prepared to wait for your wine to reach its peak? This is seriously long-term. Tasted blind at the Burgfest tasting. 

Producer Commentary:
2013 Morey Saint Denis en La Rue Vergy
Color: Red

Score: 86.0

Drinking window: 2022 - 2025

Tasting notes: The 2013 Morey Saint-Denis En la Rue Vergy offers brambly red fruit, wet clay and loamy aromas, more evolved than the Les Longeroies by direct comparison. The palate is a little softer on the entry, with slightly earthy red fruit and more pronounced secondary notes on the finish that attenuate a bit sharply. Drink soon. 

Producer Commentary:
2013 Marsannay Les Longeroies
Color: Red

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 2022 - 2032

Tasting notes: The 2013 Marsannay Les Longeroies has quite a powerful nose oddly reminiscent of a light Médoc! The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, firm but fresh with a touch of hardness on the finish. It loosens up nicely in the glass, though it remains a couple of steps behind this vintage's Gevrey Fonteny.

Producer Commentary:
2013 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Du Fonteny 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2022 - 2032

Tasting notes: The 2013 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos du Fonteny 1er Cru has a well-defined bouquet with red cherries and raspberry notes intermingling with forest floor and a faint touch of aniseed. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly firm tannins, rendering this a more structured Gevrey with a tertiary tobacco-tinged finish. Ready to drink now. Decanting may improve this, but the Domaine has produced much better than this in the last ten years.

Producer Commentary:
2013 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 95.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2045

Tasting notes: The 2013 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques 1er Cru is just superb. Fabulous nose, very mineral-driven and delineated with perhaps more complexity than the Fourrier CSJ tasted in tandem. The palate is defined by its caressing tannins, which are very pure and has a symmetry that makes it feel weightless. Yet paradoxically, there is real weight to this Clos Saint-Jacques, and there is a wonderful peacock's tail on the finish. At its peak but will continue to flourish. Tasted at the Southwold Burgundy dinner at Hatched restaurant. 

Producer Commentary:
2021 Savigny Lès Beaune La Dominode 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2037

Tasting notes: The 2021 Savigny-lès-Beaune La Dominode 1er Cru has a vivacious, rather minty bouquet that leaps from the glass. Not complex, yet vigorous. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, more density than the Les Jarrons with just a hint of charcuterie on the finish. Good potential.

Producer Commentary:
This is the first year that Edouard, son of Bruno Clair, is on hand to guide me through a selection of the 2021s. Rapid expansion in the eighties and nineties means that over 30 cuvées are now produced. Edouard tells me that he began working at the Marsannay-based winery in 2017. “We lost 50% red and 60% white production,” Clair tells me, a young vigneron with just the right amount of confidence without being brash. “But it was bad on the slopes as we had a lot of compact bunches due to the old vines. We picked from 20 September to 1 October. We did more pigeage than in 2020 but less in my father’s time. We want the wine to be a little more drinkable and approachable. We did one daily pigeage over five days. The whites were completely devastated and yielded 9-10hL/ha.”
2021 Morey Saint Denis en La Rue Vergy Blanc
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2029

Tasting notes: The 2021 Morey Saint-Denis En la Rue Vergy Blanc has a perfumed nose with pear and light green apple scents, well-defined though not complex. The palate is well balanced with lime cordial, peach skin and light spicy notes, hints of orange pith towards the finish. Lovely. 

Producer Commentary:
This is the first year that Edouard, son of Bruno Clair, is on hand to guide me through a selection of the 2021s. Rapid expansion in the eighties and nineties means that over 30 cuvées are now produced. Edouard tells me that he began working at the Marsannay-based winery in 2017. “We lost 50% red and 60% white production,” Clair tells me, a young vigneron with just the right amount of confidence without being brash. “But it was bad on the slopes as we had a lot of compact bunches due to the old vines. We picked from 20 September to 1 October. We did more pigeage than in 2020 but less in my father’s time. We want the wine to be a little more drinkable and approachable. We did one daily pigeage over five days. The whites were completely devastated and yielded 9-10hL/ha.”
2021 Morey Saint Denis en La Rue Vergy
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2034

Tasting notes: The 2021 Morey Saint-Denis En la Rue Vergy, which has slightly less whole bunches (20%), has a light red cherry and crushed strawberry scented bouquet. The palate is well balanced, quite pretty with fine mineralité towards the finish, delicate but not fragile. Will be irresistible for the next 6-9 years. 

Producer Commentary:
This is the first year that Edouard, son of Bruno Clair, is on hand to guide me through a selection of the 2021s. Rapid expansion in the eighties and nineties means that over 30 cuvées are now produced. Edouard tells me that he began working at the Marsannay-based winery in 2017. “We lost 50% red and 60% white production,” Clair tells me, a young vigneron with just the right amount of confidence without being brash. “But it was bad on the slopes as we had a lot of compact bunches due to the old vines. We picked from 20 September to 1 October. We did more pigeage than in 2020 but less in my father’s time. We want the wine to be a little more drinkable and approachable. We did one daily pigeage over five days. The whites were completely devastated and yielded 9-10hL/ha.”
2021 Marsannay La Charme Aux Prêtres
Color: Red

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 2024 - 2029

Tasting notes: The 2021 Marsannay Charme Aux Prêtres showed quite a reductive nose, though the palate is well balanced, quite peppery in style with a sorbet-fresh yet light finish. 

Producer Commentary:
This is the first year that Edouard, son of Bruno Clair, is on hand to guide me through a selection of the 2021s. Rapid expansion in the eighties and nineties means that over 30 cuvées are now produced. Edouard tells me that he began working at the Marsannay-based winery in 2017. “We lost 50% red and 60% white production,” Clair tells me, a young vigneron with just the right amount of confidence without being brash. “But it was bad on the slopes as we had a lot of compact bunches due to the old vines. We picked from 20 September to 1 October. We did more pigeage than in 2020 but less in my father’s time. We want the wine to be a little more drinkable and approachable. We did one daily pigeage over five days. The whites were completely devastated and yielded 9-10hL/ha.”
2021 Marsannay Les Vaudenelles
Color: Red

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2024 - 2032

Tasting notes: The 2021 Marsannay Les Vaudenelles has a fragrant bouquet with rose petal tinged red fruit - fine delineation and focus. The palate is sappy on the entry, pliant tannins with an appealing pure, lilting finish. 

Producer Commentary:
This is the first year that Edouard, son of Bruno Clair, is on hand to guide me through a selection of the 2021s. Rapid expansion in the eighties and nineties means that over 30 cuvées are now produced. Edouard tells me that he began working at the Marsannay-based winery in 2017. “We lost 50% red and 60% white production,” Clair tells me, a young vigneron with just the right amount of confidence without being brash. “But it was bad on the slopes as we had a lot of compact bunches due to the old vines. We picked from 20 September to 1 October. We did more pigeage than in 2020 but less in my father’s time. We want the wine to be a little more drinkable and approachable. We did one daily pigeage over five days. The whites were completely devastated and yielded 9-10hL/ha.”
2021 Marsannay Les Longeroies
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2024 - 2036

Tasting notes: The 2021 Marsannay Les Longeroies, which underwent a late malo, has a very well defined bouquet with brambly red fruit and light tertiary scents. The palate is beautifully defined with wonderful tension, saline and refined with tart red fruit on the finish. Superb. 

Producer Commentary:
This is the first year that Edouard, son of Bruno Clair, is on hand to guide me through a selection of the 2021s. Rapid expansion in the eighties and nineties means that over 30 cuvées are now produced. Edouard tells me that he began working at the Marsannay-based winery in 2017. “We lost 50% red and 60% white production,” Clair tells me, a young vigneron with just the right amount of confidence without being brash. “But it was bad on the slopes as we had a lot of compact bunches due to the old vines. We picked from 20 September to 1 October. We did more pigeage than in 2020 but less in my father’s time. We want the wine to be a little more drinkable and approachable. We did one daily pigeage over five days. The whites were completely devastated and yielded 9-10hL/ha.”
2021 Marsannay Les Grasses Têtes
Color: Red

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2024 - 2029

Tasting notes: The 2021 Marsannay Les Grasses Têtes has the most powerful bouquet amongst Clair's Marsannays, though the Longeroies has more mineralité and complexity. The palate is medium-bodied with a slightly candied entry - desiccated orange peel mixed with allspice, the finish just a little disjointed at the moment. 

Producer Commentary:
This is the first year that Edouard, son of Bruno Clair, is on hand to guide me through a selection of the 2021s. Rapid expansion in the eighties and nineties means that over 30 cuvées are now produced. Edouard tells me that he began working at the Marsannay-based winery in 2017. “We lost 50% red and 60% white production,” Clair tells me, a young vigneron with just the right amount of confidence without being brash. “But it was bad on the slopes as we had a lot of compact bunches due to the old vines. We picked from 20 September to 1 October. We did more pigeage than in 2020 but less in my father’s time. We want the wine to be a little more drinkable and approachable. We did one daily pigeage over five days. The whites were completely devastated and yielded 9-10hL/ha.”
2021 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Du Fonteny 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2024 - 2036

Tasting notes: The 2021 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos du Fonteny 1er Cru has a fresh, vibrant and mineral-driven bouquet, touches of incense emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, lots of finesse here, just a touch lactic towards the finish but it's smooth and harmonious. I see this as being quite approachable compared to other vintages.

Producer Commentary:
This is the first year that Edouard, son of Bruno Clair, is on hand to guide me through a selection of the 2021s. Rapid expansion in the eighties and nineties means that over 30 cuvées are now produced. Edouard tells me that he began working at the Marsannay-based winery in 2017. “We lost 50% red and 60% white production,” Clair tells me, a young vigneron with just the right amount of confidence without being brash. “But it was bad on the slopes as we had a lot of compact bunches due to the old vines. We picked from 20 September to 1 October. We did more pigeage than in 2020 but less in my father’s time. We want the wine to be a little more drinkable and approachable. We did one daily pigeage over five days. The whites were completely devastated and yielded 9-10hL/ha.”
2021 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2026 - 2045

Tasting notes: The 2021 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques 1er Cru has a tight-fisted and recalcitrant bouquet, quite tertiary, white pepper notes emanate from the 40% whole bunches. The palate is medium-bodied with chiselled tannins, fresh and tensile with wild strawberry, marmalade and crushed stone notes on the finish. Bon vin.

Producer Commentary:
This is the first year that Edouard, son of Bruno Clair, is on hand to guide me through a selection of the 2021s. Rapid expansion in the eighties and nineties means that over 30 cuvées are now produced. Edouard tells me that he began working at the Marsannay-based winery in 2017. “We lost 50% red and 60% white production,” Clair tells me, a young vigneron with just the right amount of confidence without being brash. “But it was bad on the slopes as we had a lot of compact bunches due to the old vines. We picked from 20 September to 1 October. We did more pigeage than in 2020 but less in my father’s time. We want the wine to be a little more drinkable and approachable. We did one daily pigeage over five days. The whites were completely devastated and yielded 9-10hL/ha.”
2021 Chambolles Musigny Les Veroilles
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2038

Tasting notes: The 2021 Chambolles-Musigny Les Veroilles, cropped at just 9hL/ha, has a very focused, mineral-driven bouquet, dark berry fruit mixed with subtle forest floor aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-boned tannins, delicate but full of flavour, hints of orange pith and light spicy notes towards the persistent finish. Very fine. 

Producer Commentary:
This is the first year that Edouard, son of Bruno Clair, is on hand to guide me through a selection of the 2021s. Rapid expansion in the eighties and nineties means that over 30 cuvées are now produced. Edouard tells me that he began working at the Marsannay-based winery in 2017. “We lost 50% red and 60% white production,” Clair tells me, a young vigneron with just the right amount of confidence without being brash. “But it was bad on the slopes as we had a lot of compact bunches due to the old vines. We picked from 20 September to 1 October. We did more pigeage than in 2020 but less in my father’s time. We want the wine to be a little more drinkable and approachable. We did one daily pigeage over five days. The whites were completely devastated and yielded 9-10hL/ha.”
2021 Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 95.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2045

Tasting notes: The 2021 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru has a fragrant nose, a mixture of red and blue fruit, well-defined and focused. The palate is well balanced with fine tannins, layers of red and black fruit, a little reduction from the lees at the moment that will protect the freshness and allow them to add less SO2. Very persistent on the finish. Excellent. 

Producer Commentary:
This is the first year that Edouard, son of Bruno Clair, is on hand to guide me through a selection of the 2021s. Rapid expansion in the eighties and nineties means that over 30 cuvées are now produced. Edouard tells me that he began working at the Marsannay-based winery in 2017. “We lost 50% red and 60% white production,” Clair tells me, a young vigneron with just the right amount of confidence without being brash. “But it was bad on the slopes as we had a lot of compact bunches due to the old vines. We picked from 20 September to 1 October. We did more pigeage than in 2020 but less in my father’s time. We want the wine to be a little more drinkable and approachable. We did one daily pigeage over five days. The whites were completely devastated and yielded 9-10hL/ha.”
2021 Savigny Lès Beaune Les Jarrons 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2024 - 2034

Tasting notes: The 2021 Savigny-lès-Beaune Les Jarrons 1er Cru has a perfumed bouquet with red fruit, iodine and violet scents. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy tannins, quite solid with firm backbone with a structured, peppery finish. Fine. 

Producer Commentary:
This is the first year that Edouard, son of Bruno Clair, is on hand to guide me through a selection of the 2021s. Rapid expansion in the eighties and nineties means that over 30 cuvées are now produced. Edouard tells me that he began working at the Marsannay-based winery in 2017. “We lost 50% red and 60% white production,” Clair tells me, a young vigneron with just the right amount of confidence without being brash. “But it was bad on the slopes as we had a lot of compact bunches due to the old vines. We picked from 20 September to 1 October. We did more pigeage than in 2020 but less in my father’s time. We want the wine to be a little more drinkable and approachable. We did one daily pigeage over five days. The whites were completely devastated and yielded 9-10hL/ha.”
2021 Marsannay Source Des Roches
Color: White

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2029

Tasting notes: The 2021 Marsannay Source des Roches has a straightforward rosewater and honeysuckle scented bouquet, open and generous, though not complex. The palate is well balanced with grapefruit and quince, fine acidity with a straightforward, open, tropical tinged finish. 

Producer Commentary:
This is the first year that Edouard, son of Bruno Clair, is on hand to guide me through a selection of the 2021s. Rapid expansion in the eighties and nineties means that over 30 cuvées are now produced. Edouard tells me that he began working at the Marsannay-based winery in 2017. “We lost 50% red and 60% white production,” Clair tells me, a young vigneron with just the right amount of confidence without being brash. “But it was bad on the slopes as we had a lot of compact bunches due to the old vines. We picked from 20 September to 1 October. We did more pigeage than in 2020 but less in my father’s time. We want the wine to be a little more drinkable and approachable. We did one daily pigeage over five days. The whites were completely devastated and yielded 9-10hL/ha.”
2021 Gevrey Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2026 - 2038

Tasting notes: The 2021 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru is a tiny production due to degeneration in the vineyard for the 161-49 clone. It has a very precise bouquet that gently unfolds in the glass, with wonderful mineralité. The palate is tensile from the start, candied orange peel infusing the red fruit, just a touch of hardness on the finish at the moment suggesting that it will need 3-5 years in bottle. Classy. 

Producer Commentary:
This is the first year that Edouard, son of Bruno Clair, is on hand to guide me through a selection of the 2021s. Rapid expansion in the eighties and nineties means that over 30 cuvées are now produced. Edouard tells me that he began working at the Marsannay-based winery in 2017. “We lost 50% red and 60% white production,” Clair tells me, a young vigneron with just the right amount of confidence without being brash. “But it was bad on the slopes as we had a lot of compact bunches due to the old vines. We picked from 20 September to 1 October. We did more pigeage than in 2020 but less in my father’s time. We want the wine to be a little more drinkable and approachable. We did one daily pigeage over five days. The whites were completely devastated and yielded 9-10hL/ha.”
2021 Chambolle Musigny Les Charmes 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2038

Tasting notes: The 2021 Chambolle-Musigny Les Charmes 1er Cru has a more intense nose than the Les Veroilles, but maybe without the same nuance and finesse. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, quite strict and linear, just needing a touch more matière on the finish. Fine overall. 

Producer Commentary:
This is the first year that Edouard, son of Bruno Clair, is on hand to guide me through a selection of the 2021s. Rapid expansion in the eighties and nineties means that over 30 cuvées are now produced. Edouard tells me that he began working at the Marsannay-based winery in 2017. “We lost 50% red and 60% white production,” Clair tells me, a young vigneron with just the right amount of confidence without being brash. “But it was bad on the slopes as we had a lot of compact bunches due to the old vines. We picked from 20 September to 1 October. We did more pigeage than in 2020 but less in my father’s time. We want the wine to be a little more drinkable and approachable. We did one daily pigeage over five days. The whites were completely devastated and yielded 9-10hL/ha.”
2018 Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2024 - 2040

Tasting notes: The 2018 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru displays dark berry fruit, loam and light iris flower scents on the nose, quite strict at first and only gradually unfurling in the glass, holding something back. There is just a touch of reduction. The palate is medium-bodied and quite chalky, with grainy tannins. Very fresh, which is impressive considering the warm summer. My quibble is with some coarse tannins, mainly wood tannins, which dry out the finish. It will be interesting to see how this matures in bottle. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2018 red tasting.

Producer Commentary:
2018 Chambertin Clos De Bèze Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 96.0

Drinking window: 2028 - 2060

Tasting notes: The 2018 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru is very cohesive and pure on the nose with dark cherries, raspberry tart and crushed flowers. Hints of Earl Grey emerge with time in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins. Wonderfully-integrated new oak, quite harmonious with an noticeable peppery finish that is long and tender, but becomes just a little drier with air. Give it at least a couple of years in bottle. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2018 red tasting. 

Producer Commentary:
2018 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 95.0

Drinking window: 2026 - 2048

Tasting notes: The 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques 1er Cru has a well-defined bouquet. Dark cherries mingle with iodine and light pressed flower aromas, just a touch of graphite underneath. This will need time to knit together. The palate is medium-bodied with a concentrated opening, layers of black cherry and bilberry fruit with a fair lacquer of new oak. Fine balance, a pinch of cracked black pepper and thyme emerge towards the finish. This has a long aftertaste but it will clearly need time. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2018 red tasting. 

Producer Commentary:
2018 Gevrey Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2042

Tasting notes: The 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru is lacking amplitude and vigour on the nose. Slightly blurred red fruit, kirsch and marmalade scents (possible with a faint TCA?) The palate is medium-bodied with chewy tannins, lots of sinew here. The oak is quite toasty and rather obscuring the terroir expression on the finish. More winemaking than terroir at the moment. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2018 red tasting. 

Producer Commentary:
1990 Morey Saint Denis en La Rue De Vergy
Color: Red

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 2022 - 2026

Tasting notes: Finally, the 1990 Morey-Saint-Denis En La Rue de Vergy from Domaine Bruno Clair offers ripe black cherries, raisin and cherry liqueur on the nose, perhaps reflecting the growing season more than the terroir. The palate is sweet and viscous, almost Rhône-like with sage and truffle notes towards its plush, yet uncomplicated finish that is almost a bit flabby. Drink bottles soon. 

Producer Commentary:
I first heard about The Sportsman not long after it opened from a local friend, and it had only taken a couple of decades to visit. Thankfully, it did not disappoint. This is cooking where the chef wisely takes a back seat and allows the ingredients do all the talking.
2020 Marsannay Blanc Cuvée Source Des Roches
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2030

Tasting notes: The 2020 Marsannay Blanc Cuvée Source des Roches possesses much more mineralité on the nose than the Village Cru, crushed rock and light sea spray scents allied with lemon pith. The palate is well balanced with a tensile opening, quite steely at first, with vanilla and shaved almond emerging on the expressive finish. Very fine. 

Producer Commentary:
2020 Chambolle Musigny Les Charmes 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2045

Tasting notes: The 2020 Chambolle-Musigny Les Charmes 1er Cru has another expressive, quite marine-influenced bouquet with brambly red fruit, leather and tobacco scents that gain intensity with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red fruit, lightly spiced with an almost Gevrey-like finish. Good length, classically-styled. 

Producer Commentary:
2020 Chambolle Musigny Les Véroilles
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2024 - 2038

Tasting notes: The 2020 Chambolle-Musigny Les Véroilles has a wonderful nose with black cherries, cranberry and crushed rose petal aromas. Vivacious. The palate is medium-bodied with crunchy black cherry and cassis fruit, controlled and focused with insistent grip on the saline finish. Very fine. 

Producer Commentary:
2020 Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 96.0

Drinking window: 2027 - 2060

Tasting notes: The 2020 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru is surprisingly backward on the nose with tightly-wound blackberry, redcurrant and cranberry fruit with sea spray and light pine cone aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with grippy redcurrant and strawberry fruit. This is a solid Bonnes-Mares, correct, not flashy but serious and as such, it deserves several years in bottle. It has the substance and complexity to reward those with patience. 

Producer Commentary:
2020 Gevrey Chambertin Clos St Jacques 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 96.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2055

Tasting notes: The 2020 Gevrey Chambertin Clos St-Jacques 1er Cru has a delightful, complex and involving bouquet with perfumed blackberry and cranberry fruit intermingling with subtle sea spray and charcoal scents. The palate is very well balanced with gentle grip than belies the structure of this Clos St-Jacques, and it fans out with brio on the finish. Huge potential and bloomin’ delicious. 

Producer Commentary:
2020 Gevrey Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2045

Tasting notes: The 2020 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru has a peppery nose, clove and white pepper, quite open and expressive with rose petal notes emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with mulberry and raspberry fruit, good body here, a little sinew and grip on the finish. A keeper. 

Producer Commentary:
2020 Vosne Romanée Les Champs Perdrix
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2024 - 2036

Tasting notes: The 2020 Vosne-Romanée Les Champs Perdrix was showing just a little stemminess on the nose, though it is well defined and focused. The palate is medium-bodied with bell pepper infused red fruit, spicy and lively, a tingle of Shezchuan peppers on the finish. Excellent for its class. 

Producer Commentary:
2020 Savigny Lès Beaune La Dominode 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2024 - 2036

Tasting notes: The 2020 Savigny-lès-Beaune La Dominode 1er Cru has a precise, tertiary bouquet with blackberry and briary scents, just a touch of dry tobacco. The palate is medium-bodied with crunchy red fruit, hints of bell pepper emanating from the whole bunch, leading to a classically-styled, saline finish. Give this a couple of years in bottle. 

Producer Commentary:
2020 Marsannay Les Longeroies
Color: Red

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2030

Tasting notes: The 2020 Marsannay Les Longeroies has a crisp blackberry and cranberry-scented nose with light touches of sous-bois. The palate is medium-bodied, the stem addition noticeable yet integrated on the entry, just tapering off a little towards the finish. Fine, but maybe not long-term. 

Producer Commentary:
2020 Marsannay Blanc
Color: White

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2026

Tasting notes: The 2020 Marsannay Blanc has a clean and precise bouquet with grass clipping and light dried lemon aromas. The palate is well balanced with a slightly creamy texture. Not a Marsannay with tension, yet there is fine purity on the finish. Fine. 

Producer Commentary:
2017 Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 96.0

Drinking window: 2024 - 2045

Tasting notes: The 2017 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru has a lifted, perfumed and quite floral bouquet of brambly red fruit infused with wilted rose petal and a touch of blood orange. Gorgeous! The palate is medium-bodied with fine structure, a killer line of acidity and perhaps some discreet stem addition, as it is overtly peppery toward the finish. Plenty of freshness and quite linear. Classic Burgundy. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2017 tasting.

Producer Commentary:
2017 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques 1er
Color: Red

Score: 97.0

Drinking window: 2026 - 2055

Tasting notes: The 2017 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques 1er Cru has a generous bouquet of raspberry, briary, wild strawberry, undergrowth and blood orange scents, all very complex and beautifully defined. The palate is medium-bodied with fine depth, perhaps the most structured of the five Clos Saint-Jacques, and quite serious, with a long tail on the finish. Magnificent. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2017 tasting.

Producer Commentary:
2017 Gevrey Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2024 - 2045

Tasting notes: The 2017 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru has a beautifully defined, elegant bouquet of disarming purity – a real charmer. The palate is very well balanced, demonstrating assiduous use of stems. Poised, natural and tensile toward the tart finish, this is classic Gevrey-Chambertin, very well crafted if just a little exotic in style. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2017 tasting.

Producer Commentary:
2017 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Des Fontenys 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2037

Tasting notes: The 2017 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos des Fontenys 1er Cru presents a well-defined nose with red fruit in the driving seat and is quite floral in style; wilted rose petals and peony emerge with aeration. The palate is clean and precise, delivering energetic, tart, red berry fruit supported by a wonderful acidic spine. Full of tension and brightness toward the finish. Excellent. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2017 tasting.

Producer Commentary:
2009 Marsannay Rose
Color: Rosé

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2013 - 2013

Tasting notes: The 2009 Marsannay Rose is a serious wine. It shows plenty of intensity and generosity, I only wish the aromatics were a little more focused.

Producer Commentary:
Is there anything Bruno Clair doesn't do well?
2019 Vosne Romanée Champs Perdrix
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2033

Tasting notes: The 2019 Vosne-Romanée Champs Perdrix has a vibrant bouquet with red cherries and blackcurrant aromas, stained with violet petals. The palate is very harmonious with granular tannins, graphite tinged red fruit with impressive clarity on the finish. Good potential. 

Producer Commentary:
For the final time, I met Philippe Brun at the winery, as Brun is due to retire in the near future. It will be strange not seeing him flanking Bruno Clair next year. Marsannay’s ‘dynamic duo’ has produced some excellent visits in recent years. “We started the picking on 9 September,” Clair told me. “That was the Bonnes Mares because it was already very ripe. But the serious picking really began on 15 September. We finished on 24 and 25 September. The yields were half for the whites because of the dryness, for the reds it was 15-30% less than last year. Vines with deep roots that could penetrate the fissures performed best and did not show any stress. But overall, I am very pleased with the regularity of crop across the reds irrespective of vine age.” It was a wise decision to pick that Bonnes-Mares early because it may well turn out to be their star performer, closely followed by the Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze. Comparing them side-by-side, I might err for the 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques over the 2019, but we will see. Despite millerandage in the vineyard, the Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers displays superb mineralité. Though their 2019 Clos du Fonteny is very promising, the 2018 seemed out of sorts and I will endeavour to re-examine this. Overall, it was a superb set of 2019s from Bruno Clair that will age with style.
2018 Vosne Romanée Champs Perdrix
Color: Red

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2022 - 2032

Tasting notes: The 2018 Vosne-Romanée Champs Perdrix is a cru that is traditionally picked late; however, due to global warming, since 2016 it has been picked earlier and earlier, according to Bruno Clair. The tightly wound bouquet features autumn leaf aromas filtered through red berry fruit, plus a touch of brown spice. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, a fresh line of acidity and a bright, vivacious, sorbet-fresh finish. Très bon. 

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair and Philippe Brun are the Batman and Robin of Marsannay that have really ratcheted up quality at this domaine. Both were on top form when I dropped in at their winery (though my God, whatever Bruno had just eaten for lunch, it was making his tummy rumble like Krakatoa!) “We had a lot of rain in the winter," he told me. "It was completely different to the 2019 growing season. In 2018 the maturity was quite strong. We started the picking on 27 August until the 8 or 9 September. I find that the tannins are very tender. Maybe you could say 2018 is a mixture of 1947 and 1959. There is more fruit than in 2003 and more phenolic maturity. The whole bunch in 2018 is between 30-40% as in 2017 and we did less pigeage after fermentation. The alcohol is between 13 and 14% but most are around 13.5%." I strongly recommend this domaine's wines, with some gems among the Premier Crus.
2017 Vosne Romanée Champs Perdrix
Color: Red

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2027

Tasting notes: The 2017 Vosne-Romanée Champs Perdrix has an elegant floral bouquet of bright morello cherry mixed with strawberry aromas. The palate is medium-bodied and a little rigid at the moment, offering with sappy red fruit with brown spices percolating through the finish. This is a pretty Vosne-Romanée to enjoy over the next six or seven years. 

Producer Commentary:
This year, Philippe Brun escorted me through the domaine’s 2017s. Once known for its intermittently rustic wines, there is a sense of newfound refinement and elegance that has seen Bruno Clair gain a wider and well-deserved following. This is partly because they have eased off the extraction and picked just a little earlier. They oversee a strong portfolio of cuvées, not just their Grand Crus and prized rows within Clos Saint-Jacques, but a cluster of excellent Village and Premier Crus that can offer great value. Brun told me that they commenced the picking on September 5 and picked over the following five days - quite a short harvest given their range of holdings. None of the wines had been racked when I visited, and they plan to blend the cuvées in January.

This was a very fine set of wines from Bruno Clair, though one or two, such as the Gevrey-Chambertin Petite Chapelle and perhaps the Cazetiers and Clos Saint-Jacques, left me wondering if they could have given more. It was another Gevrey-Chambertin – the 0.68-hectare monopole of Clos du Fonteny, which rises on a geological ledge a few meters above the rest of Fonteny – that really caught my eye, alongside a very impressive Marsannay Les Grasses-Têtes and a superb Bonnes-Mares that crowns their range. Generally, I found assiduous use of whole bunches here and a collection of wines that range from the easygoing to others that boast long-term potential.
2018 Savigny Lès Beaune Les Jarrons 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 2021 - 2026

Tasting notes: The 2018 Savigny-lès-Beaune Les Jarrons 1er Cru has a bright red cherry, cranberry and orange blossom bouquet that maybe just lacks the complexity of Clair’s other wines. The palate is medium-bodied with a fleshy, confit-like opening, moderate depth and a candied, quite vanilla-y finish. Pleasant, if not the most intellectual offering from Clair. 

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair and Philippe Brun are the Batman and Robin of Marsannay that have really ratcheted up quality at this domaine. Both were on top form when I dropped in at their winery (though my God, whatever Bruno had just eaten for lunch, it was making his tummy rumble like Krakatoa!) “We had a lot of rain in the winter," he told me. "It was completely different to the 2019 growing season. In 2018 the maturity was quite strong. We started the picking on 27 August until the 8 or 9 September. I find that the tannins are very tender. Maybe you could say 2018 is a mixture of 1947 and 1959. There is more fruit than in 2003 and more phenolic maturity. The whole bunch in 2018 is between 30-40% as in 2017 and we did less pigeage after fermentation. The alcohol is between 13 and 14% but most are around 13.5%." I strongly recommend this domaine's wines, with some gems among the Premier Crus.
2017 Savigny Lès Beaune Les Jarrons 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2022 - 2032

Tasting notes: The 2017 Savigny-lès-Beaune Les Jarrons 1er Cru, from the younger vines in La Dominode, has an attractive bouquet of perfumed black cherry, bilberry and light earthy/peaty aromas. This is quite vivid and generous. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, and quite weighty for this vineyard. Candied orange peel infuses the red currant and wild strawberry finish. This is very satisfying. 

Producer Commentary:
This year, Philippe Brun escorted me through the domaine’s 2017s. Once known for its intermittently rustic wines, there is a sense of newfound refinement and elegance that has seen Bruno Clair gain a wider and well-deserved following. This is partly because they have eased off the extraction and picked just a little earlier. They oversee a strong portfolio of cuvées, not just their Grand Crus and prized rows within Clos Saint-Jacques, but a cluster of excellent Village and Premier Crus that can offer great value. Brun told me that they commenced the picking on September 5 and picked over the following five days - quite a short harvest given their range of holdings. None of the wines had been racked when I visited, and they plan to blend the cuvées in January.

This was a very fine set of wines from Bruno Clair, though one or two, such as the Gevrey-Chambertin Petite Chapelle and perhaps the Cazetiers and Clos Saint-Jacques, left me wondering if they could have given more. It was another Gevrey-Chambertin – the 0.68-hectare monopole of Clos du Fonteny, which rises on a geological ledge a few meters above the rest of Fonteny – that really caught my eye, alongside a very impressive Marsannay Les Grasses-Têtes and a superb Bonnes-Mares that crowns their range. Generally, I found assiduous use of whole bunches here and a collection of wines that range from the easygoing to others that boast long-term potential.
2009 Morey St. Denis en La Rue De Vergy
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2013 - 2013

Tasting notes: The 2009 Morey St. Denis en la Rue de Vergy is a beautifully precise, linear wine. The fruit shows terrific focus and length on the mid-palate, while the finish presents the more ethereal side to the wine. This is a touch firm, but quite pretty.

Producer Commentary:
Is there anything Bruno Clair doesn't do well?
2010 Vosne Romanée Les Champs Perdrix
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2015 - 2025

Tasting notes: The 2010 Vosne-Romanée Les Champs Perdrix totally saturates the palate with layers of dark red fruit and spices. This is a very classic Vosne in every way. Exotic spiced notes are woven into minerals on the textured energetic finish. The Champs Perdrix is a fabulous wine in its category. These 70-year-old vines were the last to be harvested at the domaine. 

Producer Commentary:
This is a fabulous set of wines from Bruno Clair and his long-time oenologist Philippe Brun. The harvest started on September 25. Yields were 22-30 hectoliters per hectare, which is to say a good 10% less than 2003, a torrid vintage marked by tiny yields. Clair describes the fruit as healthy, with no botrytis and soft tannins from the late harvest. The 2010s were 100% destemmed. New oak ranged from 25% for the villages to 50% for the Grand Crus, except for the Marsannays, which saw very little new oak.
2014 Vosne Romanée Les Champs Perdrix
Color: Red

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: (tasted from tank; these vines are now more than 70 years old): Medium red. Lovely floral lift to the nose. Tangy black and purple berry flavors are complicated by mineral and earth notes. Plumper and riper than the village Morey-Saint-Denis, this wine will be drinkable early. These vines high on the hillside were picked last in 2014, noted winemaker Philippe Brun, adding that it's necessary to take the risk of waiting for this fruit to ripen fully. Incidentally, this vineyard is barely 200 meters from Romanée-Conti but is normally harvested ten days later, according to Clair.

Producer Commentary:
"The 2014s showcase their terroirs while the 2013s are more marked by the almost historically cool season," said Bruno Clair in December. He made between 70% and 80% of a normal crop in 2014 and finds these wines riper than the 2013s, which he says "ripened by concentration, not from sun. The 2014s have a bit of the finesse of the 2011s but they also have more depth."

This estate benefits from a high percentage of very old vines. In fact, thanks to the quality of the genetic material planted here, cuttings from Clair's vines, along with those of Domaine Ponsot, were used by the University of Dijon in the 1960s to create some of the clones that are most highly regarded today in Burgundy and elsewhere. I tasted the Marsannay cuvées from large casks, and all but one of the rest from barriques; all of the 2014s had been racked in October.
2015 Vosne Romanée Les Champs Perdrix
Color: Red

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Palish medium red. Slightly reduced aromas of red plum, raspberry, spices and wild herbs, plus a touch of leathery rusticity. On the palate the red fruit flavors are nicely accented by spices and wild herbs and enlivened by surprising acidity and tangy minerality. Like some of the preceding wines, this needs a racking.

Producer Commentary:
The rain on August 6 brought the grapes back to a state of equilibrium following the drought conditions in July and saved the 2015 harvest, said Bruno Clair, who added that there were two subsequent “key” rains in August. “But we didn’t have a lot of grapes and they never got large,” he noted, and the estate ultimately produced the equivalent of half a normal crop.

Clair started harvesting with his Bonnes-Mares on September 5 and needed two weeks to pick. Grape sugars were mostly between 12.5% and 13%, with some even higher. The harvest was “perfectly clean” and the estate vinified with a higher percentage of whole clusters than normally. The malolactic fermentations finished relatively quickly, during the winter, and Clair expected to bottle the bulk of his 2015s in April of 2017. “The wines have complexity, charm and drive,” Clair summarized, “and they are not austere.”

Incidentally, Clair took back the remainder of his Bonnes-Mares in 2016 and now works 1.45 hectares of vines in this grand cru. All of his land is in Chambolle-Musigny, except for a small band of vines next to Clos de Tart.
2012 Vosne Romanée Les Champs Perdrix
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2017 - 2032

Tasting notes: Another of the highlights in this range, the 2012 Vosne-Romanée Les Champs Perdrix is a real stunner. Layers of fruit blossom effortlessly in a gracious, totally voluptuous Vosne full of character. Sweet floral notes meld into spices and expressive red fruits. The Champs Perdrix is one of the last sites to ripen here. In 2012, the wine was also the last to finish its malo. Still, it is already wonderfully complete and expressive.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair and his longtime winemaker Philippe Brun do so many things well, as these 2012s amply show. Where to start with these wines? Well, the Marsannays are terrific, but frankly so are all the wines. The harvest started on September 20 and wrapped up on October 2. By comparison, the 2013 harvest started on October 3 and lasted until the 20th. Malos were quite late here, and the wines were only racked in early September. Over the last few years Clair has begun to age some of his wines partly or wholly in cask, where volumes allow for larger aging vessels. When all is said and done, Bruno Clair's wines have been among the most impressive for some time and are deserving of a much wider audience. I highly encourage readers to check them out.
2009 Vosne Romanée Les Champs Perdrix
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2013 - 2020

Tasting notes: The 2009 Vosne-Romanée Les Champs Perdrix is marvelously rich and seductive. Dark cherries, menthol and spices are some of the notes that emerge from this supple, pliant Vosne. Here, too, there is more than enough freshness to support at least several years in the cellar. This is a great showing at the villages level. 

Producer Commentary:
2013 Vosne Romanée Les Champs Perdrix
Color: Red

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2017 - 2028

Tasting notes: The 2013 Vosne-Romanée Les Champs Perdrix is one of the overachievers in this range. Pliant and expressive on the palate, the Champs Perdrix captures the essence of the year in its graceful, midweight personality. Dark plums, crushed rocks and spices are all given an extra sense of urgency by the veins of underlying salinity that lie in the background. I very much like the sense of energy and structure here.

Producer Commentary:
It's always a pleasure to sit down and taste with Bruno Clair and his longtime winemaker, Philippe Brun, both of whom are a treasure trove of experience and knowledge. Clair brought in his fruit beginning on October 7, which only has parallels in the estate's recent history with 1978 and 1980, where the harvests started on October 10 and 12. It's true that 2008 was almost as late as 2013, except that in 2013 the last few days of ripening did not add a meaningful amount of concentration as they did in 2008. Clair adds that sugars alone are not a measure of quality, as evidenced by the 1991s, many of which are more complete than their 1990 counterparts. Of course, the issue with any late-ripening year is that the days are shorter as the season progresses, so there are meaningful differences between the heat of August and that of September. As if the bad flowering and early start to the year was not enough, Clair's vineyards in Savigny-les-Beaune and Pernand-Vergelesses were all damaged by hail. According to Clair, the Charlemagne was more skin than juice, clearly a far from favorable situation. I tasted the 2013s from barrel, after they had been racked. Where the wines don't carry the signatures of hail they are quite pretty. Philippe Brun adds that while the terroirs are well marked in 2013, the wines should be enjoyed before the 2012s.
2009 Vosne Romanée Les Champs Perdrix
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2014 - 2024

Tasting notes: Sweet spices waft from the glass as the 2009 Vosne-Romanée Les Champs Perdrix reveals its class and pedigree. Layers of dark red cherries, mint and flowers add complexity in this translucent, weightless wine. The finish is a touch firm yet nicely nuanced. The Champs Perdrix is a super wine at the village level. 

Producer Commentary:
This is a beautiful set of wines from Bruno Clair. Every wine I tasted with Clair's longtime oenologist Philippe Brun was gorgeous from top to bottom. While the top 2009s are certainly superb, the real jewels here are the village level wines which appear to be among the great success stories of the 2009 vintage. I tasted all of the wines from barrel, except the Marsannay and Marsannay Les Vaudanelles, both of which were bottled before the 2010 harvest. In 2009 Clair began harvesting on September 15 and ended on the 23rd. I also tasted a handful of 2008s, from a much later harvest that stretched into October. The handful of wines I tasted from that vintage are equally impressive, and equally worth your time.
2009 Savigny Les Beaune La Dominode – 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2014 - 2029

Tasting notes: The 2009 Savigny-les-Beaune La Dominode is a bit of a shock to the palate in the middle of this flight of Gevrey, but the wine shows beautifully all the same. This is a gorgeous Burgundy endowed with plenty of weight, structure and gravitas in its rich, textured fruit. The firm tannins will require a few years in bottle to start to soften. 

Producer Commentary:
This is a beautiful set of wines from Bruno Clair. Every wine I tasted with Clair's longtime oenologist Philippe Brun was gorgeous from top to bottom. While the top 2009s are certainly superb, the real jewels here are the village level wines which appear to be among the great success stories of the 2009 vintage. I tasted all of the wines from barrel, except the Marsannay and Marsannay Les Vaudanelles, both of which were bottled before the 2010 harvest. In 2009 Clair began harvesting on September 15 and ended on the 23rd. I also tasted a handful of 2008s, from a much later harvest that stretched into October. The handful of wines I tasted from that vintage are equally impressive, and equally worth your time.
1996 Vosne Romanee Les Champs Perdrix
Color: Red

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Fruitier, higher-pitched floral and raspberry aromas. Suave and lacy, with lovely purity of flavor thanks to fresh, harmonious acids. Nicely restrained sweetness. Finishes with ripe tannins and good length.

Producer Commentary:
"With the high sugars and great ripeness of the grapes, we expected to have wines with tough tannins," said Bruno Clair. "But the tannins in fact are quite fat, and there nothing hard about the wines at all; 1997 is certainly a vin de garde but it no monster." According to cellarmaster Philippe Brun, the cuvaison was shorter in '97, as there were a lot of yeasts on the grape skins and the fermentations started quickly (the estate does nothing to prevent the fermentation from starting). The malos were tumultuous, and early, but the wines remained on their lees through the winter and have taken on more complexity during elevage (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2001 Vosne Romanee Les Champs Perdrix
Color: Red

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Palish red. Spicy red fruits and flowers, with a hint of licorice. Supple, sweet and fairly rich in the mouth, but the chocolatey tannins kick in early, shortening the finish today. But this has good fat for the year.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair described 2002 as an easy vintage: Like 1990:very ripe, no rot, little selection necessary, easy to vinify."Potential alcohols were typically in the 12% to 12.5% range, with most wines chaptalized about a half a degree.The wines had been assembled and racked a couple weeks prior to my visit; Clair noted that the colors were still a bit lightened by the recent sulfur additions.(Vineyard Brands, Birmingham AL
2002 Vosne Romanee Les Champs Perdrix
Color: Red

Score: 88.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Highly perfumed aromas of flowers and red fruits. Silky and supple in the mouth, with strong floral and spice elements complicating the tangy red fruits. Seems sweeter than most recent vintages of this bottling. Finishes with very good length.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair described 2002 as an easy vintage: Like 1990:very ripe, no rot, little selection necessary, easy to vinify."Potential alcohols were typically in the 12% to 12.5% range, with most wines chaptalized about a half a degree.The wines had been assembled and racked a couple weeks prior to my visit; Clair noted that the colors were still a bit lightened by the recent sulfur additions.(Vineyard Brands, Birmingham AL
2009 Vosne Romanee Les Champs Perdrix
Color: Red

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Very ripe aromas of raspberry and chocolate liqueur. Round and generous on the palate, with a creamy sweetness to the flavors of maraschino cherry, licorice and chocolate. Sound acidity and a touch of minerality give shape to the persistent finish. These generally late-ripening hillside grapes benefited from the warm season. In a rather New World style.

Producer Commentary:
Clair, who started picking pinot noir on the late side (September 14), describes 2009 as "a very generous year, easy to vinify, with round, rich tannins." He ranks the vintage with past favorites like 2002 and 1990. Only the yields in Chambolle-Musigny, where his vines are not quite 20 years old, are particularly high, he told me-this despite the fact that he did a green harvest in these vines. Compared to the 2009s, the 2008s are vins de garde, he went on, and they will probably shut down in bottle. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL) Other wines tasted: Chambolle-Musigny Les Veroilles, Morey-Saint-Denis en La Rue de Vergy.
1999 Vosne Romanee Les Champs Perdrix
Color: Red

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Bright red-ruby. Exotic raspberry and blackberry aromas complicated by mint, floral and spice notes. Firm black fruit and floral flavors are nicely framed by ripe acids. Some oak spice shows in the middle and on the subtle, rather cool finish, which features dusty, mounting tannins and a whiff of menthol.

Producer Commentary:
This is always a tricky cellar for barrel tasting, as the wines tend to show a firm tannic side early on and there relatively little sweetening influence of new oak. That said, I found a few of the lesser wines a bit wimpy and dilute, and lacking in flavor authority ("it was a very big harvest in Marsannay," Clair admits), but at the level of the estate's top crus these are scented, pure wines of subtlety and class. The '99s had been racked for the first time about two weeks prior to my visit. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2007 Vosne Romanee Les Champs Perdrix
Color: Red

Score: 87.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good dark red. Aromas of blackberry, violet and licorice. Supple black fruit flavors offers good volume and breadth without undue weight. Finishes with sweet tannins and bright acidity. (The Chambolle villages rated 85-87, while the Morey-Saint-Denis lacked focus and seemed tired. The Gevrey-Chambertin was a bit rustic and dry.)

Producer Commentary:
"The 2007 vintage is about fruit more than volume," said winemaker Philippe Brun, who did a soft extraction. "Still, the wines are a bit more sturdy than we thought at the beginning, and they didn't lose color during the racking, which is a good sign." Acidity levels were sound, and pHs were "not very high for here," he went on. He summed up: "The '07s are more pinot, but we find more personality and terroir in the '06s. But the '06s don't give pleasure yet and need cellaring." (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2003 Vosne Romanee Les Champs Perdrix
Color: Red

Score: 87.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Slightly reduced aromas of cherry, raspberry, minerals and chocolate. A step up from the foregoing wines in texture and depth, with flavors of sweet raspberry complicated by spices and minerals. This has more stuffing and spicy persistence. Tannins are fairly full but nicely ripe.

Producer Commentary:
According to cellarmaster Philippe Brun, this estate started picking its white grapes on August 26, and then stopped until September 1.Because they couldn't cool all their tanks at once, they picked only in the mornings.The pinot noirs lack acidity and are rather fragile, says Brun, adding that he believes they are best suited for drinking in their fruity youth.But he maintained that the estate had no surmaturite, and that while the premier crus are virtually all 13% or more alcohol, none of them reached 14%.Incidentally, Clair will not offer a regular Marsannay in 2003, as the estate needed this fruit to make their rose, a wine that is very popular in the U.S. market.(Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
1998 Vosne Romanee Les Champs Perdrix
Color: Red

Score:

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Deep red-ruby. Very reduced yet lively aroma dominated by black cherry. Fresh but slightly green, even austere, with strong acidity. The rather tough tannins cut off the fruit today. A somewhat rustic style of Vosne, lacking finesse. This wine will need time to evolve, and is impossible to assess today.

Producer Commentary:
"The '98 vintage was completely heterogeneous," said Bruno Clair. "We picked Marsannay ten days before Savigny Dominode. Because of the intense heat in early August, which stressed the vines in some spots but not in others, there was no logic to the ripeness." Yields were very low, especially on hillside sites affected by the April frost. Following a trie in the vines and another selection in the cuverie, the domain, according to Clair, vinified perfectly clean fruit. Cellarmaster Philippe Brun compared the '98s to the estate's '93s, but said the new vintage has riper tannins and more gras. "And there's more to the wine in '98 than in '97, clearly more structure," he added. Just a few '98s had been racked in November following late malos; the rest were still on their lees. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2008 Vosne Romanee Les Champs Perdrix
Color: Red

Score: 88.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Deep red. Rather sauvage aromas of raspberry, spices and fresh blood. Then silky and smoky in the middle, with underlying stony minerality giving lift to the wine. This is a step up over the foregoing samples in purity and texture. Finishes with an intriguing smoky minerality.

Producer Commentary:
Clair delayed harvesting in 2008 until September 30, then picked until October 14, doing a sorting in the vines, especially to eliminate pink grapes. He told me that he lost 20% of his volume due to the wind during the second half of September and that the typical 2008 began with potential alcohol of 12.2% to 12.7%, although the range was actually quite extreme: from 10% to 13.5%. Following very late malos, the premier and grand crus-but not the village wines-had been racked and sulfited just a week or two prior to my visit. The 2008s are characterized by their strawberry and raspberry elements, said Clair, while the 2007s are more about black fruits. "But 2008 has great aging potential," he believes. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2000 Vosne Romanee Les Champs Perdrix
Color: Red

Score: 86.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Spicy aromas of redcurrant, bay leaf and smoked meat. Juicy and spicy but a bit pinched, with modest flesh and texture. Finishes fairly supple, though, with light tannins and restrained sweetness.

Producer Commentary:
1996 Vosne Romanee Les Champs Perdrix
Color: Red

Score: 86.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Moderately saturated medium cherry. Aromas of floral wild strawberry, coffee and smoke. Good intensity of flavor and texture; mineral and herbal nuances on the palate. Rather backward today, and not yet demonstrating much sweetness of fruit. Finishes reasonably firm, with even tannins.

Producer Commentary:
"The '95s have more color, more density, thicker skins," says cellarmaster Philippe Brun. "It will be necessary to put them in the cellar and forget them, like the '88s." He adds that the '96s, with their higher grape sugars and lower pHs, will be for drinking earlier. I was unimpressed by a couple of the lower-level '96s (though, following late malos, some wines had not yet been racked), but at the top levels there are several potentially outstanding wines at this address. The best '95s are superb. All the wines reviewed below were bottled without fining or filtration; Clair style makes few concessions to current tastes for sweet new oak and early appeal but have a history of developing well in bottle. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2007 Vosne Romanee Les Champs Perdrix
Color: Red

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Expressive, full-blown nose offers dark berries, spices, flowers and smoky minerality. Supple but not overly sweet, with good mid-palate lift but limited complexity. The slightly tight finish suggests this will need a couple years to express itself.

Producer Commentary:
Clair delayed harvesting in 2008 until September 30, then picked until October 14, doing a sorting in the vines, especially to eliminate pink grapes. He told me that he lost 20% of his volume due to the wind during the second half of September and that the typical 2008 began with potential alcohol of 12.2% to 12.7%, although the range was actually quite extreme: from 10% to 13.5%. Following very late malos, the premier and grand crus-but not the village wines-had been racked and sulfited just a week or two prior to my visit. The 2008s are characterized by their strawberry and raspberry elements, said Clair, while the 2007s are more about black fruits. "But 2008 has great aging potential," he believes. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2006 Vosne Romanee Les Champs Perdrix
Color: Red

Score: 87.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: (from 65-year-old vines) Good medium red. Musky dark raspberry, medicinal spices, chocolate, licorice and mint on the nose. Juicy, spicy and fine-grained in the mouth, with strong acids and firm minerality keeping the fruit in check today. The tannins are fine-grained but tight and a bit dry on the persistent, spicy finish. Clair notes that the heat-wave growing season of 2003 was a highly successful vintage for this normally cold site. (The Chambolle Les Veroilles was a bit diffuse on the nose and dry on the finish, meriting 84-86, while the Morey-Saint-Denis en La Rue de Vergy offered only modest flesh and depth, rating 83-86.)

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair, who harvested quite late in 2006 (September 27 through October 7), says that this vintage now gives a great deal of pleasure, while 2005 is powerful but closed, with the constitution to age for a long time. The big news here is that the estate took back much of its Bonnes-Mares in early 2006, and has virtually doubled its quantities of Chambertin Clos de Beze, Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques and Vosne-Romanee Champs-Perdrix, following the expiration of long-term rental agreements (mostly with Jadot) that had been signed when Bruno's father Bernard left him 15 hectares of vineyards in 1988. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2010 Vosne Romanee Les Champs Perdrix
Color: Red

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good bright dark red. Inviting aromas of cassis, blackberry and violet. Juicy, sappy and utterly captivating, with lovely floral lift and graphite complexity to the perfumed dark berry and spice flavors. Not at all thick but plenty intense. The finish is firm and persistent. This cuvee has been a bit too light in some recent vintages, but this year it's a beauty.

Producer Commentary:
2010 Savigny Les Beaune La Dominode 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2030

Tasting notes: The 2010 Savigny-les-Beaune La Dominode is absolutely fabulous in this vintage. It boasts gorgeous fleshiness in its dark red fruit. Mint, freshly cut flowers and spices are some of the nuances that develop in the glass. The Dominode is ultimately about energy and textural brilliance, both of which it has in spades. I loved it. This parcel was first planted in 1902. Roughly 40% of the original vines remain. 

Producer Commentary:
This is a fabulous set of wines from Bruno Clair and his long-time oenologist Philippe Brun. The harvest started on September 25. Yields were 22-30 hectoliters per hectare, which is to say a good 10% less than 2003, a torrid vintage marked by tiny yields. Clair describes the fruit as healthy, with no botrytis and soft tannins from the late harvest. The 2010s were 100% destemmed. New oak ranged from 25% for the villages to 50% for the Grand Crus, except for the Marsannays, which saw very little new oak.
2018 Savigny Lès Beaune La Dominode 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2022 - 2032

Tasting notes: The 2018 Savigny-lès-Beaune La Dominode 1er Cru has a fragrant, floral bouquet that is prettier and more complex than the Les Jarrons tasted alongside. The palate is very finely balanced with fine tannins, but there is also a superb structure here, and the sapid finish gets the saliva flowing. Great potential. 

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair and Philippe Brun are the Batman and Robin of Marsannay that have really ratcheted up quality at this domaine. Both were on top form when I dropped in at their winery (though my God, whatever Bruno had just eaten for lunch, it was making his tummy rumble like Krakatoa!) “We had a lot of rain in the winter," he told me. "It was completely different to the 2019 growing season. In 2018 the maturity was quite strong. We started the picking on 27 August until the 8 or 9 September. I find that the tannins are very tender. Maybe you could say 2018 is a mixture of 1947 and 1959. There is more fruit than in 2003 and more phenolic maturity. The whole bunch in 2018 is between 30-40% as in 2017 and we did less pigeage after fermentation. The alcohol is between 13 and 14% but most are around 13.5%." I strongly recommend this domaine's wines, with some gems among the Premier Crus.
2016 Savigny Lès Beaune La Dominode 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: (just 8 barrels produced from 1.6 hectares, or just under 12 hectoliters per hectare; from vines picked late): Bright, dark red. Subdued scents of black cherry and mocha complicated by licorice and herbs. Boasts good stuffing but the kirsch and chocolate flavors show limited early sweetness and the wine is dominated today by its chewy tannic structure. Boasts sound juicy acidity but comes across as somewhat austere in the early going. This wine will need some time in bottle to gain in sweetness.

Producer Commentary:
“We were massacred by the frost in Chambolle, Savigny and the south side of Marsannay,” said Bruno Clair in January, adding that his estate produced just 35% of a normal crop in 2016. But he added that he had only half a crop in 2015, and roughly the same production in 2013, 2012 and 2010 as well. The estate began harvesting on September 23 with grape sugars around 12% and chaptalized about half a degree. In comparison, potential alcohol levels were at least 13% in 2015 (13.5% for the Bonnes-Mares) and no chaptalization was done.

Cellarmaster Philippe Brun vinified most of the ‘16s with 20% to 25% whole clusters. The malos were protracted, typically lasting until August, and the wines had been racked and assembled in November. Clair described 2016 as “a classic vintage with less excesses of heat and drought than 2015, and a set of wines that should age well. Only the frost was a problem, and the wines have good balance and structure.” Brun added that he prefers the more linear 2016s and that he finds the 2015s "a bit too rich, even if they avoided any cooked taste. But we'll see in ten years."
2012 Savigny Les Beaune La Dominode 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2014 - 2022

Tasting notes: One of the more immediate wines in this range, the 2012 Savigny-les-Beaune La Dominode is wonderfully juicy and explosive on the palate. Violets, dried herbs, plums and crushed rocks all jump from the glass. The exuberance of 2012 is on full display in this intense, pliant Burgundy. In 2012 there are just 12 barrels of the Dominode rather than the more customary 25.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair and his longtime winemaker Philippe Brun do so many things well, as these 2012s amply show. Where to start with these wines? Well, the Marsannays are terrific, but frankly so are all the wines. The harvest started on September 20 and wrapped up on October 2. By comparison, the 2013 harvest started on October 3 and lasted until the 20th. Malos were quite late here, and the wines were only racked in early September. Over the last few years Clair has begun to age some of his wines partly or wholly in cask, where volumes allow for larger aging vessels. When all is said and done, Bruno Clair's wines have been among the most impressive for some time and are deserving of a much wider audience. I highly encourage readers to check them out.
2009 Savigny Les Beaune La Dominode 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2013 - 2024

Tasting notes: Bruno Clair's 2009 Savigny-les-Beaune La Dominode is fabulous in this vintage. The warmth of the year has filled out the wine beautifully. The 2009 is ripe, exotic and flashy. I especially admire the juxtaposition of fleshiness and insistent minerality. 

Producer Commentary:
2014 Savigny Lès Beaune La Dominode 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: (hit hard by hail): Medium red. Reticent aromas of black cherry, dark raspberry and licorice. Juicy and tightly wound; less sweet than the foregoing wines from the Côte de Nuits, with the black fruit and menthol flavors showing a touch of leather. There's no obvious hail taste here, but this wine, made from very old vines, does not show its customary ripeness or depth. Brun may fine it in an attempt to round out its tannins.

Producer Commentary:
"The 2014s showcase their terroirs while the 2013s are more marked by the almost historically cool season," said Bruno Clair in December. He made between 70% and 80% of a normal crop in 2014 and finds these wines riper than the 2013s, which he says "ripened by concentration, not from sun. The 2014s have a bit of the finesse of the 2011s but they also have more depth."

This estate benefits from a high percentage of very old vines. In fact, thanks to the quality of the genetic material planted here, cuttings from Clair's vines, along with those of Domaine Ponsot, were used by the University of Dijon in the 1960s to create some of the clones that are most highly regarded today in Burgundy and elsewhere. I tasted the Marsannay cuvées from large casks, and all but one of the rest from barriques; all of the 2014s had been racked in October.
2013 Savigny Les Beaune La Dominode 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 87.5

Drinking window: 2015 - 2020

Tasting notes: The 2013 Savigny-les-Beaune La Dominode comes across as slightly vegetal, sauvage and a bit rough around the edges next to some of the other wines in this range. Three hailstorms proved to be too much for even Bruno Clair and Philippe Brun to overcome.

Producer Commentary:
It's always a pleasure to sit down and taste with Bruno Clair and his longtime winemaker, Philippe Brun, both of whom are a treasure trove of experience and knowledge. Clair brought in his fruit beginning on October 7, which only has parallels in the estate's recent history with 1978 and 1980, where the harvests started on October 10 and 12. It's true that 2008 was almost as late as 2013, except that in 2013 the last few days of ripening did not add a meaningful amount of concentration as they did in 2008. Clair adds that sugars alone are not a measure of quality, as evidenced by the 1991s, many of which are more complete than their 1990 counterparts. Of course, the issue with any late-ripening year is that the days are shorter as the season progresses, so there are meaningful differences between the heat of August and that of September. As if the bad flowering and early start to the year was not enough, Clair's vineyards in Savigny-les-Beaune and Pernand-Vergelesses were all damaged by hail. According to Clair, the Charlemagne was more skin than juice, clearly a far from favorable situation. I tasted the 2013s from barrel, after they had been racked. Where the wines don't carry the signatures of hail they are quite pretty. Philippe Brun adds that while the terroirs are well marked in 2013, the wines should be enjoyed before the 2012s.
2018 Savigny Lès Beaune La Dominode 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: The 2018 Savigny-lès-Beaune La Dominode 1er Cru has a slightly pinched nose with red cherry and strawberry fruit. The palate is medium-bodied, yet, surprisingly, I find this a little green around the edges, a trait that I never picked up on last year. I will put a question mark against my score. 

Producer Commentary:
For the final time, I met Philippe Brun at the winery, as Brun is due to retire in the near future. It will be strange not seeing him flanking Bruno Clair next year. Marsannay’s ‘dynamic duo’ has produced some excellent visits in recent years. “We started the picking on 9 September,” Clair told me. “That was the Bonnes Mares because it was already very ripe. But the serious picking really began on 15 September. We finished on 24 and 25 September. The yields were half for the whites because of the dryness, for the reds it was 15-30% less than last year. Vines with deep roots that could penetrate the fissures performed best and did not show any stress. But overall, I am very pleased with the regularity of crop across the reds irrespective of vine age.” It was a wise decision to pick that Bonnes-Mares early because it may well turn out to be their star performer, closely followed by the Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze. Comparing them side-by-side, I might err for the 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques over the 2019, but we will see. Despite millerandage in the vineyard, the Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers displays superb mineralité. Though their 2019 Clos du Fonteny is very promising, the 2018 seemed out of sorts and I will endeavour to re-examine this. Overall, it was a superb set of 2019s from Bruno Clair that will age with style.
2013 Savigny Lès Beaune La Dominode 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2019 - 2027

Tasting notes: Good medium red. Raspberry and a touch of herbs on the slightly high-toned nose; distinctly redder than the Marsannays in 2013. Then darker in the mouth, with blackberry and licorice flavors complicated by a slight vegetal quality. Not bad but I wanted more verve. This lacks the thrust of Clair's best 2013s from the Côte de Nuits but comes across as richer than the 2014 version, which was more affected by hail.

Producer Commentary:
The team here did a lot of triage in the vines at the beginning of September, said Bruno Clair, to protect the fruit against rot and to speed up the ripening process, as the grapes were still green. In the end, he told me, "2013 did not reach the same ripeness as 2014 did, and ripeness came from loss of juice in the grapes rather than from photosynthesis." Two thousand fourteen conveys terroir character while 2013 is more marked by the "historic climate" of the year, he added. Clair began harvesting in 2013 on October 3.
2017 Marsannay Les Longeroies Blanc
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2021 - 2032

Tasting notes: The 2017 Marsannay Les Longeroies has a very well defined bouquet, powdered basalt infusing fruit that feels slightly darker than the Les Grasses-Têtes. The palate is medium-bodied with a fresh, saline entry. Plenty of energy here, and great precision and brightness on the mineral-driven finish. This is seriously fine Marsannay. 

Producer Commentary:
This year, Philippe Brun escorted me through the domaine’s 2017s. Once known for its intermittently rustic wines, there is a sense of newfound refinement and elegance that has seen Bruno Clair gain a wider and well-deserved following. This is partly because they have eased off the extraction and picked just a little earlier. They oversee a strong portfolio of cuvées, not just their Grand Crus and prized rows within Clos Saint-Jacques, but a cluster of excellent Village and Premier Crus that can offer great value. Brun told me that they commenced the picking on September 5 and picked over the following five days - quite a short harvest given their range of holdings. None of the wines had been racked when I visited, and they plan to blend the cuvées in January.

This was a very fine set of wines from Bruno Clair, though one or two, such as the Gevrey-Chambertin Petite Chapelle and perhaps the Cazetiers and Clos Saint-Jacques, left me wondering if they could have given more. It was another Gevrey-Chambertin – the 0.68-hectare monopole of Clos du Fonteny, which rises on a geological ledge a few meters above the rest of Fonteny – that really caught my eye, alongside a very impressive Marsannay Les Grasses-Têtes and a superb Bonnes-Mares that crowns their range. Generally, I found assiduous use of whole bunches here and a collection of wines that range from the easygoing to others that boast long-term potential.
2019 Marsannay La Charme Aux Prêtres
Color: Red

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2022 - 2030

Tasting notes: Until now blended into the Marsannay Village the 2019 Marsannay La Charme Aux Prêtres, which includes around 30% whole bunches, has a savory and quite ferrous bouquet. The palate offers fleshy red fruit laced with white pepper and a tightly wound but long finish. Very fine. 

Producer Commentary:
For the final time, I met Philippe Brun at the winery, as Brun is due to retire in the near future. It will be strange not seeing him flanking Bruno Clair next year. Marsannay’s ‘dynamic duo’ has produced some excellent visits in recent years. “We started the picking on 9 September,” Clair told me. “That was the Bonnes Mares because it was already very ripe. But the serious picking really began on 15 September. We finished on 24 and 25 September. The yields were half for the whites because of the dryness, for the reds it was 15-30% less than last year. Vines with deep roots that could penetrate the fissures performed best and did not show any stress. But overall, I am very pleased with the regularity of crop across the reds irrespective of vine age.” It was a wise decision to pick that Bonnes-Mares early because it may well turn out to be their star performer, closely followed by the Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze. Comparing them side-by-side, I might err for the 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques over the 2019, but we will see. Despite millerandage in the vineyard, the Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers displays superb mineralité. Though their 2019 Clos du Fonteny is very promising, the 2018 seemed out of sorts and I will endeavour to re-examine this. Overall, it was a superb set of 2019s from Bruno Clair that will age with style.
2018 Marsannay La Charme Aux Prêtres
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2022 - 2034

Tasting notes: The 2018 Marsannay La Charme Aux Prêtres is a new cuvée that was hitherto blended into the Village Cru, from 70-year-old vines located on poor soils. It has a lovely bouquet of red berry fruit, wild heather and subtle touches of wild mint. The medium-bodied palate offers supple tannins and smooth texture, with a dash of white pepper and bay leaf toward the poised finish. Recommended. 

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair and Philippe Brun are the Batman and Robin of Marsannay that have really ratcheted up quality at this domaine. Both were on top form when I dropped in at their winery (though my God, whatever Bruno had just eaten for lunch, it was making his tummy rumble like Krakatoa!) “We had a lot of rain in the winter," he told me. "It was completely different to the 2019 growing season. In 2018 the maturity was quite strong. We started the picking on 27 August until the 8 or 9 September. I find that the tannins are very tender. Maybe you could say 2018 is a mixture of 1947 and 1959. There is more fruit than in 2003 and more phenolic maturity. The whole bunch in 2018 is between 30-40% as in 2017 and we did less pigeage after fermentation. The alcohol is between 13 and 14% but most are around 13.5%." I strongly recommend this domaine's wines, with some gems among the Premier Crus.
1997 Savigny Les Beaune La Dominode
Color: Red

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Healthy dark red. Complex, somewhat exotic aromas of raspberry, cherry, espresso, licorice and herbs. Fat, dense and pliant if a bit closed today. This has strong material, an old-viney creamy sweetness, and an almost medicinal austerity that augurs well for its evolution in bottle. Finishes with supple tannins and very good length. Doesn't possess quite the spine of the '98, but this is impressive for the year.

Producer Commentary:
"The '98 vintage was completely heterogeneous," said Bruno Clair. "We picked Marsannay ten days before Savigny Dominode. Because of the intense heat in early August, which stressed the vines in some spots but not in others, there was no logic to the ripeness." Yields were very low, especially on hillside sites affected by the April frost. Following a trie in the vines and another selection in the cuverie, the domain, according to Clair, vinified perfectly clean fruit. Cellarmaster Philippe Brun compared the '98s to the estate's '93s, but said the new vintage has riper tannins and more gras. "And there's more to the wine in '98 than in '97, clearly more structure," he added. Just a few '98s had been racked in November following late malos; the rest were still on their lees. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
1996 Savigny Les Beaune La Dominode
Color: Red

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good deep red. Expressive, complex aromas of raspberry, smoke, coffee and gibiers. Fat, sweet and creamy in the mouth; a distinct step up in extract and fruity intensity. Much longer and spicier on the finish. Here the tannins are round and buried in fruit.

Producer Commentary:
"The '95s have more color, more density, thicker skins," says cellarmaster Philippe Brun. "It will be necessary to put them in the cellar and forget them, like the '88s." He adds that the '96s, with their higher grape sugars and lower pHs, will be for drinking earlier. I was unimpressed by a couple of the lower-level '96s (though, following late malos, some wines had not yet been racked), but at the top levels there are several potentially outstanding wines at this address. The best '95s are superb. All the wines reviewed below were bottled without fining or filtration; Clair style makes few concessions to current tastes for sweet new oak and early appeal but have a history of developing well in bottle. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2008 Savigny Les Beaune La Dominode
Color: Red

Score: 90.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good bright, full red. Ripe, slightly medicinal aromas of black cherry, menthol and pepper. Rich, seamless and youthfully backward, with a terrific tight core of spicy raspberry and peppery flavor. Finishes with broad dusty tannins and a strong spice character. Almost Cote de Nuits-like in its tannic structure, this wine really calls for seven or eight years of patience.

Producer Commentary:
1996 Savigny Les Beaune La Dominode
Color: Red

Score: 89.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good dark red. Highly nuanced, vibrant aromas of black raspberry, pomegranate, iron, game, flowers and mint. Muscular and penetrating in the mouth, with complex, differentiated flavors of cherry, blackberry, licorice and mint. Quite perfumed in the mouth. Firm spine of tannins and acids. Persistent fruit and spice finish. May ultimately merit 90 points.

Producer Commentary:
"With the high sugars and great ripeness of the grapes, we expected to have wines with tough tannins," said Bruno Clair. "But the tannins in fact are quite fat, and there nothing hard about the wines at all; 1997 is certainly a vin de garde but it no monster." According to cellarmaster Philippe Brun, the cuvaison was shorter in '97, as there were a lot of yeasts on the grape skins and the fermentations started quickly (the estate does nothing to prevent the fermentation from starting). The malos were tumultuous, and early, but the wines remained on their lees through the winter and have taken on more complexity during elevage (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
1995 Savigny Les Beaune La Dominode
Color: Red

Score: 90.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Saturated red-ruby color. Blueberry, menthol, smoke and game on the nose. Fat, chewy and impressively concentrated; dense and rather powerful. Has the material and fruit to support the rather substantial tannins. Amazingly strong for Savigny but then this wine, says Clair, began with potential alcohol near 13%, like the Cazetiers. Needs at least six or seven years of aging.

Producer Commentary:
"The '95s have more color, more density, thicker skins," says cellarmaster Philippe Brun. "It will be necessary to put them in the cellar and forget them, like the '88s." He adds that the '96s, with their higher grape sugars and lower pHs, will be for drinking earlier. I was unimpressed by a couple of the lower-level '96s (though, following late malos, some wines had not yet been racked), but at the top levels there are several potentially outstanding wines at this address. The best '95s are superb. All the wines reviewed below were bottled without fining or filtration; Clair style makes few concessions to current tastes for sweet new oak and early appeal but have a history of developing well in bottle. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2008 Savigny Les Beaune La Dominode
Color: Red

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: (this and the following wines had been recently racked and sulfited) Good deep red. Pure aromas of raspberry and minerals. Juicy, sweet and intense, with a sappy quality to the flavors of medicinal raspberry, blackberry and chocolate. Ripe and stuffed with material. Perhaps most impressive today on the long, chocolatey finish, which features good mineral lift and a firm tannic spine. This won't even go into cuve until April, notes winemaker Philippe Brun.

Producer Commentary:
Clair delayed harvesting in 2008 until September 30, then picked until October 14, doing a sorting in the vines, especially to eliminate pink grapes. He told me that he lost 20% of his volume due to the wind during the second half of September and that the typical 2008 began with potential alcohol of 12.2% to 12.7%, although the range was actually quite extreme: from 10% to 13.5%. Following very late malos, the premier and grand crus-but not the village wines-had been racked and sulfited just a week or two prior to my visit. The 2008s are characterized by their strawberry and raspberry elements, said Clair, while the 2007s are more about black fruits. "But 2008 has great aging potential," he believes. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2002 Savigny Les Beaune La Dominode
Color: Red

Score: 90.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Black cherry, licorice and smoky oak on the subtle nose. Supple and broad but vinous and light on its feet. This has the energy and vivacity I associate with the best wines from this estate. Explosive, gripping finish shows strong mineral spine and lovely length. Seventy percent of this cuvee still comes from vines planted in 1902. Give this six or seven years in the cellar.

Producer Commentary:
According to cellarmaster Philippe Brun, this estate started picking its white grapes on August 26, and then stopped until September 1.Because they couldn't cool all their tanks at once, they picked only in the mornings.The pinot noirs lack acidity and are rather fragile, says Brun, adding that he believes they are best suited for drinking in their fruity youth.But he maintained that the estate had no surmaturite, and that while the premier crus are virtually all 13% or more alcohol, none of them reached 14%.Incidentally, Clair will not offer a regular Marsannay in 2003, as the estate needed this fruit to make their rose, a wine that is very popular in the U.S. market.(Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2009 Savigny Les Beaune La Dominode
Color: Red

Score: 91.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Sexy aromas of cherry, rose petal, menthol and spices. Juicy, spicy and dense but youthfully imploded today. Cherry fruit is joined on the finish by fine, building tannins and sneaky lingering minerality. This rather elegantly styled Savigny boasts the sweetness of the vintage without loss of energy.

Producer Commentary:
1999 Savigny Les Beaune La Dominode
Color: Red

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Saturated deep red. Deep, slightly medicinal aromas of cherry, raspberry and licorice. Dense with material but currently closed. A rather structured, powerful wine with chewy tannins and lovely persistence and finishing perfume.

Producer Commentary:
Cellarmaster Philippe Brun describes the domain 2000s as aromatic, supple wines, to drink early - a very good restaurant vintage. The fragile fruit, picked largely under very warm conditions, generally needed some acidification. In comparison, he noted, the 2001 harvest brought thicker skins, higher acidity and more concentration. Brun and Bruno Clair both consider 1999 to be their best vintage since 1990. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2000 Savigny Les Beaune La Dominode
Color: Red

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: (these vines are celebrating their 100th birthday this year) Good full red. Sweet aromas of maraschino cherry, minerals and mint. Sweet and minerally, with good texture and concentration. Offers an almost Chambolle-like inner-mouth perfume. Finishes with dusty tannins and a stony quality. Nicely balanced but less intense than usual for this cuvee (The yield here was a rather high 40 hectoliters per hectare, admitted Brun; normally it in the 28 to 30 range).

Producer Commentary:
Cellarmaster Philippe Brun describes the domain 2000s as aromatic, supple wines, to drink early - a very good restaurant vintage. The fragile fruit, picked largely under very warm conditions, generally needed some acidification. In comparison, he noted, the 2001 harvest brought thicker skins, higher acidity and more concentration. Brun and Bruno Clair both consider 1999 to be their best vintage since 1990. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2006 Savigny Les Beaune La Dominode
Color: Red

Score: 89.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good deep red. Complex nose melds redcurrant, spices and earth. Sweet and energetic, with good stuffing to the red fruit and spice flavors. This builds nicely in the mouth, finishing with serious, firm tannins that reach the front teeth. Perhaps a bit more rough-hewn than the 2007, but conveys a real sense of the soil.

Producer Commentary:
"The 2007 vintage is about fruit more than volume," said winemaker Philippe Brun, who did a soft extraction. "Still, the wines are a bit more sturdy than we thought at the beginning, and they didn't lose color during the racking, which is a good sign." Acidity levels were sound, and pHs were "not very high for here," he went on. He summed up: "The '07s are more pinot, but we find more personality and terroir in the '06s. But the '06s don't give pleasure yet and need cellaring." (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2006 Savigny Les Beaune La Dominode
Color: Red

Score: 89.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Aromas of black cherry, licorice and mint. Dense but juicy, with concentrated flavors of black cherry, leather, licorice and earth. A seriously structured Savigny that finishes with toothcoating tannins and very good persistence. This will go underbrushy with bottle aging.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair, who harvested quite late in 2006 (September 27 through October 7), says that this vintage now gives a great deal of pleasure, while 2005 is powerful but closed, with the constitution to age for a long time. The big news here is that the estate took back much of its Bonnes-Mares in early 2006, and has virtually doubled its quantities of Chambertin Clos de Beze, Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques and Vosne-Romanee Champs-Perdrix, following the expiration of long-term rental agreements (mostly with Jadot) that had been signed when Bruno's father Bernard left him 15 hectares of vineyards in 1988. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
1999 Savigny Les Beaune La Dominode
Color: Red

Score: 89.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Saturated ruby-red. Nuanced nose combines cherry, raspberry, licorice, tar and Oriental spices. A distinct step up in sweetness and density over Clair village wines. Fat, creamy and layered but with precision of flavor thanks to sound acidity. Finishes rich and suave, with dusty tannins and subtle persistence.

Producer Commentary:
This is always a tricky cellar for barrel tasting, as the wines tend to show a firm tannic side early on and there relatively little sweetening influence of new oak. That said, I found a few of the lesser wines a bit wimpy and dilute, and lacking in flavor authority ("it was a very big harvest in Marsannay," Clair admits), but at the level of the estate's top crus these are scented, pure wines of subtlety and class. The '99s had been racked for the first time about two weeks prior to my visit. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2003 Savigny Les Beaune La Dominode
Color: Red

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Ripe, deeply pitched aromas of red fruits, truffle and smoke. Fat, round and sweet, with rather low-toned flavors of smoke and earth. Boasts impressive volume but not the normal detail or vivacity of this cuvee In fact, this verges on flaccid. Finishes with fine tannins.

Producer Commentary:
2009 Savigny Les Beaune La Dominode
Color: Red

Score: 90.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good deep red. Very ripe aromas of black cherry, licorice, menthol and musky espresso. The palate boasts the sweetness of the vintage but also display more obvious force and tannic structure than the foregoing samples from the Cote de Nuits. Less chocolate here, and more lift from wild herbs. Ripe but classically dry wine on the back end, finishing with strong fruit and mineral flavors. This will get a late bottling owing to its high tannin content, notes winemaker Philippe Brun.

Producer Commentary:
Clair, who started picking pinot noir on the late side (September 14), describes 2009 as "a very generous year, easy to vinify, with round, rich tannins." He ranks the vintage with past favorites like 2002 and 1990. Only the yields in Chambolle-Musigny, where his vines are not quite 20 years old, are particularly high, he told me-this despite the fact that he did a green harvest in these vines. Compared to the 2009s, the 2008s are vins de garde, he went on, and they will probably shut down in bottle. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL) Other wines tasted: Chambolle-Musigny Les Veroilles, Morey-Saint-Denis en La Rue de Vergy.
2007 Savigny Les Beaune La Dominode
Color: Red

Score: 89.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Bright medium red. Reticent nose hints at maraschino cherry, dark berries and minerals. Sweet, dense and quite young, showing a brooding medicinal quality and good power for the year. A large-scaled, chewy wine with no easy sweetness. In spite of its volume, this is almost austere for the year, and the dusty tannins call for at least a couple years of patience.

Producer Commentary:
Clair delayed harvesting in 2008 until September 30, then picked until October 14, doing a sorting in the vines, especially to eliminate pink grapes. He told me that he lost 20% of his volume due to the wind during the second half of September and that the typical 2008 began with potential alcohol of 12.2% to 12.7%, although the range was actually quite extreme: from 10% to 13.5%. Following very late malos, the premier and grand crus-but not the village wines-had been racked and sulfited just a week or two prior to my visit. The 2008s are characterized by their strawberry and raspberry elements, said Clair, while the 2007s are more about black fruits. "But 2008 has great aging potential," he believes. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2005 Savigny Les Beaune La Dominode
Color: Red

Score: 89.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good medium ruby-red. Sappy berries and dark cherry on the nose, complicated by licorice, herbs and minerals. Juicy and tightly wound, dominated by its firm acid spine today; this has not recovered from its racking two weeks before my visit. But this firmly tannic wine possesses very good aromatic lift. (I rated this wine ahead of the Chambolle-Musigny, Vosne-Romanee and Gevrey-Chambertin village wines here, although the latter two showed solid 86-89 potential.)

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair told me that 1990 is the greatest vintage for this domain since he started here in 1969. "But the crop in 2005 was smaller than that of 1990, and the new vintage is richer and more palate-coating than other great years like 2002, 1999 and 1996," he added. "At harvest time, we had a festival of perfume in the cuverie." (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL) Also recommended: Marsannay Les Longeroies (85), Gevrey-Chambertin Clos du Fonteny (85?), Savigny-les-Beaune La Dominode (86+?).
1997 Savigny Les Beaune La Dominode
Color: Red

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good red color. Bright aromas of cherry, leather, licorice and brown spices. Silky and textured, with a restrained sweetness. Briary cherry and smoke flavors complicated by a hint of exotic fruit.

Producer Commentary:
"With the high sugars and great ripeness of the grapes, we expected to have wines with tough tannins," said Bruno Clair. "But the tannins in fact are quite fat, and there nothing hard about the wines at all; 1997 is certainly a vin de garde but it no monster." According to cellarmaster Philippe Brun, the cuvaison was shorter in '97, as there were a lot of yeasts on the grape skins and the fermentations started quickly (the estate does nothing to prevent the fermentation from starting). The malos were tumultuous, and early, but the wines remained on their lees through the winter and have taken on more complexity during elevage (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2001 Savigny Les Beaune La Dominode
Color: Red

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good bright medium red. Cherry, leather, smoke, minerals and mint on the nose. Supple and nicely delineated; possesses solid structure but not the creamy concentration of the best years for this bottling. Finishes with slightly dry-edged tannins and good length.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair described 2002 as an easy vintage: Like 1990:very ripe, no rot, little selection necessary, easy to vinify."Potential alcohols were typically in the 12% to 12.5% range, with most wines chaptalized about a half a degree.The wines had been assembled and racked a couple weeks prior to my visit; Clair noted that the colors were still a bit lightened by the recent sulfur additions.(Vineyard Brands, Birmingham AL
1998 Savigny Les Beaune La Dominode
Color: Red

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Bright cherry-red. Complex, wild aromas of redcurrant, blueberry, minerals, tar, humus and underbrush. Very dense and chewy, but given shape and clarity by ripe acids. Impressively big in the middle. Finishes with big, chewy tannins and a suggestion of roasted ripeness.

Producer Commentary:
This is always a tricky cellar for barrel tasting, as the wines tend to show a firm tannic side early on and there relatively little sweetening influence of new oak. That said, I found a few of the lesser wines a bit wimpy and dilute, and lacking in flavor authority ("it was a very big harvest in Marsannay," Clair admits), but at the level of the estate's top crus these are scented, pure wines of subtlety and class. The '99s had been racked for the first time about two weeks prior to my visit. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
1998 Savigny Les Beaune La Dominode
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Bright deep red-ruby. Pungent aromas of minty dark berries and minerals. Very intensely flavored but tightly wrapped; juicy and sharply delineated. Here the serious tannins are nobler and finer, and spread out to coat the palate. The yield of these vines was a good average 38 h/h, and the potential alcohol was a healthy 12.5%. Promises to be a superb vintage for this singular wine, a majority of which is from vines planted in 1902.

Producer Commentary:
"The '98 vintage was completely heterogeneous," said Bruno Clair. "We picked Marsannay ten days before Savigny Dominode. Because of the intense heat in early August, which stressed the vines in some spots but not in others, there was no logic to the ripeness." Yields were very low, especially on hillside sites affected by the April frost. Following a trie in the vines and another selection in the cuverie, the domain, according to Clair, vinified perfectly clean fruit. Cellarmaster Philippe Brun compared the '98s to the estate's '93s, but said the new vintage has riper tannins and more gras. "And there's more to the wine in '98 than in '97, clearly more structure," he added. Just a few '98s had been racked in November following late malos; the rest were still on their lees. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2002 Savigny Les Beaune La Dominode
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: (picked at the beginning of the harvest; the crop level here was just 28 hectoliters per hectare, according to Clair) Medium red. Nuanced nose combines red fruits, mocha, chocolate, flowers and underbrush. A step up in sweetness and concentration from the foregoing samples: creamy, layered and very long, with suave, ripe tannins. Aged in one-third new oak, but comes across as rather oaky today. A wine from 100-year-old vines; the vineyard was planted in 1902.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair described 2002 as an easy vintage: Like 1990:very ripe, no rot, little selection necessary, easy to vinify."Potential alcohols were typically in the 12% to 12.5% range, with most wines chaptalized about a half a degree.The wines had been assembled and racked a couple weeks prior to my visit; Clair noted that the colors were still a bit lightened by the recent sulfur additions.(Vineyard Brands, Birmingham AL
2018 Pernand Vergelesses Village Blanc
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2021 - 2027

Tasting notes: The 2018 Pernand-Vergelesses Village Blanc comes across a little simple on the nose of light citrus fruit, grapefruit and green apple notes. The palate is ripe and slightly tropical, offering gingerbread and red cherry notes toward the spicy finish. Very fine. 

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair and Philippe Brun are the Batman and Robin of Marsannay that have really ratcheted up quality at this domaine. Both were on top form when I dropped in at their winery (though my God, whatever Bruno had just eaten for lunch, it was making his tummy rumble like Krakatoa!) “We had a lot of rain in the winter," he told me. "It was completely different to the 2019 growing season. In 2018 the maturity was quite strong. We started the picking on 27 August until the 8 or 9 September. I find that the tannins are very tender. Maybe you could say 2018 is a mixture of 1947 and 1959. There is more fruit than in 2003 and more phenolic maturity. The whole bunch in 2018 is between 30-40% as in 2017 and we did less pigeage after fermentation. The alcohol is between 13 and 14% but most are around 13.5%." I strongly recommend this domaine's wines, with some gems among the Premier Crus.
2012 Pernand Vergelesses
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2014 - 2016

Tasting notes: Pears, white flowers, crushed rocks and spices are all nicely supported by veins of salivating acidity that give the 2012 Pernand-Vergelesses much of its energy and drive. This is another very pretty white from Bruno Clair. I especially like the sense of energy here.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair and his longtime winemaker Philippe Brun do so many things well, as these 2012s amply show. Where to start with these wines? Well, the Marsannays are terrific, but frankly so are all the wines. The harvest started on September 20 and wrapped up on October 2. By comparison, the 2013 harvest started on October 3 and lasted until the 20th. Malos were quite late here, and the wines were only racked in early September. Over the last few years Clair has begun to age some of his wines partly or wholly in cask, where volumes allow for larger aging vessels. When all is said and done, Bruno Clair's wines have been among the most impressive for some time and are deserving of a much wider audience. I highly encourage readers to check them out.
2008 Morey St. Denis en La Rue De Vergy
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2018 - 2018

Tasting notes: The 2008 Morey St. Denis En la Rue de Vergy is a powerful, intense wine. The weight of Morey and the classic style of the vintage result in a wine that needs time in bottle to soften. Still, this finishes with substantial length and polish, suggesting all that is needed is time. 

Producer Commentary:
This is a beautiful set of wines from Bruno Clair. Every wine I tasted with Clair's longtime oenologist Philippe Brun was gorgeous from top to bottom. While the top 2009s are certainly superb, the real jewels here are the village level wines which appear to be among the great success stories of the 2009 vintage. I tasted all of the wines from barrel, except the Marsannay and Marsannay Les Vaudanelles, both of which were bottled before the 2010 harvest. In 2009 Clair began harvesting on September 15 and ended on the 23rd. I also tasted a handful of 2008s, from a much later harvest that stretched into October. The handful of wines I tasted from that vintage are equally impressive, and equally worth your time.
2009 Morey St. Denis en La Rue De Vergy
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2014 - 2024

Tasting notes: The 2009 Morey St. Denis En La Rue de Vergy is a beautifully precise, linear wine. The fruit shows terrific focus and length on the mid-palate, while the finish presents the more ethereal side to the wine. This is a touch firm, but quite pretty. 

Producer Commentary:
This is a beautiful set of wines from Bruno Clair. Every wine I tasted with Clair's longtime oenologist Philippe Brun was gorgeous from top to bottom. While the top 2009s are certainly superb, the real jewels here are the village level wines which appear to be among the great success stories of the 2009 vintage. I tasted all of the wines from barrel, except the Marsannay and Marsannay Les Vaudanelles, both of which were bottled before the 2010 harvest. In 2009 Clair began harvesting on September 15 and ended on the 23rd. I also tasted a handful of 2008s, from a much later harvest that stretched into October. The handful of wines I tasted from that vintage are equally impressive, and equally worth your time.
2010 Morey St. Denis en La Rue De Vergy
Color: Red

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2015 - 2025

Tasting notes: The 2010 Morey St. Denis En La Rue de Vergy is an attractive, delicate wine graced with expressive dark red fruit. Firm yet well-integrated tannins give the wine its sense of energy and focus, especially on the finish. This is very Morey in demeanor. 

Producer Commentary:
This is a fabulous set of wines from Bruno Clair and his long-time oenologist Philippe Brun. The harvest started on September 25. Yields were 22-30 hectoliters per hectare, which is to say a good 10% less than 2003, a torrid vintage marked by tiny yields. Clair describes the fruit as healthy, with no botrytis and soft tannins from the late harvest. The 2010s were 100% destemmed. New oak ranged from 25% for the villages to 50% for the Grand Crus, except for the Marsannays, which saw very little new oak.
2018 Morey Saint Denis en La Rue Vergy Blanc
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2021 - 2028

Tasting notes: The 2018 Morey Saint-Denis En la Rue Vergy Blanc is more resinous on the nose than its peers and demands coaxing from the glass. The palate is showing some CO2 at the moment, but there is great energy here, leading to an orange zest and apricot-tinged finish. 

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair and Philippe Brun are the Batman and Robin of Marsannay that have really ratcheted up quality at this domaine. Both were on top form when I dropped in at their winery (though my God, whatever Bruno had just eaten for lunch, it was making his tummy rumble like Krakatoa!) “We had a lot of rain in the winter," he told me. "It was completely different to the 2019 growing season. In 2018 the maturity was quite strong. We started the picking on 27 August until the 8 or 9 September. I find that the tannins are very tender. Maybe you could say 2018 is a mixture of 1947 and 1959. There is more fruit than in 2003 and more phenolic maturity. The whole bunch in 2018 is between 30-40% as in 2017 and we did less pigeage after fermentation. The alcohol is between 13 and 14% but most are around 13.5%." I strongly recommend this domaine's wines, with some gems among the Premier Crus.
2019 Marsannay Village
Color: Red

Score: 86.0

Drinking window: 2022 - 2027

Tasting notes: The 2019 Marsannay Village, a blend of several parcels, has a well defined bouquet with blackberry and raspberry fruit. The palate is nicely balanced, gentle with light tannins and simple red fruit on the slightly attenuated finish. 

Producer Commentary:
For the final time, I met Philippe Brun at the winery, as Brun is due to retire in the near future. It will be strange not seeing him flanking Bruno Clair next year. Marsannay’s ‘dynamic duo’ has produced some excellent visits in recent years. “We started the picking on 9 September,” Clair told me. “That was the Bonnes Mares because it was already very ripe. But the serious picking really began on 15 September. We finished on 24 and 25 September. The yields were half for the whites because of the dryness, for the reds it was 15-30% less than last year. Vines with deep roots that could penetrate the fissures performed best and did not show any stress. But overall, I am very pleased with the regularity of crop across the reds irrespective of vine age.” It was a wise decision to pick that Bonnes-Mares early because it may well turn out to be their star performer, closely followed by the Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze. Comparing them side-by-side, I might err for the 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques over the 2019, but we will see. Despite millerandage in the vineyard, the Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers displays superb mineralité. Though their 2019 Clos du Fonteny is very promising, the 2018 seemed out of sorts and I will endeavour to re-examine this. Overall, it was a superb set of 2019s from Bruno Clair that will age with style.
2018 Marsannay Village
Color: Red

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2021 - 2028

Tasting notes: The 2018 Marsannay Village is a blend of several parcels. It offers bright brambly red fruit on the nose, plus touches of rose petal and cassis. The palate is well balanced with fine tannins, sharp acidity and a surfeit of freshness on the finish. Very fine. 

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair and Philippe Brun are the Batman and Robin of Marsannay that have really ratcheted up quality at this domaine. Both were on top form when I dropped in at their winery (though my God, whatever Bruno had just eaten for lunch, it was making his tummy rumble like Krakatoa!) “We had a lot of rain in the winter," he told me. "It was completely different to the 2019 growing season. In 2018 the maturity was quite strong. We started the picking on 27 August until the 8 or 9 September. I find that the tannins are very tender. Maybe you could say 2018 is a mixture of 1947 and 1959. There is more fruit than in 2003 and more phenolic maturity. The whole bunch in 2018 is between 30-40% as in 2017 and we did less pigeage after fermentation. The alcohol is between 13 and 14% but most are around 13.5%." I strongly recommend this domaine's wines, with some gems among the Premier Crus.
2016 Morey Saint Denis en La Rue De Vergy
Color: Red

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: (the estate made 70% of a normal crop): Medium red. Slightly diffuse aromas of red and darker berries, earth and game. Shows more red than black fruits in the mouth, with complicating notes of clove and underbrush. I wanted a bit more flesh and stuffing. Not bad but not exciting. Finishes with slightly dusty tannins. These vines were planted on broken rock in 1980. (Clair will not bottle any Chambolle-Musigny Les Veroilles owing to the frost.)

Producer Commentary:
“We were massacred by the frost in Chambolle, Savigny and the south side of Marsannay,” said Bruno Clair in January, adding that his estate produced just 35% of a normal crop in 2016. But he added that he had only half a crop in 2015, and roughly the same production in 2013, 2012 and 2010 as well. The estate began harvesting on September 23 with grape sugars around 12% and chaptalized about half a degree. In comparison, potential alcohol levels were at least 13% in 2015 (13.5% for the Bonnes-Mares) and no chaptalization was done.

Cellarmaster Philippe Brun vinified most of the ‘16s with 20% to 25% whole clusters. The malos were protracted, typically lasting until August, and the wines had been racked and assembled in November. Clair described 2016 as “a classic vintage with less excesses of heat and drought than 2015, and a set of wines that should age well. Only the frost was a problem, and the wines have good balance and structure.” Brun added that he prefers the more linear 2016s and that he finds the 2015s "a bit too rich, even if they avoided any cooked taste. But we'll see in ten years."
2012 Morey Saint Denis en La Rue De Vergy
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2014 - 2026

Tasting notes: The 2012 Morey-Saint-Denis En La Rue de Vergy is all about tension and energy. Bright veins of acidity and minerality provide the backbone as the 2012 opens up in the glass. Readers who like vibrant, pulsating Burgundies will flip out over the 2012. There is a saline intensity here that is impossible to miss. This is another highlight in the range.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair and his longtime winemaker Philippe Brun do so many things well, as these 2012s amply show. Where to start with these wines? Well, the Marsannays are terrific, but frankly so are all the wines. The harvest started on September 20 and wrapped up on October 2. By comparison, the 2013 harvest started on October 3 and lasted until the 20th. Malos were quite late here, and the wines were only racked in early September. Over the last few years Clair has begun to age some of his wines partly or wholly in cask, where volumes allow for larger aging vessels. When all is said and done, Bruno Clair's wines have been among the most impressive for some time and are deserving of a much wider audience. I highly encourage readers to check them out.
2014 Morey Saint Denis en La Rue De Vergy
Color: Red

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 2018 - 2023

Tasting notes: Palish medium red. Rather rustic nose shows as much leather and underbrush as primary red berry fruit and spices. Offers decent texture and sweetness but also a distinctly exotic cast to its spice and orange zest flavors. Finishes with dusty tannins and decent length. I prefer the Chambolles Veroilles for its greater precision.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair’s 2014s stood out for their precision and transparency to terroir in December. Even if they don’t have the sheer thickness of the ‘15s, I had a hard time choosing between the two vintages. The '14s were bottled between late April and the end of May of 2016.
2002 Morey Saint Denis en La Rue De Vergy
Color: Red

Score: 87.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Smoky red fruits, underbrush and a strong mineral note on the nose. Supple and ripe but less precise than the Veroilles; in a somewhat drier style. Notes of mocha and brown spices are true to the appellation. (Clair's Aloxe-Corton was due for a racking and was too reduced and full of gas to assess.)

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair described 2002 as an easy vintage: Like 1990:very ripe, no rot, little selection necessary, easy to vinify."Potential alcohols were typically in the 12% to 12.5% range, with most wines chaptalized about a half a degree.The wines had been assembled and racked a couple weeks prior to my visit; Clair noted that the colors were still a bit lightened by the recent sulfur additions.(Vineyard Brands, Birmingham AL
2000 Morey Saint Denis en La Rue De Vergy
Color: Red

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Moderately saturated medium red. Aromas of redcurrant, mocha and spice. Smooth but vinous, with good density and a cool mineral aspect. Not fleshy but rather suave. Finishes with sweet tannins and a hint of unabsorbed acidity.

Producer Commentary:
2008 Morey Saint Denis en La Rue De Vergy
Color: Red

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Ripe aroma of brown spices and rocks. Ripe and easygoing but on the simple side, with less density than the Longeroies. I find this surprisingly supple today but there's good mineral energy underneath the berry and earth flavors.

Producer Commentary:
Clair delayed harvesting in 2008 until September 30, then picked until October 14, doing a sorting in the vines, especially to eliminate pink grapes. He told me that he lost 20% of his volume due to the wind during the second half of September and that the typical 2008 began with potential alcohol of 12.2% to 12.7%, although the range was actually quite extreme: from 10% to 13.5%. Following very late malos, the premier and grand crus-but not the village wines-had been racked and sulfited just a week or two prior to my visit. The 2008s are characterized by their strawberry and raspberry elements, said Clair, while the 2007s are more about black fruits. "But 2008 has great aging potential," he believes. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2015 Morey Saint Denis en La Rue De Vergy
Color: Red

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: (from vines planted in the 1980s on rocky soil): Good dark red. Quite reticent on the nose, and a bit diffuse. Then juicy and sweet in the mouth, with soil-driven red berry flavors complicated by red licorice and mineral notes. Good density and breadth here--and a bit more size than usual for this wine. Finishes with dusty, horizontal tannins. Clair noted that this bottling is taking on more power as the vines age.

Producer Commentary:
The rain on August 6 brought the grapes back to a state of equilibrium following the drought conditions in July and saved the 2015 harvest, said Bruno Clair, who added that there were two subsequent “key” rains in August. “But we didn’t have a lot of grapes and they never got large,” he noted, and the estate ultimately produced the equivalent of half a normal crop.

Clair started harvesting with his Bonnes-Mares on September 5 and needed two weeks to pick. Grape sugars were mostly between 12.5% and 13%, with some even higher. The harvest was “perfectly clean” and the estate vinified with a higher percentage of whole clusters than normally. The malolactic fermentations finished relatively quickly, during the winter, and Clair expected to bottle the bulk of his 2015s in April of 2017. “The wines have complexity, charm and drive,” Clair summarized, “and they are not austere.”

Incidentally, Clair took back the remainder of his Bonnes-Mares in 2016 and now works 1.45 hectares of vines in this grand cru. All of his land is in Chambolle-Musigny, except for a small band of vines next to Clos de Tart.
1996 Morey Saint Denis en La Rue De Vergy
Color: Red

Score: 85.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Modestly saturated medium red. Somewhat dull aromas of red fruits and licorice. Supple but rather shallow, with a vegetal complexity. Rather gentle for '96. Finishes with decent length and ripeness.

Producer Commentary:
"With the high sugars and great ripeness of the grapes, we expected to have wines with tough tannins," said Bruno Clair. "But the tannins in fact are quite fat, and there nothing hard about the wines at all; 1997 is certainly a vin de garde but it no monster." According to cellarmaster Philippe Brun, the cuvaison was shorter in '97, as there were a lot of yeasts on the grape skins and the fermentations started quickly (the estate does nothing to prevent the fermentation from starting). The malos were tumultuous, and early, but the wines remained on their lees through the winter and have taken on more complexity during elevage (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
1998 Marsannay Les Vaudenelles
Color: Red

Score: 86.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: From a 15-hectoliter foudre. Very deep color. Reduced, gamey aroma complicated by a floral topnote. Fruity, fresh and supple, with strong fruit and plenty of texture. Good stuff.

Producer Commentary:
"The '98 vintage was completely heterogeneous," said Bruno Clair. "We picked Marsannay ten days before Savigny Dominode. Because of the intense heat in early August, which stressed the vines in some spots but not in others, there was no logic to the ripeness." Yields were very low, especially on hillside sites affected by the April frost. Following a trie in the vines and another selection in the cuverie, the domain, according to Clair, vinified perfectly clean fruit. Cellarmaster Philippe Brun compared the '98s to the estate's '93s, but said the new vintage has riper tannins and more gras. "And there's more to the wine in '98 than in '97, clearly more structure," he added. Just a few '98s had been racked in November following late malos; the rest were still on their lees. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2013 Marsannay Les Vaudanelles
Color: Red

Score: 87.5

Drinking window: 2015 - 2020

Tasting notes: The 2013 Marsannay Les Vaudanelles is loaded with bright, citrus-inflected flavors. Expressive saline notes give the wine much of its tension and overall energy. Cranberry, rhubarb, tangerine and mint add elements of dimension on the finish in an attractive Marsannay to drink now and over the next few years.

Producer Commentary:
It's always a pleasure to sit down and taste with Bruno Clair and his longtime winemaker, Philippe Brun, both of whom are a treasure trove of experience and knowledge. Clair brought in his fruit beginning on October 7, which only has parallels in the estate's recent history with 1978 and 1980, where the harvests started on October 10 and 12. It's true that 2008 was almost as late as 2013, except that in 2013 the last few days of ripening did not add a meaningful amount of concentration as they did in 2008. Clair adds that sugars alone are not a measure of quality, as evidenced by the 1991s, many of which are more complete than their 1990 counterparts. Of course, the issue with any late-ripening year is that the days are shorter as the season progresses, so there are meaningful differences between the heat of August and that of September. As if the bad flowering and early start to the year was not enough, Clair's vineyards in Savigny-les-Beaune and Pernand-Vergelesses were all damaged by hail. According to Clair, the Charlemagne was more skin than juice, clearly a far from favorable situation. I tasted the 2013s from barrel, after they had been racked. Where the wines don't carry the signatures of hail they are quite pretty. Philippe Brun adds that while the terroirs are well marked in 2013, the wines should be enjoyed before the 2012s.
2009 Marsannay Les Vaudanelles
Color: Red

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2013 - 2019

Tasting notes: The 2009 Marsannay Les Vaudanelles, from limestone-rich soils in the southern part of the village, is tightly-grained, firm and totally engaging. The Vaudanelles presents darker tonalities of red fruit along with sweet balsamic nuances that add complexity. It, too, is totally engaging. 

Producer Commentary:
This is a beautiful set of wines from Bruno Clair. Every wine I tasted with Clair's longtime oenologist Philippe Brun was gorgeous from top to bottom. While the top 2009s are certainly superb, the real jewels here are the village level wines which appear to be among the great success stories of the 2009 vintage. I tasted all of the wines from barrel, except the Marsannay and Marsannay Les Vaudanelles, both of which were bottled before the 2010 harvest. In 2009 Clair began harvesting on September 15 and ended on the 23rd. I also tasted a handful of 2008s, from a much later harvest that stretched into October. The handful of wines I tasted from that vintage are equally impressive, and equally worth your time.
2009 Gevrey Chambertin Petite Chapelle – 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2019 - 2029

Tasting notes: The 2009 Gevrey-Chambertin Petite Chapelle is bigger and sturdier than the Fonteny, yet still retains plenty of elegance. There is plenty of depth and richness to the fruit, not to mention superb balance and a round, completely engaging finish. Given the wine's structural intensity, I would not be surprised to see this close down for a few years after bottling. 

Producer Commentary:
This is a beautiful set of wines from Bruno Clair. Every wine I tasted with Clair's longtime oenologist Philippe Brun was gorgeous from top to bottom. While the top 2009s are certainly superb, the real jewels here are the village level wines which appear to be among the great success stories of the 2009 vintage. I tasted all of the wines from barrel, except the Marsannay and Marsannay Les Vaudanelles, both of which were bottled before the 2010 harvest. In 2009 Clair began harvesting on September 15 and ended on the 23rd. I also tasted a handful of 2008s, from a much later harvest that stretched into October. The handful of wines I tasted from that vintage are equally impressive, and equally worth your time.
2012 Marsannay Les Grasses Têtes
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2014 - 2022

Tasting notes: Dark red cherry, plums, smoke, licorice and incense meld together in the 2012 Marsannay Les Grasses Têtes. Here the clay-rich soils yield a dark, sumptuous Marsanny built on textural volume and pure resonance. A broad, rich, explosive wine, the 2012 boasts exceptional balance and tons of class.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair and his longtime winemaker Philippe Brun do so many things well, as these 2012s amply show. Where to start with these wines? Well, the Marsannays are terrific, but frankly so are all the wines. The harvest started on September 20 and wrapped up on October 2. By comparison, the 2013 harvest started on October 3 and lasted until the 20th. Malos were quite late here, and the wines were only racked in early September. Over the last few years Clair has begun to age some of his wines partly or wholly in cask, where volumes allow for larger aging vessels. When all is said and done, Bruno Clair's wines have been among the most impressive for some time and are deserving of a much wider audience. I highly encourage readers to check them out.
2016 Marsannay Les Grasses Têtes
Color: Red

Score: 87.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: (the estate made just 9 barrels from 2-1/2 hectares, the equivalent of just under 8 hectoliters per hectare, and there was no Marsannay Les Vaudenelles in '16): Good dark red. Sweet dark cherry on the nose. Very ripe, in fact almost roasted on the palate, conveying a rather chunky quality and a medicinal kirsch flavor. This solid, firmly tannic Marsannay from red clay soil will need time.

Producer Commentary:
“We were massacred by the frost in Chambolle, Savigny and the south side of Marsannay,” said Bruno Clair in January, adding that his estate produced just 35% of a normal crop in 2016. But he added that he had only half a crop in 2015, and roughly the same production in 2013, 2012 and 2010 as well. The estate began harvesting on September 23 with grape sugars around 12% and chaptalized about half a degree. In comparison, potential alcohol levels were at least 13% in 2015 (13.5% for the Bonnes-Mares) and no chaptalization was done.

Cellarmaster Philippe Brun vinified most of the ‘16s with 20% to 25% whole clusters. The malos were protracted, typically lasting until August, and the wines had been racked and assembled in November. Clair described 2016 as “a classic vintage with less excesses of heat and drought than 2015, and a set of wines that should age well. Only the frost was a problem, and the wines have good balance and structure.” Brun added that he prefers the more linear 2016s and that he finds the 2015s "a bit too rich, even if they avoided any cooked taste. But we'll see in ten years."
2015 Marsannay Les Grasses Têtes
Color: Red

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Deeply pitched, slightly reduced aromas of plum, currant and strawberry. A bit more pristine than the Vaudenelles, with the red fruit and earth flavors showing more mineral punch and intensity. Less fruity, more soil-driven wine with chewy tannins and iron-like minerality. This wine will benefit from a couple years of bottle aging.

Producer Commentary:
The rain on August 6 brought the grapes back to a state of equilibrium following the drought conditions in July and saved the 2015 harvest, said Bruno Clair, who added that there were two subsequent “key” rains in August. “But we didn’t have a lot of grapes and they never got large,” he noted, and the estate ultimately produced the equivalent of half a normal crop.

Clair started harvesting with his Bonnes-Mares on September 5 and needed two weeks to pick. Grape sugars were mostly between 12.5% and 13%, with some even higher. The harvest was “perfectly clean” and the estate vinified with a higher percentage of whole clusters than normally. The malolactic fermentations finished relatively quickly, during the winter, and Clair expected to bottle the bulk of his 2015s in April of 2017. “The wines have complexity, charm and drive,” Clair summarized, “and they are not austere.”

Incidentally, Clair took back the remainder of his Bonnes-Mares in 2016 and now works 1.45 hectares of vines in this grand cru. All of his land is in Chambolle-Musigny, except for a small band of vines next to Clos de Tart.
2013 Marsannay Les Grasses Têtes
Color: Red

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2015 - 2020

Tasting notes: Clair's Marsannay Les Grasses Têtes impresses for its stoniness and overall vertical sense of structure. Dark red cherry, plums, spice and tobacco notes are beautifully layered in a wine that brings together notable depth but in the vibrant style of the year.

Producer Commentary:
It's always a pleasure to sit down and taste with Bruno Clair and his longtime winemaker, Philippe Brun, both of whom are a treasure trove of experience and knowledge. Clair brought in his fruit beginning on October 7, which only has parallels in the estate's recent history with 1978 and 1980, where the harvests started on October 10 and 12. It's true that 2008 was almost as late as 2013, except that in 2013 the last few days of ripening did not add a meaningful amount of concentration as they did in 2008. Clair adds that sugars alone are not a measure of quality, as evidenced by the 1991s, many of which are more complete than their 1990 counterparts. Of course, the issue with any late-ripening year is that the days are shorter as the season progresses, so there are meaningful differences between the heat of August and that of September. As if the bad flowering and early start to the year was not enough, Clair's vineyards in Savigny-les-Beaune and Pernand-Vergelesses were all damaged by hail. According to Clair, the Charlemagne was more skin than juice, clearly a far from favorable situation. I tasted the 2013s from barrel, after they had been racked. Where the wines don't carry the signatures of hail they are quite pretty. Philippe Brun adds that while the terroirs are well marked in 2013, the wines should be enjoyed before the 2012s.
2018 Marsannay Les Grasses Têtes
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2022 - 2033

Tasting notes: The 2018 Marsannay Les Grasses Têtes has a superb bouquet, perhaps the earthier of Clair’s Marsannays and very well defined, offering detailed black fruit mixed with sous-bois and rose petals. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, wonderful acidity, a lot of coiled-up energy and a mineral-soaked finish that bodes well for the future. Excellent. 

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair and Philippe Brun are the Batman and Robin of Marsannay that have really ratcheted up quality at this domaine. Both were on top form when I dropped in at their winery (though my God, whatever Bruno had just eaten for lunch, it was making his tummy rumble like Krakatoa!) “We had a lot of rain in the winter," he told me. "It was completely different to the 2019 growing season. In 2018 the maturity was quite strong. We started the picking on 27 August until the 8 or 9 September. I find that the tannins are very tender. Maybe you could say 2018 is a mixture of 1947 and 1959. There is more fruit than in 2003 and more phenolic maturity. The whole bunch in 2018 is between 30-40% as in 2017 and we did less pigeage after fermentation. The alcohol is between 13 and 14% but most are around 13.5%." I strongly recommend this domaine's wines, with some gems among the Premier Crus.
2017 Marsannay Les Grasses Têtes
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2021 - 2032

Tasting notes: The 2017 Marsannay Les Grasses Têtes is a step up compared to the Marsannay Village, with a nose of crushed stone and almost flint-like aromas filtering through the black fruit. This is very well defined and focused. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannin. I adore the focus and energy of this wine, the confit finish lending just a hint of exoticism. Superb. 

Producer Commentary:
This year, Philippe Brun escorted me through the domaine’s 2017s. Once known for its intermittently rustic wines, there is a sense of newfound refinement and elegance that has seen Bruno Clair gain a wider and well-deserved following. This is partly because they have eased off the extraction and picked just a little earlier. They oversee a strong portfolio of cuvées, not just their Grand Crus and prized rows within Clos Saint-Jacques, but a cluster of excellent Village and Premier Crus that can offer great value. Brun told me that they commenced the picking on September 5 and picked over the following five days - quite a short harvest given their range of holdings. None of the wines had been racked when I visited, and they plan to blend the cuvées in January.

This was a very fine set of wines from Bruno Clair, though one or two, such as the Gevrey-Chambertin Petite Chapelle and perhaps the Cazetiers and Clos Saint-Jacques, left me wondering if they could have given more. It was another Gevrey-Chambertin – the 0.68-hectare monopole of Clos du Fonteny, which rises on a geological ledge a few meters above the rest of Fonteny – that really caught my eye, alongside a very impressive Marsannay Les Grasses-Têtes and a superb Bonnes-Mares that crowns their range. Generally, I found assiduous use of whole bunches here and a collection of wines that range from the easygoing to others that boast long-term potential.
2013 Marsannay Les Grasses Têtes
Color: Red

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 2018 - 2024

Tasting notes: Healthy medium red. Slightly medicinal cast to the aromas of black cherry and licorice. Tightly wound and a touch rustic, with the medicinal quality carrying through on the palate. Conveys an impression of soil character but the tannins are a bit dry.

Producer Commentary:
The team here did a lot of triage in the vines at the beginning of September, said Bruno Clair, to protect the fruit against rot and to speed up the ripening process, as the grapes were still green. In the end, he told me, "2013 did not reach the same ripeness as 2014 did, and ripeness came from loss of juice in the grapes rather than from photosynthesis." Two thousand fourteen conveys terroir character while 2013 is more marked by the "historic climate" of the year, he added. Clair began harvesting in 2013 on October 3.
2014 Marsannay Les Grasses Tetes
Color: Red

Score: 88.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Bright medium red. Good lift to the aromas of dark cherry and raspberry. A step up in intensity and verve from the Vaudenelles, with plum and red cherry flavors complemented by saline minerality and nicely framed by harmonious acidity. Quite ripe and soft for this cuvée, finishing with easygoing tannins.

Producer Commentary:
"The 2014s showcase their terroirs while the 2013s are more marked by the almost historically cool season," said Bruno Clair in December. He made between 70% and 80% of a normal crop in 2014 and finds these wines riper than the 2013s, which he says "ripened by concentration, not from sun. The 2014s have a bit of the finesse of the 2011s but they also have more depth."

This estate benefits from a high percentage of very old vines. In fact, thanks to the quality of the genetic material planted here, cuttings from Clair's vines, along with those of Domaine Ponsot, were used by the University of Dijon in the 1960s to create some of the clones that are most highly regarded today in Burgundy and elsewhere. I tasted the Marsannay cuvées from large casks, and all but one of the rest from barriques; all of the 2014s had been racked in October.
2019 Marsannay Les Grasses Têtes
Color: Red

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2022 - 2030

Tasting notes: The 2019 Marsannay Les Grasses Têtes has a perfumed bouquet with red cherries, raspberry and wilted rose petals, nicely focused. The palate is medium-bodied with candied red fruit mixed with cassis and touches of vanilla towards the finish. Something joyful about this cuvée this year. 

Producer Commentary:
For the final time, I met Philippe Brun at the winery, as Brun is due to retire in the near future. It will be strange not seeing him flanking Bruno Clair next year. Marsannay’s ‘dynamic duo’ has produced some excellent visits in recent years. “We started the picking on 9 September,” Clair told me. “That was the Bonnes Mares because it was already very ripe. But the serious picking really began on 15 September. We finished on 24 and 25 September. The yields were half for the whites because of the dryness, for the reds it was 15-30% less than last year. Vines with deep roots that could penetrate the fissures performed best and did not show any stress. But overall, I am very pleased with the regularity of crop across the reds irrespective of vine age.” It was a wise decision to pick that Bonnes-Mares early because it may well turn out to be their star performer, closely followed by the Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze. Comparing them side-by-side, I might err for the 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques over the 2019, but we will see. Despite millerandage in the vineyard, the Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers displays superb mineralité. Though their 2019 Clos du Fonteny is very promising, the 2018 seemed out of sorts and I will endeavour to re-examine this. Overall, it was a superb set of 2019s from Bruno Clair that will age with style.
2014 Marsannay Les Grasses Têtes
Color: Red

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2019 - 2025

Tasting notes: Moderately saturated medium red. Tangy, slightly rustic scents of raspberry, leather and peppery herbs. A very spicy style of Marsannay, showing good cut and peppery lift to its flavors of raspberry and minerals. Finishes with firm, slightly dry tannins that call for a couple years of cellaring.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair’s 2014s stood out for their precision and transparency to terroir in December. Even if they don’t have the sheer thickness of the ‘15s, I had a hard time choosing between the two vintages. The '14s were bottled between late April and the end of May of 2016.
2010 Marsannay Les Grasses Tetes
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2013 - 2020

Tasting notes: The 2010 Marsannay Les Grasses Têtes is magnificent. It possesses tremendous depth in its black cherries, spices, menthol and licorice. This is a stunning wine graced with exquisite richness. The powerful tannins need time to settle down, but the Grasses Têtes is nevertheless a striking wine from start to finish. Bruno Clair notes that it was the last wine to finish its malo. If there is an argument to be made that Marsannay is capable of truly great wines, that discussion must start at this cellar. 

Producer Commentary:
This is a fabulous set of wines from Bruno Clair and his long-time oenologist Philippe Brun. The harvest started on September 25. Yields were 22-30 hectoliters per hectare, which is to say a good 10% less than 2003, a torrid vintage marked by tiny yields. Clair describes the fruit as healthy, with no botrytis and soft tannins from the late harvest. The 2010s were 100% destemmed. New oak ranged from 25% for the villages to 50% for the Grand Crus, except for the Marsannays, which saw very little new oak.
2009 Marsannay Les Grasses Tetes
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2013 - 2019

Tasting notes: The 2009 Marsannay Les Grasses Têtes emerges from the glass with layers of vibrant dark cherries, flowers and mint. This translucent, sexy Marsannay is striking and exceptionally beautiful. Les Grasses Têtes is a clay-rich vineyard that yields wines of considerable generosity. 

Producer Commentary:
This is a beautiful set of wines from Bruno Clair. Every wine I tasted with Clair's longtime oenologist Philippe Brun was gorgeous from top to bottom. While the top 2009s are certainly superb, the real jewels here are the village level wines which appear to be among the great success stories of the 2009 vintage. I tasted all of the wines from barrel, except the Marsannay and Marsannay Les Vaudanelles, both of which were bottled before the 2010 harvest. In 2009 Clair began harvesting on September 15 and ended on the 23rd. I also tasted a handful of 2008s, from a much later harvest that stretched into October. The handful of wines I tasted from that vintage are equally impressive, and equally worth your time.
1996 Gevrey Chambertin Petite Chapelle
Color: Red

Score: 88.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Very good deep red-ruby color. Black cherry, licorice and herbs, along with a soupcon of exotic fruits on the nose. Smooth, intense cherry/raspberry fruit is given a firmness by underlying minerality. Stylish yet rather subdued today; not yet displaying much personality. Finishes firm and dry, but with subtle, juicy flavor.

Producer Commentary:
"The '95s have more color, more density, thicker skins," says cellarmaster Philippe Brun. "It will be necessary to put them in the cellar and forget them, like the '88s." He adds that the '96s, with their higher grape sugars and lower pHs, will be for drinking earlier. I was unimpressed by a couple of the lower-level '96s (though, following late malos, some wines had not yet been racked), but at the top levels there are several potentially outstanding wines at this address. The best '95s are superb. All the wines reviewed below were bottled without fining or filtration; Clair style makes few concessions to current tastes for sweet new oak and early appeal but have a history of developing well in bottle. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2005 Gevrey Chambertin Petite Chapelle
Color: Red

Score: 89.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good deep red-ruby. Expressive, perfumed aromas of black cherry, licorice, minerals and crushed rocks. Dense, fresh and strong, with a stony character and excellent purity to the blackberry and violet flavors. Has the guts to support its firm tannins. Finishes with noteworthy aromatic persistence and plenty of personality.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair told me that 1990 is the greatest vintage for this domain since he started here in 1969. "But the crop in 2005 was smaller than that of 1990, and the new vintage is richer and more palate-coating than other great years like 2002, 1999 and 1996," he added. "At harvest time, we had a festival of perfume in the cuverie." (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL) Also recommended: Marsannay Les Longeroies (85), Gevrey-Chambertin Clos du Fonteny (85?), Savigny-les-Beaune La Dominode (86+?).
2006 Gevrey Chambertin Petite Chapelle
Color: Red

Score: 87.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Modestly saturated medium red. Musky aromas of red cherry and redcurrant; less precise than the Dominode. Juicy and fairly fresh, showing more soil and saline elements than primary fruit in the mouth. There's a suavity of texture here, but the tannins turn dusty, no doubt due to hail here.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair, who harvested quite late in 2006 (September 27 through October 7), says that this vintage now gives a great deal of pleasure, while 2005 is powerful but closed, with the constitution to age for a long time. The big news here is that the estate took back much of its Bonnes-Mares in early 2006, and has virtually doubled its quantities of Chambertin Clos de Beze, Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques and Vosne-Romanee Champs-Perdrix, following the expiration of long-term rental agreements (mostly with Jadot) that had been signed when Bruno's father Bernard left him 15 hectares of vineyards in 1988. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2004 Gevrey Chambertin Petite Chapelle
Color: Red

Score: 87.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Moderately saturated medium red. High-toned aromas of raspberry, leather, meat and mint. Firmly built and juicy but with modest texture and fat; slightly green. This has good mineral spine and decent intensity but shows some spiky acidity toward the back, and finishes with building tannins. (A Gevrey villages was distinctly more green, peppery and dry.)

Producer Commentary:
2003 Gevrey Chambertin Petite Chapelle
Color: Red

Score: 87.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Aromas of roasted red berries, cherry and old oak. Then sweet and nicely fine-grained on the palate but still a bit youthfully tight. This has decent sap in the mouth and finishes with solid tannic spine.

Producer Commentary:
According to cellarmaster Philippe Brun, this estate started picking its white grapes on August 26, and then stopped until September 1.Because they couldn't cool all their tanks at once, they picked only in the mornings.The pinot noirs lack acidity and are rather fragile, says Brun, adding that he believes they are best suited for drinking in their fruity youth.But he maintained that the estate had no surmaturite, and that while the premier crus are virtually all 13% or more alcohol, none of them reached 14%.Incidentally, Clair will not offer a regular Marsannay in 2003, as the estate needed this fruit to make their rose, a wine that is very popular in the U.S. market.(Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2004 Gevrey Chambertin Petite Chapelle
Color: Red

Score: 87.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Red cherry, smoke and earth on the nose, with a leathery nuance. Supple and fine-grained, but here, too, the fruit seems only moderately ripe, giving the wine a somewhat dry impression. Finishes with substantial dusty, peppery tannins. I'd give this one three or four years in the cellar.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair told me that 1990 is the greatest vintage for this domain since he started here in 1969. "But the crop in 2005 was smaller than that of 1990, and the new vintage is richer and more palate-coating than other great years like 2002, 1999 and 1996," he added. "At harvest time, we had a festival of perfume in the cuverie." (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL) Also recommended: Marsannay Les Longeroies (85), Gevrey-Chambertin Clos du Fonteny (85?), Savigny-les-Beaune La Dominode (86+?).
2000 Gevrey Chambertin Petite Chapelle
Color: Red

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Slightly medicinal aromas of black cherry and licorice. Pure and subtle, with a mineral component contributing cut. A rather stylish wine with modest flesh but good backbone and sneaky persistence.

Producer Commentary:
Cellarmaster Philippe Brun describes the domain 2000s as aromatic, supple wines, to drink early - a very good restaurant vintage. The fragile fruit, picked largely under very warm conditions, generally needed some acidification. In comparison, he noted, the 2001 harvest brought thicker skins, higher acidity and more concentration. Brun and Bruno Clair both consider 1999 to be their best vintage since 1990. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2002 Gevrey Chambertin Petite Chapelle
Color: Red

Score: 85.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Bright, moderately saturated red. Reticent nose hints at fresh herbs and resiny oak. Quite closed today but not especially primary; hints of green throughout. Not at all a fruity style; could use more flesh.

Producer Commentary:
According to cellarmaster Philippe Brun, this estate started picking its white grapes on August 26, and then stopped until September 1.Because they couldn't cool all their tanks at once, they picked only in the mornings.The pinot noirs lack acidity and are rather fragile, says Brun, adding that he believes they are best suited for drinking in their fruity youth.But he maintained that the estate had no surmaturite, and that while the premier crus are virtually all 13% or more alcohol, none of them reached 14%.Incidentally, Clair will not offer a regular Marsannay in 2003, as the estate needed this fruit to make their rose, a wine that is very popular in the U.S. market.(Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2002 Gevrey Chambertin Petite Chapelle
Color: Red

Score: 87.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good medium red. Red fruits, mint and a hint of flowers on the nose. Nicely round in the mouth, but showing more breadth than depth. Still seems a bit youthfully raw, with the tannins a bit tough and dry. Perhaps going through an awkward stage.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair described 2002 as an easy vintage: Like 1990:very ripe, no rot, little selection necessary, easy to vinify."Potential alcohols were typically in the 12% to 12.5% range, with most wines chaptalized about a half a degree.The wines had been assembled and racked a couple weeks prior to my visit; Clair noted that the colors were still a bit lightened by the recent sulfur additions.(Vineyard Brands, Birmingham AL
2009 Gevrey Chambertin Petite Chapelle
Color: Red

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good bright red. Very ripe, aromatic nose combines black cherry, coffee and pepper, plus a whiff of raisin. The sweetest of these 2009s to this point but supple rather than heavy, with a tangy quality to the broad, sappy flavors of maraschino cherry and chocolate. Plenty of volume and stuffing here. Finishes with very good length.

Producer Commentary:
Clair, who started picking pinot noir on the late side (September 14), describes 2009 as "a very generous year, easy to vinify, with round, rich tannins." He ranks the vintage with past favorites like 2002 and 1990. Only the yields in Chambolle-Musigny, where his vines are not quite 20 years old, are particularly high, he told me-this despite the fact that he did a green harvest in these vines. Compared to the 2009s, the 2008s are vins de garde, he went on, and they will probably shut down in bottle. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL) Other wines tasted: Chambolle-Musigny Les Veroilles, Morey-Saint-Denis en La Rue de Vergy.
2002 Marsannay Les Grasses Tetes
Color: Red

Score: 87.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Floral aromas of cherry and raspberry; more complex than the Vaudenelles. A step up in sweetness and flesh, but also boasts the juicy quality of the Vaudenelles.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair described 2002 as an easy vintage: Like 1990:very ripe, no rot, little selection necessary, easy to vinify."Potential alcohols were typically in the 12% to 12.5% range, with most wines chaptalized about a half a degree.The wines had been assembled and racked a couple weeks prior to my visit; Clair noted that the colors were still a bit lightened by the recent sulfur additions.(Vineyard Brands, Birmingham AL
2003 Marsannay Les Grasses Tetes
Color: Red

Score: 86.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: (Clair ages most of this in large casks in an attempt to preserve fruit) Medium red. Aromas of cherry and minerals are brighter than those of the Vaudenelles. Juicier and sweeter than the Vaudenelles, more sappy and less roasted. Finishes with sweeter tannins. These vines suffered less from the heat and drought of the summer, according to Brun.

Producer Commentary:
According to cellarmaster Philippe Brun, this estate started picking its white grapes on August 26, and then stopped until September 1.Because they couldn't cool all their tanks at once, they picked only in the mornings.The pinot noirs lack acidity and are rather fragile, says Brun, adding that he believes they are best suited for drinking in their fruity youth.But he maintained that the estate had no surmaturite, and that while the premier crus are virtually all 13% or more alcohol, none of them reached 14%.Incidentally, Clair will not offer a regular Marsannay in 2003, as the estate needed this fruit to make their rose, a wine that is very popular in the U.S. market.(Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2000 Marsannay Les Grasses Tetes
Color: Red

Score: 85.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Cool aromas of blackcurrant, cherry and raspberry. Fresher and deeper than the Marsannay Vaudenelles, with more structure and length. Notes of licorice and mint.

Producer Commentary:
Cellarmaster Philippe Brun describes the domain 2000s as aromatic, supple wines, to drink early - a very good restaurant vintage. The fragile fruit, picked largely under very warm conditions, generally needed some acidification. In comparison, he noted, the 2001 harvest brought thicker skins, higher acidity and more concentration. Brun and Bruno Clair both consider 1999 to be their best vintage since 1990. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
1997 Marsannay Les Grasses Tetes
Color: Red

Score: 85.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good medium red. Reduced aromas of cherry, leather and licorice. Broader but perhaps less deep than the above; attractive red fruit flavors. Here the tannins come across as a bit tougher.

Producer Commentary:
"With the high sugars and great ripeness of the grapes, we expected to have wines with tough tannins," said Bruno Clair. "But the tannins in fact are quite fat, and there nothing hard about the wines at all; 1997 is certainly a vin de garde but it no monster." According to cellarmaster Philippe Brun, the cuvaison was shorter in '97, as there were a lot of yeasts on the grape skins and the fermentations started quickly (the estate does nothing to prevent the fermentation from starting). The malos were tumultuous, and early, but the wines remained on their lees through the winter and have taken on more complexity during elevage (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
1996 Marsannay Les Grasses Tetes
Color: Red

Score: 86.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Spicy black cherry, cassis and licorice nose. Very good fruity, peppery flavor intensity. Plenty of texture. Finishes with rather fine, even tannins. An easy, forward style of wine that will make delicious early drinking.

Producer Commentary:
"The '95s have more color, more density, thicker skins," says cellarmaster Philippe Brun. "It will be necessary to put them in the cellar and forget them, like the '88s." He adds that the '96s, with their higher grape sugars and lower pHs, will be for drinking earlier. I was unimpressed by a couple of the lower-level '96s (though, following late malos, some wines had not yet been racked), but at the top levels there are several potentially outstanding wines at this address. The best '95s are superb. All the wines reviewed below were bottled without fining or filtration; Clair style makes few concessions to current tastes for sweet new oak and early appeal but have a history of developing well in bottle. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2009 Marsannay Les Grasses Tetes
Color: Red

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Deep red-ruby. Superripe aromas of raspberry liqueur and coffee. Concentrated, ripe and chewy, with just enough tang and aromatic lift to the black cherry, dark raspberry, licorice and espresso flavors. Finishes with a note of truffle and a sense of power.

Producer Commentary:
Clair, who started picking pinot noir on the late side (September 14), describes 2009 as "a very generous year, easy to vinify, with round, rich tannins." He ranks the vintage with past favorites like 2002 and 1990. Only the yields in Chambolle-Musigny, where his vines are not quite 20 years old, are particularly high, he told me-this despite the fact that he did a green harvest in these vines. Compared to the 2009s, the 2008s are vins de garde, he went on, and they will probably shut down in bottle. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL) Other wines tasted: Chambolle-Musigny Les Veroilles, Morey-Saint-Denis en La Rue de Vergy.
2006 Marsannay Les Grasses Tetes
Color: Red

Score: 86.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Fruit-driven nose dominated by maraschino cherry. Juicy and sweet, with a pure cherry flavor framed by fresh acidity. Good firm Marsannay. There was almost no rot here in 2006, notes Clair, who said "it was much worse in the Cote de Beaune."

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair, who harvested quite late in 2006 (September 27 through October 7), says that this vintage now gives a great deal of pleasure, while 2005 is powerful but closed, with the constitution to age for a long time. The big news here is that the estate took back much of its Bonnes-Mares in early 2006, and has virtually doubled its quantities of Chambertin Clos de Beze, Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques and Vosne-Romanee Champs-Perdrix, following the expiration of long-term rental agreements (mostly with Jadot) that had been signed when Bruno's father Bernard left him 15 hectares of vineyards in 1988. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
1998 Marsannay Les Grasses Tetes
Color: Red

Score: 88.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Deep red-ruby. Black raspberry and pungent oak spice on the nose. Sweetly spicy, fruity and supple, with enticing, pliant black cherry and dark chocolate flavors. This has excellent flavor intensity. Finishes quite persistent, with firm but harmonious tannins. Frost here kept the yield to 26 hectoliters per hectare.

Producer Commentary:
"The '98 vintage was completely heterogeneous," said Bruno Clair. "We picked Marsannay ten days before Savigny Dominode. Because of the intense heat in early August, which stressed the vines in some spots but not in others, there was no logic to the ripeness." Yields were very low, especially on hillside sites affected by the April frost. Following a trie in the vines and another selection in the cuverie, the domain, according to Clair, vinified perfectly clean fruit. Cellarmaster Philippe Brun compared the '98s to the estate's '93s, but said the new vintage has riper tannins and more gras. "And there's more to the wine in '98 than in '97, clearly more structure," he added. Just a few '98s had been racked in November following late malos; the rest were still on their lees. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
1996 Marsannay Les Grasses Tetes
Color: Red

Score: 86.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Briary, floral aromas of dark berries, brown spices, iron and earth. Sweeter and more textured than the above, but firmly structured. A bit clenched in the mouth, and perhaps dominated by its structure, but this has good intensity and material. Far less open than it appeared to be a year ago from barrel.

Producer Commentary:
"With the high sugars and great ripeness of the grapes, we expected to have wines with tough tannins," said Bruno Clair. "But the tannins in fact are quite fat, and there nothing hard about the wines at all; 1997 is certainly a vin de garde but it no monster." According to cellarmaster Philippe Brun, the cuvaison was shorter in '97, as there were a lot of yeasts on the grape skins and the fermentations started quickly (the estate does nothing to prevent the fermentation from starting). The malos were tumultuous, and early, but the wines remained on their lees through the winter and have taken on more complexity during elevage (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2008 Marsannay Les Grasses Tetes
Color: Red

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Deep red. Aromas of blackberry, violet and licorice. More minerally and more precise than the Vaudenelles, with a juicy freshness to its berry and earth flavors. Finishes with firm tannins and a note of bitter chocolate.

Producer Commentary:
Clair delayed harvesting in 2008 until September 30, then picked until October 14, doing a sorting in the vines, especially to eliminate pink grapes. He told me that he lost 20% of his volume due to the wind during the second half of September and that the typical 2008 began with potential alcohol of 12.2% to 12.7%, although the range was actually quite extreme: from 10% to 13.5%. Following very late malos, the premier and grand crus-but not the village wines-had been racked and sulfited just a week or two prior to my visit. The 2008s are characterized by their strawberry and raspberry elements, said Clair, while the 2007s are more about black fruits. "But 2008 has great aging potential," he believes. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2013 Marsannay Les Longeroies
Color: Red

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2015 - 2021

Tasting notes: The 2013 Marsannay Les Longeroies marries elements of the aromatics found in the Vaudanelles with the greater depth and overall structure of the Grasses Têtes. Dried herbs, tobacco, mint and licorice are all given an added kick of brightness from the mineral-inflected notes that are woven throughout.

Producer Commentary:
It's always a pleasure to sit down and taste with Bruno Clair and his longtime winemaker, Philippe Brun, both of whom are a treasure trove of experience and knowledge. Clair brought in his fruit beginning on October 7, which only has parallels in the estate's recent history with 1978 and 1980, where the harvests started on October 10 and 12. It's true that 2008 was almost as late as 2013, except that in 2013 the last few days of ripening did not add a meaningful amount of concentration as they did in 2008. Clair adds that sugars alone are not a measure of quality, as evidenced by the 1991s, many of which are more complete than their 1990 counterparts. Of course, the issue with any late-ripening year is that the days are shorter as the season progresses, so there are meaningful differences between the heat of August and that of September. As if the bad flowering and early start to the year was not enough, Clair's vineyards in Savigny-les-Beaune and Pernand-Vergelesses were all damaged by hail. According to Clair, the Charlemagne was more skin than juice, clearly a far from favorable situation. I tasted the 2013s from barrel, after they had been racked. Where the wines don't carry the signatures of hail they are quite pretty. Philippe Brun adds that while the terroirs are well marked in 2013, the wines should be enjoyed before the 2012s.
2007 Marsannay Les Longeroies
Color: Red

Score: 87.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good deep red-ruby. Aromas of black cherry and minerals; riper and more pungent than the Grasses Tetes sample (84-86) that preceded it. Offers sweet flavors of dark cherry, minerals and mint, with an attractive tangy quality and spreading, fine-grained tannins. Much sweeter than the Grasses Tetes, which finishes lean and dry despite possessing decent intensity.

Producer Commentary:
"The 2007 vintage is about fruit more than volume," said winemaker Philippe Brun, who did a soft extraction. "Still, the wines are a bit more sturdy than we thought at the beginning, and they didn't lose color during the racking, which is a good sign." Acidity levels were sound, and pHs were "not very high for here," he went on. He summed up: "The '07s are more pinot, but we find more personality and terroir in the '06s. But the '06s don't give pleasure yet and need cellaring." (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
1998 Marsannay Les Longeroies
Color: Red

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Bright deep red. Slightly reduced black fruit nose. Sweeter and more powerful than the Vaudenelles, with mineral and dark raspberry flavors. Ample, rich and solidly structured, but more tannic and less evolved than the above. This should age well.

Producer Commentary:
"The '98 vintage was completely heterogeneous," said Bruno Clair. "We picked Marsannay ten days before Savigny Dominode. Because of the intense heat in early August, which stressed the vines in some spots but not in others, there was no logic to the ripeness." Yields were very low, especially on hillside sites affected by the April frost. Following a trie in the vines and another selection in the cuverie, the domain, according to Clair, vinified perfectly clean fruit. Cellarmaster Philippe Brun compared the '98s to the estate's '93s, but said the new vintage has riper tannins and more gras. "And there's more to the wine in '98 than in '97, clearly more structure," he added. Just a few '98s had been racked in November following late malos; the rest were still on their lees. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2012 Marsannay Les Longeroies
Color: Red

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2014 - 2022

Tasting notes: Bright, precise and focused, the 2012 Marsannay Les Longeroies is another super-impressive wine. Sweet rose petals, mint, crushed rocks and spices are all woven together in a wine of incredible grace and pure finesse. All the flavors are beautifully nuanced from start to finish. Underlying veins of minerality give the 2012 much of its energy and brightness. Simply put, the Longeroies is a dazzler.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair and his longtime winemaker Philippe Brun do so many things well, as these 2012s amply show. Where to start with these wines? Well, the Marsannays are terrific, but frankly so are all the wines. The harvest started on September 20 and wrapped up on October 2. By comparison, the 2013 harvest started on October 3 and lasted until the 20th. Malos were quite late here, and the wines were only racked in early September. Over the last few years Clair has begun to age some of his wines partly or wholly in cask, where volumes allow for larger aging vessels. When all is said and done, Bruno Clair's wines have been among the most impressive for some time and are deserving of a much wider audience. I highly encourage readers to check them out.
2005 Marsannay Les Longeroies
Color: Red

Score: 88.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good full red. Superripe black cherry aroma just manages to retain freshness. Very rich, even a bit youthfully brutal, in the middle palate, with the black cherry fruit joined by menthol, licorice and chocolate. Quite fleshy for Marsannay from this cellar. Finishes with a saline element and building tannins. This one is likely to shut down in the bottle.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair, who harvested quite late in 2006 (September 27 through October 7), says that this vintage now gives a great deal of pleasure, while 2005 is powerful but closed, with the constitution to age for a long time. The big news here is that the estate took back much of its Bonnes-Mares in early 2006, and has virtually doubled its quantities of Chambertin Clos de Beze, Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques and Vosne-Romanee Champs-Perdrix, following the expiration of long-term rental agreements (mostly with Jadot) that had been signed when Bruno's father Bernard left him 15 hectares of vineyards in 1988. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
1996 Marsannay Les Longeroies
Color: Red

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Musky red fruits, iron and mocha on the nose, plus a hint of almost exotic sweetness. At once denser and more vibrant than the above, and more harmonious today. Here the tannins are more successfully enrobed. This has finesse and length. A distinctly unoaky style.

Producer Commentary:
"With the high sugars and great ripeness of the grapes, we expected to have wines with tough tannins," said Bruno Clair. "But the tannins in fact are quite fat, and there nothing hard about the wines at all; 1997 is certainly a vin de garde but it no monster." According to cellarmaster Philippe Brun, the cuvaison was shorter in '97, as there were a lot of yeasts on the grape skins and the fermentations started quickly (the estate does nothing to prevent the fermentation from starting). The malos were tumultuous, and early, but the wines remained on their lees through the winter and have taken on more complexity during elevage (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2010 Marsannay Les Longeroies
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2013 - 2020

Tasting notes: The 2010 Marsannay Les Longeroies shows off impeccable minerality and energy. This is a less overly fruit forward style than the Grasses Têtes. Bright red fruit, flowers, mint and crushed rocks stain the palate on the long, focused finish. This is another stunning showing from Bruno Clair. The Longeroies is a great wine for the dinner table. 

Producer Commentary:
This is a fabulous set of wines from Bruno Clair and his long-time oenologist Philippe Brun. The harvest started on September 25. Yields were 22-30 hectoliters per hectare, which is to say a good 10% less than 2003, a torrid vintage marked by tiny yields. Clair describes the fruit as healthy, with no botrytis and soft tannins from the late harvest. The 2010s were 100% destemmed. New oak ranged from 25% for the villages to 50% for the Grand Crus, except for the Marsannays, which saw very little new oak.
2014 Marsannay Les Longeroies
Color: Red

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2028

Tasting notes: Moderately saturated red. More reticent but deeper on the nose than the Grasses Têtes, offering hints of dark raspberry, menthol, minerals and underbrush. A step up in energy and verve thanks to its distinct mineral element. Finishes sappy, saline and persistent. I'd give this a few years in the cellar to reveal itself more fully.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair’s 2014s stood out for their precision and transparency to terroir in December. Even if they don’t have the sheer thickness of the ‘15s, I had a hard time choosing between the two vintages. The '14s were bottled between late April and the end of May of 2016.
1999 Marsannay Les Longeroies
Color: Red

Score: 86.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium cherry-red. Perfumed aromas of red fruits. Juicy, fresh and intensely flavored but still a bit youthfully tight. Finishes with good length and tannic spine.

Producer Commentary:
Cellarmaster Philippe Brun describes the domain 2000s as aromatic, supple wines, to drink early - a very good restaurant vintage. The fragile fruit, picked largely under very warm conditions, generally needed some acidification. In comparison, he noted, the 2001 harvest brought thicker skins, higher acidity and more concentration. Brun and Bruno Clair both consider 1999 to be their best vintage since 1990. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
1997 Marsannay Les Longeroies
Color: Red

Score: 86.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Bright, full red. Sappy cherry aroma complicated by a floral nuance. Sweet entry, then a bit closed, even severe, in the middle, and less expressive today than the '98. Finishes with dusty tannins and a hint of greenness.

Producer Commentary:
"The '98 vintage was completely heterogeneous," said Bruno Clair. "We picked Marsannay ten days before Savigny Dominode. Because of the intense heat in early August, which stressed the vines in some spots but not in others, there was no logic to the ripeness." Yields were very low, especially on hillside sites affected by the April frost. Following a trie in the vines and another selection in the cuverie, the domain, according to Clair, vinified perfectly clean fruit. Cellarmaster Philippe Brun compared the '98s to the estate's '93s, but said the new vintage has riper tannins and more gras. "And there's more to the wine in '98 than in '97, clearly more structure," he added. Just a few '98s had been racked in November following late malos; the rest were still on their lees. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2008 Marsannay Les Longeroies
Color: Red

Score: 88.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good deep red. Ripe aromas of black raspberry, earth and smoke. Dense, sweet and fat, offering more inner-mouth perfume than the foregoing cuvees Has the stuffing to support its substantial but reasonably ripe tannins.

Producer Commentary:
Clair delayed harvesting in 2008 until September 30, then picked until October 14, doing a sorting in the vines, especially to eliminate pink grapes. He told me that he lost 20% of his volume due to the wind during the second half of September and that the typical 2008 began with potential alcohol of 12.2% to 12.7%, although the range was actually quite extreme: from 10% to 13.5%. Following very late malos, the premier and grand crus-but not the village wines-had been racked and sulfited just a week or two prior to my visit. The 2008s are characterized by their strawberry and raspberry elements, said Clair, while the 2007s are more about black fruits. "But 2008 has great aging potential," he believes. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2006 Marsannay Les Longeroies
Color: Red

Score: 87.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good full red. Aromas of cherry and chocolate, with a hint of minerality. More minerally in the mouth than the Grasses Tetes, with a spicy complexity and noteworthy purity and cut. Firmly structured, even youthfully austere, wine with a medicinal reserve.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair, who harvested quite late in 2006 (September 27 through October 7), says that this vintage now gives a great deal of pleasure, while 2005 is powerful but closed, with the constitution to age for a long time. The big news here is that the estate took back much of its Bonnes-Mares in early 2006, and has virtually doubled its quantities of Chambertin Clos de Beze, Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques and Vosne-Romanee Champs-Perdrix, following the expiration of long-term rental agreements (mostly with Jadot) that had been signed when Bruno's father Bernard left him 15 hectares of vineyards in 1988. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2009 Marsannay Les Longeroies
Color: Red

Score: 86.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: (this and the last wine were racked in July; the rest were slated to be racked a couple weeks after my visit) A bit more roasted on the nose than the Grasses Tetes, with a whiff of prune. Sweet, creamy and chocolatey, with a distinctly jammy character. Plenty of roasted, nutty oak showing. Finishes with substantial, slightly dry tannins. Lacks real energy.

Producer Commentary:
Clair, who started picking pinot noir on the late side (September 14), describes 2009 as "a very generous year, easy to vinify, with round, rich tannins." He ranks the vintage with past favorites like 2002 and 1990. Only the yields in Chambolle-Musigny, where his vines are not quite 20 years old, are particularly high, he told me-this despite the fact that he did a green harvest in these vines. Compared to the 2009s, the 2008s are vins de garde, he went on, and they will probably shut down in bottle. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL) Other wines tasted: Chambolle-Musigny Les Veroilles, Morey-Saint-Denis en La Rue de Vergy.
2016 Marsannay Les Longeroies
Color: Red

Score: 89.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: (losses to frost were only 30% here, vs. 80% for the Grasses Têtes): Good dark red. Very ripe aromas of black cherry and mocha. At once sweeter and sappier than the Grasses Têtes, offering noteworthy concentration and definition to its juicy dark fruit flavors. Showing much more early personality too. Finishes with serious but pliant tannins.

Producer Commentary:
“We were massacred by the frost in Chambolle, Savigny and the south side of Marsannay,” said Bruno Clair in January, adding that his estate produced just 35% of a normal crop in 2016. But he added that he had only half a crop in 2015, and roughly the same production in 2013, 2012 and 2010 as well. The estate began harvesting on September 23 with grape sugars around 12% and chaptalized about half a degree. In comparison, potential alcohol levels were at least 13% in 2015 (13.5% for the Bonnes-Mares) and no chaptalization was done.

Cellarmaster Philippe Brun vinified most of the ‘16s with 20% to 25% whole clusters. The malos were protracted, typically lasting until August, and the wines had been racked and assembled in November. Clair described 2016 as “a classic vintage with less excesses of heat and drought than 2015, and a set of wines that should age well. Only the frost was a problem, and the wines have good balance and structure.” Brun added that he prefers the more linear 2016s and that he finds the 2015s "a bit too rich, even if they avoided any cooked taste. But we'll see in ten years."
2006 Marsannay Les Longeroies
Color: Red

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Dark fruits, menthol and smoke on the nose. A solid plummy midweight, with complicating notes of brown spice. Finishes slightly dry-edged, with firm tannins.

Producer Commentary:
"The 2007 vintage is about fruit more than volume," said winemaker Philippe Brun, who did a soft extraction. "Still, the wines are a bit more sturdy than we thought at the beginning, and they didn't lose color during the racking, which is a good sign." Acidity levels were sound, and pHs were "not very high for here," he went on. He summed up: "The '07s are more pinot, but we find more personality and terroir in the '06s. But the '06s don't give pleasure yet and need cellaring." (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2018 Marsannay Les Longeroies
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2022 - 2036

Tasting notes: The 2018 Marsannay Les Longeroies has a perfumed and quite floral bouquet whose violet-tinged red fruit reveals hints of blueberry with time in the glass. The palate is very harmonious, displaying chalky tannins, superb acidity and an almost citric freshness toward the tensile, lingering finish. An oyster shell note appears on the aftertaste. This is another superb Marsannay from Bruno Clair. 

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair and Philippe Brun are the Batman and Robin of Marsannay that have really ratcheted up quality at this domaine. Both were on top form when I dropped in at their winery (though my God, whatever Bruno had just eaten for lunch, it was making his tummy rumble like Krakatoa!) “We had a lot of rain in the winter," he told me. "It was completely different to the 2019 growing season. In 2018 the maturity was quite strong. We started the picking on 27 August until the 8 or 9 September. I find that the tannins are very tender. Maybe you could say 2018 is a mixture of 1947 and 1959. There is more fruit than in 2003 and more phenolic maturity. The whole bunch in 2018 is between 30-40% as in 2017 and we did less pigeage after fermentation. The alcohol is between 13 and 14% but most are around 13.5%." I strongly recommend this domaine's wines, with some gems among the Premier Crus.
2013 Marsannay Les Longeroies
Color: Red

Score: 88.5

Drinking window: 2019 - 2027

Tasting notes: Dark red with ruby highlights. Very dark aromas and flavors of blackberry, menthol and licorice, along with a stony nuance. Fuller, sweeter and more serious than the Grasses Têtes, showing more mid-palate support for its riper tannins. This has more structure for aging.

Producer Commentary:
The team here did a lot of triage in the vines at the beginning of September, said Bruno Clair, to protect the fruit against rot and to speed up the ripening process, as the grapes were still green. In the end, he told me, "2013 did not reach the same ripeness as 2014 did, and ripeness came from loss of juice in the grapes rather than from photosynthesis." Two thousand fourteen conveys terroir character while 2013 is more marked by the "historic climate" of the year, he added. Clair began harvesting in 2013 on October 3.
2009 Marsannay Les Longeroies
Color: Red

Score: 90.5

Drinking window: 2013 - 2019

Tasting notes: The 2009 Marsannay Les Longeroies is a beautiful wine that impresses for its textured, generous personality. The Longeroies shows gorgeous harmony, generous fruit and a totally inviting personality. Longeroies, Marsannay's most celebrated vineyard, contains a mixture of clay and limestone. 

Producer Commentary:
This is a beautiful set of wines from Bruno Clair. Every wine I tasted with Clair's longtime oenologist Philippe Brun was gorgeous from top to bottom. While the top 2009s are certainly superb, the real jewels here are the village level wines which appear to be among the great success stories of the 2009 vintage. I tasted all of the wines from barrel, except the Marsannay and Marsannay Les Vaudanelles, both of which were bottled before the 2010 harvest. In 2009 Clair began harvesting on September 15 and ended on the 23rd. I also tasted a handful of 2008s, from a much later harvest that stretched into October. The handful of wines I tasted from that vintage are equally impressive, and equally worth your time.
1998 Marsannay Les Longeroies
Color: Red

Score: 87.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Cool aromas of bitter cherry, flowers and mint. Intensely flavored and very firmly built; perfumed and precise in the mouth. This is fairly austere and tannic but not dry. Clair says the '99 will be even better, but this is lively and light on its feet. Marsannay was so ripe in '98 that these vines were picked 10 days before the Savigny Dominode, said Clair; normally the Savigny fruit comes in two weeks earlier.

Producer Commentary:
This is always a tricky cellar for barrel tasting, as the wines tend to show a firm tannic side early on and there relatively little sweetening influence of new oak. That said, I found a few of the lesser wines a bit wimpy and dilute, and lacking in flavor authority ("it was a very big harvest in Marsannay," Clair admits), but at the level of the estate's top crus these are scented, pure wines of subtlety and class. The '99s had been racked for the first time about two weeks prior to my visit. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
1999 Marsannay Les Longeroies
Color: Red

Score: 86.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good medium-deep red. Spicy, pure aromas of black cherry, violet and licorice. Juicy and intensely flavored, with the wine mineral firmness contributing to its impression of brightness. Still rather closed in the middle. But this has rich fruit to support its substantial tannins. Performed better than the rather dilute, green Marsannay Vaudenelles and a reasonably concentrated but dry-edged Marsannay Grasses-Tetes, which finished with a resiny nuance.

Producer Commentary:
This is always a tricky cellar for barrel tasting, as the wines tend to show a firm tannic side early on and there relatively little sweetening influence of new oak. That said, I found a few of the lesser wines a bit wimpy and dilute, and lacking in flavor authority ("it was a very big harvest in Marsannay," Clair admits), but at the level of the estate's top crus these are scented, pure wines of subtlety and class. The '99s had been racked for the first time about two weeks prior to my visit. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2002 Marsannay Les Longeroies
Color: Red

Score: 87.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Palish medium red. Bright, high-pitched aromas of red fruits, fresh herbs, licorice and mint. Juicy, tight and fresh, with flavors of bitter cherry and minerals. Finishes firmly tannic, subtle and persistent.

Producer Commentary:
According to cellarmaster Philippe Brun, this estate started picking its white grapes on August 26, and then stopped until September 1.Because they couldn't cool all their tanks at once, they picked only in the mornings.The pinot noirs lack acidity and are rather fragile, says Brun, adding that he believes they are best suited for drinking in their fruity youth.But he maintained that the estate had no surmaturite, and that while the premier crus are virtually all 13% or more alcohol, none of them reached 14%.Incidentally, Clair will not offer a regular Marsannay in 2003, as the estate needed this fruit to make their rose, a wine that is very popular in the U.S. market.(Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2013 Marsannay Blanc
Color: White

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2015 - 2019

Tasting notes: White orchard fruits, butter, spice and lightly honeyed notes abound in Bruno Clair's 2013 Marsannay Blanc, a wine that impresses with its lovely overall balance and textural finesse, both rare at this level.

Producer Commentary:
It's always a pleasure to sit down and taste with Bruno Clair and his longtime winemaker, Philippe Brun, both of whom are a treasure trove of experience and knowledge. Clair brought in his fruit beginning on October 7, which only has parallels in the estate's recent history with 1978 and 1980, where the harvests started on October 10 and 12. It's true that 2008 was almost as late as 2013, except that in 2013 the last few days of ripening did not add a meaningful amount of concentration as they did in 2008. Clair adds that sugars alone are not a measure of quality, as evidenced by the 1991s, many of which are more complete than their 1990 counterparts. Of course, the issue with any late-ripening year is that the days are shorter as the season progresses, so there are meaningful differences between the heat of August and that of September. As if the bad flowering and early start to the year was not enough, Clair's vineyards in Savigny-les-Beaune and Pernand-Vergelesses were all damaged by hail. According to Clair, the Charlemagne was more skin than juice, clearly a far from favorable situation. I tasted the 2013s from barrel, after they had been racked. Where the wines don't carry the signatures of hail they are quite pretty. Philippe Brun adds that while the terroirs are well marked in 2013, the wines should be enjoyed before the 2012s.
2000 Gevrey Chambertin Cazetiers
Color: Red

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good full red. Perfumed aromas of raspberry and minerals. Supple, sweet and moderately concentrated, with good lingering fruit. Tannins are light but slightly dry.

Producer Commentary:
Cellarmaster Philippe Brun describes the domain 2000s as aromatic, supple wines, to drink early - a very good restaurant vintage. The fragile fruit, picked largely under very warm conditions, generally needed some acidification. In comparison, he noted, the 2001 harvest brought thicker skins, higher acidity and more concentration. Brun and Bruno Clair both consider 1999 to be their best vintage since 1990. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2005 Gevrey Chambertin Cazetiers
Color: Red

Score: 91.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good medium red. The nose began with a superripe quality but seemed to grow fresher with air, offering dark cherry, mocha and minerals. Then more vibrant in the mouth than the Dominode, with a suave, fine-grained texture, lively suggestions of menthol, minerals and earth, and terrific concentration. This, too, possesses a serious backbone for aging. The finish is very ripe but firm, with building tannins and strong minerality.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair, who harvested quite late in 2006 (September 27 through October 7), says that this vintage now gives a great deal of pleasure, while 2005 is powerful but closed, with the constitution to age for a long time. The big news here is that the estate took back much of its Bonnes-Mares in early 2006, and has virtually doubled its quantities of Chambertin Clos de Beze, Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques and Vosne-Romanee Champs-Perdrix, following the expiration of long-term rental agreements (mostly with Jadot) that had been signed when Bruno's father Bernard left him 15 hectares of vineyards in 1988. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
1998 Gevrey Chambertin Cazetiers
Color: Red

Score: 89.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good deep red. Perfumed aromas of raspberry and coffee. Sweet and quite soft; in fact, this is a bit flat today, in part due to the recent racking but also owing to its typically low acidity. Tannins spread out nicely on the palate. This will open early.

Producer Commentary:
"The '98 vintage was completely heterogeneous," said Bruno Clair. "We picked Marsannay ten days before Savigny Dominode. Because of the intense heat in early August, which stressed the vines in some spots but not in others, there was no logic to the ripeness." Yields were very low, especially on hillside sites affected by the April frost. Following a trie in the vines and another selection in the cuverie, the domain, according to Clair, vinified perfectly clean fruit. Cellarmaster Philippe Brun compared the '98s to the estate's '93s, but said the new vintage has riper tannins and more gras. "And there's more to the wine in '98 than in '97, clearly more structure," he added. Just a few '98s had been racked in November following late malos; the rest were still on their lees. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2012 Gevrey Chambertin Cazetiers
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Palish red. Very ripe aromas of raspberry and strawberry complicated by a hint of gibier and a note of sexy woodsmoke. Big, broad and sweet; quite rich and creamy for a Bruno Clair wine, but then this cuvee often has a relatively high pH (3.6 in this case). Complex notes of spices, licorice, chocolate, violet and earth are given shape by decent acidity and broad, serious, ripe tannins. Should make a major mouthful of wine.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair described his 2010s as austere but the 2012s as fatter and fleshier, and the richness of the new vintage is especially clear in the estate's top cuvees.The domain harvested from September 20 until October 2, bringing in fruit with potential alcohol levels between 12% and 12.5% and chaptalizing about a half degree.They used their vibrating sorting table to eliminate the grapes grilled by sun at the end of July.Winemaker Philippe Brun told me he did two pigeages per day at the beginning of the fermentation, relying mostly on remontages at that stage, then three or four punchdowns per day at the peak of fermentation.Most cuvees were vinified with about 20% whole clusters.The 2012s were racked before the harvest of 2013. (A Becky Wasserman selection; importers include Martin-Scott Wines, Ltd., www.martinscottwines.com; Fine Vines, www.finevines.com; Cordon Selections, www.cordonselections.com; The Source Imports, www.thesourceimports.com)
2007 Gevrey Chambertin Cazetiers
Color: Red

Score: 88.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good deep red. Liqueur-like black cherry, bitter chocolate and mocha; almost porty on the nose. Then round, chewy and rich, offering less detail than the Petite Chapelle and a distinctly more open-knit mouth feel. Flavors of dark fruits, chocolate and minerals. Finishes with good breadth and solid, building tannins. This just finished its malo, which winemaker Brun said was rather odd for a high-pH wine.

Producer Commentary:
"The 2007 vintage is about fruit more than volume," said winemaker Philippe Brun, who did a soft extraction. "Still, the wines are a bit more sturdy than we thought at the beginning, and they didn't lose color during the racking, which is a good sign." Acidity levels were sound, and pHs were "not very high for here," he went on. He summed up: "The '07s are more pinot, but we find more personality and terroir in the '06s. But the '06s don't give pleasure yet and need cellaring." (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
1996 Gevrey Chambertin Cazetiers
Color: Red

Score: 91.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Very good red-ruby. Superripe, expressive aromas of exotic spices, mocha, underbrush and game; has a distinctly roasted character. Sweet and creamy in the mouth; flavors of black cherry and roasted meat. Structure currently eclipsed by fat fruit. Then surprisingly subtle on the expanding finish. The tannins are ripe and even. Altogether sweeter in style. This holding always produces fruit with lower acidity and higher pH, says Clair.

Producer Commentary:
"The '95s have more color, more density, thicker skins," says cellarmaster Philippe Brun. "It will be necessary to put them in the cellar and forget them, like the '88s." He adds that the '96s, with their higher grape sugars and lower pHs, will be for drinking earlier. I was unimpressed by a couple of the lower-level '96s (though, following late malos, some wines had not yet been racked), but at the top levels there are several potentially outstanding wines at this address. The best '95s are superb. All the wines reviewed below were bottled without fining or filtration; Clair style makes few concessions to current tastes for sweet new oak and early appeal but have a history of developing well in bottle. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2006 Gevrey Chambertin Cazetiers
Color: Red

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good full red. Ripe aromas of plum, red cherry, spices and smoke. Supple and stuffed with fruit; broad and substantial without coming across as weighty. A lovely midweight Gevrey with very good depth to its red fruit, iron and tobacco flavors. Finishes with substantial dusty tannins and very good length. This one will require four or five years of bottle aging. The Cazetiers hillside had the best-looking grapes in '06, noted Clair, who added that this wine is virtually always the highest in pH in the cellar-in this case, 3.66.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair, who harvested quite late in 2006 (September 27 through October 7), says that this vintage now gives a great deal of pleasure, while 2005 is powerful but closed, with the constitution to age for a long time. The big news here is that the estate took back much of its Bonnes-Mares in early 2006, and has virtually doubled its quantities of Chambertin Clos de Beze, Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques and Vosne-Romanee Champs-Perdrix, following the expiration of long-term rental agreements (mostly with Jadot) that had been signed when Bruno's father Bernard left him 15 hectares of vineyards in 1988. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2008 Gevrey Chambertin Cazetiers
Color: Red

Score: 90.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Bright, deep red. Very ripe, complex nose melds black cherry, violet, licorice, bitter chocolate, underbrush and whiff of game; this could only be from Gevrey. Supple and sweet on the palate, conveying a soft impression and a chocolatey ripeness in spite of firm underlying minerality. Substantial but creamy tannins arrive late, contributing to an impression of finesse. Clair describes his Cazetiers as a "fragile" wine, as it always shows more tannin than acidity. But the crop level of 20 hectoliters per hectare has given this 2008 strong supporting material. Clair's holding is "just across the wall from Clos Saint-Jacques."

Producer Commentary:
Clair delayed harvesting in 2008 until September 30, then picked until October 14, doing a sorting in the vines, especially to eliminate pink grapes. He told me that he lost 20% of his volume due to the wind during the second half of September and that the typical 2008 began with potential alcohol of 12.2% to 12.7%, although the range was actually quite extreme: from 10% to 13.5%. Following very late malos, the premier and grand crus-but not the village wines-had been racked and sulfited just a week or two prior to my visit. The 2008s are characterized by their strawberry and raspberry elements, said Clair, while the 2007s are more about black fruits. "But 2008 has great aging potential," he believes. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2011 Gevrey Chambertin Cazetiers
Color: Red

Score: 89.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Bright, full red. Complex aromas of chocolate, herbs, earth, pepper and violet, with black cherry fruit in the background. Sweet and supple on the palate, with suggestions of very ripe fruit without any heaviness of texture. Finishes with substantial tannins and a bit less verve than the Petite Chapelle. This may be in a sullen stage at present.

Producer Commentary:
2004 Gevrey Chambertin Cazetiers
Color: Red

Score: 89.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: (just 25 hectoliters per hectare were produced here due to tiny cluster size, according to Bruno Clair) Medium red. Redcurrant, maraschino cherry and spices on the nose. Richer and fuller than the Clos du Fontenys, with good vinosity giving definition to the flavors of cherry, raspberry, smoke, spices and underbrush. This comes across as lower in acidity and less austere: riper! But then this cuvee always has a high pH, notes cellarmaster Philippe Brun. Finishes with fine, dusty tannins.

Producer Commentary:
1997 Gevrey Chambertin Cazetiers
Color: Red

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Slightly less bright color. Jammier aroma of strawberry preserves. Very sweet in the mouth, with flavors just short of cooked. The tannins here are a bit dry, but the wine boasts very good length. Nineteen ninety-seven would not seem to be a vintage that favors this normally low-acid cuvee.

Producer Commentary:
"The '98 vintage was completely heterogeneous," said Bruno Clair. "We picked Marsannay ten days before Savigny Dominode. Because of the intense heat in early August, which stressed the vines in some spots but not in others, there was no logic to the ripeness." Yields were very low, especially on hillside sites affected by the April frost. Following a trie in the vines and another selection in the cuverie, the domain, according to Clair, vinified perfectly clean fruit. Cellarmaster Philippe Brun compared the '98s to the estate's '93s, but said the new vintage has riper tannins and more gras. "And there's more to the wine in '98 than in '97, clearly more structure," he added. Just a few '98s had been racked in November following late malos; the rest were still on their lees. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
1995 Gevrey Chambertin Cazetiers
Color: Red

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good deep red. Smoke, game and coffee on the nose. Sweet and round; offers lovely complexity in the mouth but conveys less of an impression of primary fruit. Finishes with chewy, ripe tannins.

Producer Commentary:
"The '95s have more color, more density, thicker skins," says cellarmaster Philippe Brun. "It will be necessary to put them in the cellar and forget them, like the '88s." He adds that the '96s, with their higher grape sugars and lower pHs, will be for drinking earlier. I was unimpressed by a couple of the lower-level '96s (though, following late malos, some wines had not yet been racked), but at the top levels there are several potentially outstanding wines at this address. The best '95s are superb. All the wines reviewed below were bottled without fining or filtration; Clair style makes few concessions to current tastes for sweet new oak and early appeal but have a history of developing well in bottle. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2005 Gevrey Chambertin Cazetiers
Color: Red

Score: 90.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good red-ruby. Sappy black cherry, licorice and spices on the perfumed nose. Rich, dense and pliant, with very ripe flavors of dark berries and chocolate. Much rounder than the Petite Chapelle and Clos du Fontenys. Finishes with big but fat tannins and lovely persistence of fruit. At 3.5, this one has the highest pH of these 2005s.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair told me that 1990 is the greatest vintage for this domain since he started here in 1969. "But the crop in 2005 was smaller than that of 1990, and the new vintage is richer and more palate-coating than other great years like 2002, 1999 and 1996," he added. "At harvest time, we had a festival of perfume in the cuverie." (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL) Also recommended: Marsannay Les Longeroies (85), Gevrey-Chambertin Clos du Fonteny (85?), Savigny-les-Beaune La Dominode (86+?).
2012 Marsannay
Color: Red

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2014 - 2022

Tasting notes: The 2012 Marsannay is super-classy from the very first taste. Racy, perfumed and silky, Bruno Clair's Marsannay captures the very best qualities of the appellation. Freshly cut flowers, mint and spices flow through to the high-toned finish. In 2012, the Marsannay is deep, rich and beautifully layered to the core. This is a fabulous showing.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair and his longtime winemaker Philippe Brun do so many things well, as these 2012s amply show. Where to start with these wines? Well, the Marsannays are terrific, but frankly so are all the wines. The harvest started on September 20 and wrapped up on October 2. By comparison, the 2013 harvest started on October 3 and lasted until the 20th. Malos were quite late here, and the wines were only racked in early September. Over the last few years Clair has begun to age some of his wines partly or wholly in cask, where volumes allow for larger aging vessels. When all is said and done, Bruno Clair's wines have been among the most impressive for some time and are deserving of a much wider audience. I highly encourage readers to check them out.
2009 Marsannay
Color: Red

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2013 - 2015

Tasting notes: The 2009 Marsannay is a beautiful entry-level wine with tons of character in its bright red fruit, crushed flowers and spices. Elegant and refined throughout, the Marsannay is an utterly impeccable wine at this level. 

Producer Commentary:
This is a beautiful set of wines from Bruno Clair. Every wine I tasted with Clair's longtime oenologist Philippe Brun was gorgeous from top to bottom. While the top 2009s are certainly superb, the real jewels here are the village level wines which appear to be among the great success stories of the 2009 vintage. I tasted all of the wines from barrel, except the Marsannay and Marsannay Les Vaudanelles, both of which were bottled before the 2010 harvest. In 2009 Clair began harvesting on September 15 and ended on the 23rd. I also tasted a handful of 2008s, from a much later harvest that stretched into October. The handful of wines I tasted from that vintage are equally impressive, and equally worth your time.
2010 Marsannay
Color: Red

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2013 - 2020

Tasting notes: The 2010 Marsannay is a striking wine, but I didn't have to taste it to realize that. The deep color is the first sign this is going to be an unusually rich wine, which it most certainly is. The 2010 is a decidedly plush, intense Marsannay bursting with layers of deep, ripe red fruit. The 2010 boasts incredible power and, most important of all, tons of harmony for a wine at this level. 

Producer Commentary:
This is a fabulous set of wines from Bruno Clair and his long-time oenologist Philippe Brun. The harvest started on September 25. Yields were 22-30 hectoliters per hectare, which is to say a good 10% less than 2003, a torrid vintage marked by tiny yields. Clair describes the fruit as healthy, with no botrytis and soft tannins from the late harvest. The 2010s were 100% destemmed. New oak ranged from 25% for the villages to 50% for the Grand Crus, except for the Marsannays, which saw very little new oak.
2009 Marsannay
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2013 - 2013

Tasting notes: The 2009 Marsannay is a beautiful entry-level wine with tons of character in its bright red fruit, crushed flowers and spices. Elegant and refined throughout, the Marsannay is an utterly impeccable wine at this level. 

Producer Commentary:
Is there anything Bruno Clair doesn't do well?
2019 Gevrey Chambertin Village
Color: Red

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2030

Tasting notes: The 2019 Gevrey-Chambertin Village, from three lieux-dits, has a strict, rather backward nose that refused to "come out and play". The palate is medium-bodied with crunchy black fruit, a nice touch of bitterness on the finish. It will need a year in bottle before it begins to entertain drinkability. 

Producer Commentary:
For the final time, I met Philippe Brun at the winery, as Brun is due to retire in the near future. It will be strange not seeing him flanking Bruno Clair next year. Marsannay’s ‘dynamic duo’ has produced some excellent visits in recent years. “We started the picking on 9 September,” Clair told me. “That was the Bonnes Mares because it was already very ripe. But the serious picking really began on 15 September. We finished on 24 and 25 September. The yields were half for the whites because of the dryness, for the reds it was 15-30% less than last year. Vines with deep roots that could penetrate the fissures performed best and did not show any stress. But overall, I am very pleased with the regularity of crop across the reds irrespective of vine age.” It was a wise decision to pick that Bonnes-Mares early because it may well turn out to be their star performer, closely followed by the Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze. Comparing them side-by-side, I might err for the 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques over the 2019, but we will see. Despite millerandage in the vineyard, the Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers displays superb mineralité. Though their 2019 Clos du Fonteny is very promising, the 2018 seemed out of sorts and I will endeavour to re-examine this. Overall, it was a superb set of 2019s from Bruno Clair that will age with style.
2018 Gevrey Chambertin Village
Color: Red

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2021 - 2030

Tasting notes: The 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Village has a tightly wound, earthy nose of light tobacco notes percolating through red fruit. It feels a little introverted at the moment. The medium-bodied palate is saline on the entry and quite spicy, with a lively black pepper tinge finish that is full of brio. Very fine. 

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair and Philippe Brun are the Batman and Robin of Marsannay that have really ratcheted up quality at this domaine. Both were on top form when I dropped in at their winery (though my God, whatever Bruno had just eaten for lunch, it was making his tummy rumble like Krakatoa!) “We had a lot of rain in the winter," he told me. "It was completely different to the 2019 growing season. In 2018 the maturity was quite strong. We started the picking on 27 August until the 8 or 9 September. I find that the tannins are very tender. Maybe you could say 2018 is a mixture of 1947 and 1959. There is more fruit than in 2003 and more phenolic maturity. The whole bunch in 2018 is between 30-40% as in 2017 and we did less pigeage after fermentation. The alcohol is between 13 and 14% but most are around 13.5%." I strongly recommend this domaine's wines, with some gems among the Premier Crus.
2017 Gevrey Chambertin Village
Color: Red

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2026

Tasting notes: A blend of three parcels including two declassified Premier Crus (Petit Fonteny and Bel Air), the 2017 Gevrey-Chambertin Village felt quite reduced on the nose out of barrel and did not really sing like Bruno Clair’s Marsannays. The palate is medium-bodied with chalky tannin and a twist of bitter cherry on the entry but lacks some weight on the back end. Hopefully it will gain mass during the remainder of its élevage. 

Producer Commentary:
This year, Philippe Brun escorted me through the domaine’s 2017s. Once known for its intermittently rustic wines, there is a sense of newfound refinement and elegance that has seen Bruno Clair gain a wider and well-deserved following. This is partly because they have eased off the extraction and picked just a little earlier. They oversee a strong portfolio of cuvées, not just their Grand Crus and prized rows within Clos Saint-Jacques, but a cluster of excellent Village and Premier Crus that can offer great value. Brun told me that they commenced the picking on September 5 and picked over the following five days - quite a short harvest given their range of holdings. None of the wines had been racked when I visited, and they plan to blend the cuvées in January.

This was a very fine set of wines from Bruno Clair, though one or two, such as the Gevrey-Chambertin Petite Chapelle and perhaps the Cazetiers and Clos Saint-Jacques, left me wondering if they could have given more. It was another Gevrey-Chambertin – the 0.68-hectare monopole of Clos du Fonteny, which rises on a geological ledge a few meters above the rest of Fonteny – that really caught my eye, alongside a very impressive Marsannay Les Grasses-Têtes and a superb Bonnes-Mares that crowns their range. Generally, I found assiduous use of whole bunches here and a collection of wines that range from the easygoing to others that boast long-term potential.
2018 Gevrey Chambertin Petite Chapelle 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2040

Tasting notes: The 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Petite Chapelle 1er Cru has an expressive bouquet of ample red berry fruit, hints of rose petal and just a touch of vanilla pod. The palate is medium-bodied with supple, lithe tannins. A pliant, silky-smooth La Petite Chapelle with a harmonious, sensual finish. This wine has ambition.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair and Philippe Brun are the Batman and Robin of Marsannay that have really ratcheted up quality at this domaine. Both were on top form when I dropped in at their winery (though my God, whatever Bruno had just eaten for lunch, it was making his tummy rumble like Krakatoa!) “We had a lot of rain in the winter," he told me. "It was completely different to the 2019 growing season. In 2018 the maturity was quite strong. We started the picking on 27 August until the 8 or 9 September. I find that the tannins are very tender. Maybe you could say 2018 is a mixture of 1947 and 1959. There is more fruit than in 2003 and more phenolic maturity. The whole bunch in 2018 is between 30-40% as in 2017 and we did less pigeage after fermentation. The alcohol is between 13 and 14% but most are around 13.5%." I strongly recommend this domaine's wines, with some gems among the Premier Crus.
2015 Gevrey Chambertin Petite Chapelle 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: (these vines are 60 years old): Moderately saturated medium red. Slightly muted aromas of strawberry, raspberry and brown spices, lifted by a note of dried rose. Shows good fat and breadth on entry, then conveys a mineral firmness in the middle palate. The wine's strong strawberry fruit leads to a persistent finish featuring slightly dusty tannins. Good dimension here but not yet filled in; the wine's mineral energy makes it a bit youthfully disjointed in the early going. There's a lot of calcaire in the subsoil--as well as plenty of clay but little or no marl.

Producer Commentary:
The rain on August 6 brought the grapes back to a state of equilibrium following the drought conditions in July and saved the 2015 harvest, said Bruno Clair, who added that there were two subsequent “key” rains in August. “But we didn’t have a lot of grapes and they never got large,” he noted, and the estate ultimately produced the equivalent of half a normal crop.

Clair started harvesting with his Bonnes-Mares on September 5 and needed two weeks to pick. Grape sugars were mostly between 12.5% and 13%, with some even higher. The harvest was “perfectly clean” and the estate vinified with a higher percentage of whole clusters than normally. The malolactic fermentations finished relatively quickly, during the winter, and Clair expected to bottle the bulk of his 2015s in April of 2017. “The wines have complexity, charm and drive,” Clair summarized, “and they are not austere.”

Incidentally, Clair took back the remainder of his Bonnes-Mares in 2016 and now works 1.45 hectares of vines in this grand cru. All of his land is in Chambolle-Musigny, except for a small band of vines next to Clos de Tart.
2014 Gevrey Chambertin Petite Chapelle 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 89.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: (from 50-year-old vines): Bright medium red. Subdued red cherry aroma. Shows less early texture and flesh than the Clos du Fontenys but more saline minerality, giving it more sappiness and inner-mouth tension. This juicy, pretty wine finishes with a firm tannic spine and an impression of finesse.

Producer Commentary:
"The 2014s showcase their terroirs while the 2013s are more marked by the almost historically cool season," said Bruno Clair in December. He made between 70% and 80% of a normal crop in 2014 and finds these wines riper than the 2013s, which he says "ripened by concentration, not from sun. The 2014s have a bit of the finesse of the 2011s but they also have more depth."

This estate benefits from a high percentage of very old vines. In fact, thanks to the quality of the genetic material planted here, cuttings from Clair's vines, along with those of Domaine Ponsot, were used by the University of Dijon in the 1960s to create some of the clones that are most highly regarded today in Burgundy and elsewhere. I tasted the Marsannay cuvées from large casks, and all but one of the rest from barriques; all of the 2014s had been racked in October.
2010 Gevrey Chambertin Petite Chapelle 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2030

Tasting notes: The 2010 Gevrey-Chambertin Petite Chapelle comes across as cool, mineral and closed in on itself. Still, it reveals gorgeous textural finesse and fabulous overall balance. The 2010 floats on the palate with an effortless expression of fruit that is truly remarkable. Deep layers of spices wrap around the sensual finish. This is another fabulous wine from Bruno Clair. 

Producer Commentary:
This is a fabulous set of wines from Bruno Clair and his long-time oenologist Philippe Brun. The harvest started on September 25. Yields were 22-30 hectoliters per hectare, which is to say a good 10% less than 2003, a torrid vintage marked by tiny yields. Clair describes the fruit as healthy, with no botrytis and soft tannins from the late harvest. The 2010s were 100% destemmed. New oak ranged from 25% for the villages to 50% for the Grand Crus, except for the Marsannays, which saw very little new oak.
2017 Gevrey Chambertin Petite Chapelle 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2021 - 2028

Tasting notes: The 2017 Gevrey-Chambertin Petite Chapelle 1er Cru does not quite sing on the nose and lacks the definition and joie-de-vivre of the Clos de Fonteny. The palate is medium-bodied with chewy tannin, some torrefactory notes and blood-orange-infused red fruit on the finish. This is just lacking a bit of harmony and grace. 

Producer Commentary:
This year, Philippe Brun escorted me through the domaine’s 2017s. Once known for its intermittently rustic wines, there is a sense of newfound refinement and elegance that has seen Bruno Clair gain a wider and well-deserved following. This is partly because they have eased off the extraction and picked just a little earlier. They oversee a strong portfolio of cuvées, not just their Grand Crus and prized rows within Clos Saint-Jacques, but a cluster of excellent Village and Premier Crus that can offer great value. Brun told me that they commenced the picking on September 5 and picked over the following five days - quite a short harvest given their range of holdings. None of the wines had been racked when I visited, and they plan to blend the cuvées in January.

This was a very fine set of wines from Bruno Clair, though one or two, such as the Gevrey-Chambertin Petite Chapelle and perhaps the Cazetiers and Clos Saint-Jacques, left me wondering if they could have given more. It was another Gevrey-Chambertin – the 0.68-hectare monopole of Clos du Fonteny, which rises on a geological ledge a few meters above the rest of Fonteny – that really caught my eye, alongside a very impressive Marsannay Les Grasses-Têtes and a superb Bonnes-Mares that crowns their range. Generally, I found assiduous use of whole bunches here and a collection of wines that range from the easygoing to others that boast long-term potential.
2019 Gevrey Chambertin Petite Chapelle 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2038

Tasting notes: The 2019 Gevrey-Chambertin Petite Chapelle 1er Cru is the smallest cuvée of the domaine, just 4 or 5 barrels each year. It has fine focus and intensity with blackberry, briary and freshly tilled soil. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, crisp and fresh with a crunchy textured, edgy finish. Elegant and full of tension, it should drink well for 12 to 15 years. 

Producer Commentary:
For the final time, I met Philippe Brun at the winery, as Brun is due to retire in the near future. It will be strange not seeing him flanking Bruno Clair next year. Marsannay’s ‘dynamic duo’ has produced some excellent visits in recent years. “We started the picking on 9 September,” Clair told me. “That was the Bonnes Mares because it was already very ripe. But the serious picking really began on 15 September. We finished on 24 and 25 September. The yields were half for the whites because of the dryness, for the reds it was 15-30% less than last year. Vines with deep roots that could penetrate the fissures performed best and did not show any stress. But overall, I am very pleased with the regularity of crop across the reds irrespective of vine age.” It was a wise decision to pick that Bonnes-Mares early because it may well turn out to be their star performer, closely followed by the Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze. Comparing them side-by-side, I might err for the 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques over the 2019, but we will see. Despite millerandage in the vineyard, the Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers displays superb mineralité. Though their 2019 Clos du Fonteny is very promising, the 2018 seemed out of sorts and I will endeavour to re-examine this. Overall, it was a superb set of 2019s from Bruno Clair that will age with style.
2012 Gevrey Chambertin Petite Chapelle 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2017 - 2032

Tasting notes: The 2012 Gevrey-Chambertin Petite Chapelle is floral, lifted and beautifully perfumed throughout. I very much like the sense of energy and pure drive here. Sweet red berries, mint and spices lift from the glass. The 2012 is precise and impeccably balanced.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair and his longtime winemaker Philippe Brun do so many things well, as these 2012s amply show. Where to start with these wines? Well, the Marsannays are terrific, but frankly so are all the wines. The harvest started on September 20 and wrapped up on October 2. By comparison, the 2013 harvest started on October 3 and lasted until the 20th. Malos were quite late here, and the wines were only racked in early September. Over the last few years Clair has begun to age some of his wines partly or wholly in cask, where volumes allow for larger aging vessels. When all is said and done, Bruno Clair's wines have been among the most impressive for some time and are deserving of a much wider audience. I highly encourage readers to check them out.
2009 Gevrey Chambertin Les Cazetiers – 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 91.5

Drinking window: 2014 - 2029

Tasting notes: The 2009 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazétiers flows onto the palate with layers of radiant, generous fruit. This shows plenty of juiciness all the way through to the textured, multi-dimensional finish. The wine's roundness suggests the Cazétiers may be accessible relatively early. Sweet, ripe tannins round out the inviting finish. 

Producer Commentary:
This is a beautiful set of wines from Bruno Clair. Every wine I tasted with Clair's longtime oenologist Philippe Brun was gorgeous from top to bottom. While the top 2009s are certainly superb, the real jewels here are the village level wines which appear to be among the great success stories of the 2009 vintage. I tasted all of the wines from barrel, except the Marsannay and Marsannay Les Vaudanelles, both of which were bottled before the 2010 harvest. In 2009 Clair began harvesting on September 15 and ended on the 23rd. I also tasted a handful of 2008s, from a much later harvest that stretched into October. The handful of wines I tasted from that vintage are equally impressive, and equally worth your time.
2001 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2017 - 2021

Tasting notes: Good medium red. Musky, evolved bouquet of chocolate, spices and porcini. Supple, spicy and sweet but fully evolved, with the mushroom and chocolate qualities carrying through on the palate. In a fairly simple, slightly pinched style, and past its fruit stage. Bruno Clair described 2001 as "a tough year for us, with a difficult flowering and a bad July. We didn't have problems with cleanliness of the fruit but there was a wide range of ripeness within the same bunches ever since the flowering." (Clair also showed me his Gevrey-Chambertin Cazetiers, and that wine was a bit funkier on the nose, with its acidity taking over the palate; it was in decline.)

Producer Commentary:
2014 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Bright medium red. Very pure, fruit-driven aromas of strawberry, red raspberry, cherry and minerals. Airy and sharply delineated on the palate, conveying a strong impression of inner-mouth tension to the red fruit, mineral and red licorice flavors. This tightly coiled wine really vibrates on the supple, very long, rising finish.

Producer Commentary:
"The 2014s showcase their terroirs while the 2013s are more marked by the almost historically cool season," said Bruno Clair in December. He made between 70% and 80% of a normal crop in 2014 and finds these wines riper than the 2013s, which he says "ripened by concentration, not from sun. The 2014s have a bit of the finesse of the 2011s but they also have more depth."

This estate benefits from a high percentage of very old vines. In fact, thanks to the quality of the genetic material planted here, cuttings from Clair's vines, along with those of Domaine Ponsot, were used by the University of Dijon in the 1960s to create some of the clones that are most highly regarded today in Burgundy and elsewhere. I tasted the Marsannay cuvées from large casks, and all but one of the rest from barriques; all of the 2014s had been racked in October.
2002 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2024

Tasting notes: Medium red. Reticent aromas of blackberry and coffee, along with a balsamic nuance. Fat, sweet and pliant, offering lovely energy and definition but a more decadent fruit character than the Savigny-lès-Beaune La Dominode. Really reverberates on the long back end, which features a suave dusting of tannins.

Producer Commentary:
2016 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: (25 hectoliters per hectare produced): Bright medium red. Complex, alluring aromas of black raspberry, plum, smoke and soil. Considerably deeper and silkier than the Cazetiers, conveying an impression of tangy sweetness to its rich flavors of black cherry and chocolate. Lovely texture and depth here, and a subtly long finish featuring very refined tannins. This wine is actually a bit subdued today. Cellarmaster Philippe Brun noted that the estate's Clos Saint-Jacques always goes through closed periods--"the 2005 is impossible now"--while the Cazetiers is always good.

Producer Commentary:
“We were massacred by the frost in Chambolle, Savigny and the south side of Marsannay,” said Bruno Clair in January, adding that his estate produced just 35% of a normal crop in 2016. But he added that he had only half a crop in 2015, and roughly the same production in 2013, 2012 and 2010 as well. The estate began harvesting on September 23 with grape sugars around 12% and chaptalized about half a degree. In comparison, potential alcohol levels were at least 13% in 2015 (13.5% for the Bonnes-Mares) and no chaptalization was done.

Cellarmaster Philippe Brun vinified most of the ‘16s with 20% to 25% whole clusters. The malos were protracted, typically lasting until August, and the wines had been racked and assembled in November. Clair described 2016 as “a classic vintage with less excesses of heat and drought than 2015, and a set of wines that should age well. Only the frost was a problem, and the wines have good balance and structure.” Brun added that he prefers the more linear 2016s and that he finds the 2015s "a bit too rich, even if they avoided any cooked taste. But we'll see in ten years."
2017 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 95.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2040

Tasting notes: The 2017 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques has improved since its so-so showing from barrel 12 months earlier. The red fruit element is more bright and vivid than in barrel, and crushed stone and woodland aromas surface with aeration. The palate is beautifully balanced with a discreet tobacco-like note on the perfectly proportioned and reassuringly persistent finish. Great potential.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair and Philippe Brun are the Batman and Robin of Marsannay that have really ratcheted up quality at this domaine. Both were on top form when I dropped in at their winery (though my God, whatever Bruno had just eaten for lunch, it was making his tummy rumble like Krakatoa!) “We had a lot of rain in the winter," he told me. "It was completely different to the 2019 growing season. In 2018 the maturity was quite strong. We started the picking on 27 August until the 8 or 9 September. I find that the tannins are very tender. Maybe you could say 2018 is a mixture of 1947 and 1959. There is more fruit than in 2003 and more phenolic maturity. The whole bunch in 2018 is between 30-40% as in 2017 and we did less pigeage after fermentation. The alcohol is between 13 and 14% but most are around 13.5%." I strongly recommend this domaine's wines, with some gems among the Premier Crus.
2016 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 95.0

Drinking window: 2024 - 2050

Tasting notes: The 2016 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques 1er Cru has a slightly more accessible bouquet compared to Rousseau's, but one that is just as entrancing. Overtly red fruit here mixed with woodland, brown spices and hints of dried blood. You could nose this all day becoming more tertiary with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with ripe, saturated tannins. This is silky and smooth in texture with a fine veneer of new oak, just a touch of orange rind and marmalade towards the finish with impressive persistence. Not quite as good as Rousseau's Clos Saint-Jacques, but still impressive. A puzzle. A fascinating puzzle. Tasted blind at the 2016 Burgfest tasting. 

Producer Commentary:
2014 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 93.5

Drinking window: 2024 - 2034

Tasting notes: (50% new oak): Good bright, dark red. Captivating nose combines raspberry, dried rose petal, peppery herbs and complex soil tones. Pungent salty minerality further energizes the wine's sappy raspberry and blood orange flavors. Surprising for its enveloping texture, this classic, firmly built Clos Saint-Jacques should enjoy a slow and graceful evolution in bottle. Bruno Clair noted that, unusually for an October harvest, this fruit actually continued to ripen by photosynthesis, whereas that late in the season any further ripeness is normally a function of concentration (i.e., essentially loss of water) on the vines. By the way, Clair opened a bottle of the 2013 Clos Saint-Jacques next to this wine and it displayed outstanding depth and thickness of material allied to pungent acidity, precision and minerality. On this day, I gave the 2013 a slight edge--94 points--but I'd certainly enjoy tasting these two outstanding wines side by side again in ten years.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair’s 2014s stood out for their precision and transparency to terroir in December. Even if they don’t have the sheer thickness of the ‘15s, I had a hard time choosing between the two vintages. The '14s were bottled between late April and the end of May of 2016.
2017 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2038

Tasting notes: The 2017 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques 1er Cru is endowed with the most backward and broodiest bouquet of the fine Clos Saint-Jacques and demands a lot of coaxing from the glass. Eventually, I was able to pick out light rose petal aromas, freshly tilled soil and hints of black rather than red fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with a sweet fig- and date-tinged opening. There is fine depth to this balanced Premier Cru, and toward the finish it begins to find its voice, offering brown spices and tobacco notes. This is an intriguing barrel sample that will be fascinating to watch. I am not sure that the 2017 will match the outstanding 2015 or 2016. 

Producer Commentary:
This year, Philippe Brun escorted me through the domaine’s 2017s. Once known for its intermittently rustic wines, there is a sense of newfound refinement and elegance that has seen Bruno Clair gain a wider and well-deserved following. This is partly because they have eased off the extraction and picked just a little earlier. They oversee a strong portfolio of cuvées, not just their Grand Crus and prized rows within Clos Saint-Jacques, but a cluster of excellent Village and Premier Crus that can offer great value. Brun told me that they commenced the picking on September 5 and picked over the following five days - quite a short harvest given their range of holdings. None of the wines had been racked when I visited, and they plan to blend the cuvées in January.

This was a very fine set of wines from Bruno Clair, though one or two, such as the Gevrey-Chambertin Petite Chapelle and perhaps the Cazetiers and Clos Saint-Jacques, left me wondering if they could have given more. It was another Gevrey-Chambertin – the 0.68-hectare monopole of Clos du Fonteny, which rises on a geological ledge a few meters above the rest of Fonteny – that really caught my eye, alongside a very impressive Marsannay Les Grasses-Têtes and a superb Bonnes-Mares that crowns their range. Generally, I found assiduous use of whole bunches here and a collection of wines that range from the easygoing to others that boast long-term potential.
2013 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 92.5

Drinking window: 2023 - 2035

Tasting notes: Palish medium red. The most aromatic of these 2013s to this point, offering scents of red cherry, spices and rose petal. Juicy, pure and penetrating, conveying a light touch and attractive inner-mouth perfume to its flavors of red fruits and saline, stony minerality. Boasts a suave mid-palate texture but needs several years of aging for its firm tannins to harmonize with its fruit. Today the Cazetiers is easier to taste.

Producer Commentary:
The team here did a lot of triage in the vines at the beginning of September, said Bruno Clair, to protect the fruit against rot and to speed up the ripening process, as the grapes were still green. In the end, he told me, "2013 did not reach the same ripeness as 2014 did, and ripeness came from loss of juice in the grapes rather than from photosynthesis." Two thousand fourteen conveys terroir character while 2013 is more marked by the "historic climate" of the year, he added. Clair began harvesting in 2013 on October 3.
2015 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: (vinified with 25% whole clusters): Medium red. Very sexy, soil-driven scents of wild strawberry, raspberry, underbrush and rose petal. Fine-grained and utterly seamless in texture, with its soil-driven red berry flavors framed and enlivened by strong mineral and floral elements. A step up in inner-mouth tension than the foregoing samples. At once dense and weightless, this is by far the longest to this point of Clair's 2015s, finishing with strong saline minerality that excites the tastebuds. With its dusty, well-supported tannins, this wine should evolve slowly and gracefully.

Producer Commentary:
The rain on August 6 brought the grapes back to a state of equilibrium following the drought conditions in July and saved the 2015 harvest, said Bruno Clair, who added that there were two subsequent “key” rains in August. “But we didn’t have a lot of grapes and they never got large,” he noted, and the estate ultimately produced the equivalent of half a normal crop.

Clair started harvesting with his Bonnes-Mares on September 5 and needed two weeks to pick. Grape sugars were mostly between 12.5% and 13%, with some even higher. The harvest was “perfectly clean” and the estate vinified with a higher percentage of whole clusters than normally. The malolactic fermentations finished relatively quickly, during the winter, and Clair expected to bottle the bulk of his 2015s in April of 2017. “The wines have complexity, charm and drive,” Clair summarized, “and they are not austere.”

Incidentally, Clair took back the remainder of his Bonnes-Mares in 2016 and now works 1.45 hectares of vines in this grand cru. All of his land is in Chambolle-Musigny, except for a small band of vines next to Clos de Tart.
2018 Gevrey Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2024 - 2045

Tasting notes: The 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru offers ebullient red fruit on the nose with pressed rose petal and crush stone, a touch of incense emerging with time. There is wonderful mineralité on the sweet, candied palate, touches of dark chocolate and a liberal sprinkling of white pepper on the finish. Not quite at the level of the Clos Saint-Jacques - but not far off. 

Producer Commentary:
For the final time, I met Philippe Brun at the winery, as Brun is due to retire in the near future. It will be strange not seeing him flanking Bruno Clair next year. Marsannay’s ‘dynamic duo’ has produced some excellent visits in recent years. “We started the picking on 9 September,” Clair told me. “That was the Bonnes Mares because it was already very ripe. But the serious picking really began on 15 September. We finished on 24 and 25 September. The yields were half for the whites because of the dryness, for the reds it was 15-30% less than last year. Vines with deep roots that could penetrate the fissures performed best and did not show any stress. But overall, I am very pleased with the regularity of crop across the reds irrespective of vine age.” It was a wise decision to pick that Bonnes-Mares early because it may well turn out to be their star performer, closely followed by the Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze. Comparing them side-by-side, I might err for the 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques over the 2019, but we will see. Despite millerandage in the vineyard, the Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers displays superb mineralité. Though their 2019 Clos du Fonteny is very promising, the 2018 seemed out of sorts and I will endeavour to re-examine this. Overall, it was a superb set of 2019s from Bruno Clair that will age with style.
2015 Gevrey Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 91.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Bright medium red. Complex if slightly reduced nose offers scents of red berries, flowers and spices. Not a fleshy or sweet style but conveys strong saline minerality, notes of chocolate and mocha and surprising energy. The pH here is a rather high 3.7, which Bruno Clair notes is normal for this wine. The Cazetiers comes from the same rootstock, plant material and altitude as Clair's Clos Saint-Jacques, but this wine typically shows secondary and tertiary aromas earlier. The slightly rustic earth, spice and mocha flavors call for a racking.

Producer Commentary:
The rain on August 6 brought the grapes back to a state of equilibrium following the drought conditions in July and saved the 2015 harvest, said Bruno Clair, who added that there were two subsequent “key” rains in August. “But we didn’t have a lot of grapes and they never got large,” he noted, and the estate ultimately produced the equivalent of half a normal crop.

Clair started harvesting with his Bonnes-Mares on September 5 and needed two weeks to pick. Grape sugars were mostly between 12.5% and 13%, with some even higher. The harvest was “perfectly clean” and the estate vinified with a higher percentage of whole clusters than normally. The malolactic fermentations finished relatively quickly, during the winter, and Clair expected to bottle the bulk of his 2015s in April of 2017. “The wines have complexity, charm and drive,” Clair summarized, “and they are not austere.”

Incidentally, Clair took back the remainder of his Bonnes-Mares in 2016 and now works 1.45 hectares of vines in this grand cru. All of his land is in Chambolle-Musigny, except for a small band of vines next to Clos de Tart.
2017 Gevrey Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2022 - 2036

Tasting notes: The 2017 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers has a very controlled bouquet: tightly wound, precise, almost static at the moment, but you know that everything will be released once in bottle. The palate is more expressive, featuring brambly red fruit, brown spices, clove and sage. This feels very harmonious, although it might not possess the most chiseled finish compared to others tasted from barrel. It has potential but certainly needs two or three years in bottle. 

Producer Commentary:
This year, Philippe Brun escorted me through the domaine’s 2017s. Once known for its intermittently rustic wines, there is a sense of newfound refinement and elegance that has seen Bruno Clair gain a wider and well-deserved following. This is partly because they have eased off the extraction and picked just a little earlier. They oversee a strong portfolio of cuvées, not just their Grand Crus and prized rows within Clos Saint-Jacques, but a cluster of excellent Village and Premier Crus that can offer great value. Brun told me that they commenced the picking on September 5 and picked over the following five days - quite a short harvest given their range of holdings. None of the wines had been racked when I visited, and they plan to blend the cuvées in January.

This was a very fine set of wines from Bruno Clair, though one or two, such as the Gevrey-Chambertin Petite Chapelle and perhaps the Cazetiers and Clos Saint-Jacques, left me wondering if they could have given more. It was another Gevrey-Chambertin – the 0.68-hectare monopole of Clos du Fonteny, which rises on a geological ledge a few meters above the rest of Fonteny – that really caught my eye, alongside a very impressive Marsannay Les Grasses-Têtes and a superb Bonnes-Mares that crowns their range. Generally, I found assiduous use of whole bunches here and a collection of wines that range from the easygoing to others that boast long-term potential.
2015 Gevrey Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 95.0

Drinking window: 2022 - 2048

Tasting notes: The 2015 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru clearly has the most sensual bouquet among the sextet of Les Cazetiers in this flight, possessing copious red cherry, crushed strawberry, vanilla pod and light flinty scents, perhaps with a judicious amount of stem addition. The harmonious, exquisitely detailed palate is very well balanced with a crisp line of acidity, the red fruit merging with more black toward a sustained finish of palpable mineralité. This is a very sophisticated Les Cazetiers destined for long-term aging. Tasted blind at the annual Burgfest tasting. 

Producer Commentary:
2017 Gevrey Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2022 - 2036

Tasting notes: The 2017 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru has a fragrant bouquet of rose petal, red cherry and strawberry. The palate is very well balanced, with wonderful Pinoté, but just needs a few more months to absorb the new oak on the finish. Not bad, though not the strongest of Bruno Clair's offerings this year. 

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair and Philippe Brun are the Batman and Robin of Marsannay that have really ratcheted up quality at this domaine. Both were on top form when I dropped in at their winery (though my God, whatever Bruno had just eaten for lunch, it was making his tummy rumble like Krakatoa!) “We had a lot of rain in the winter," he told me. "It was completely different to the 2019 growing season. In 2018 the maturity was quite strong. We started the picking on 27 August until the 8 or 9 September. I find that the tannins are very tender. Maybe you could say 2018 is a mixture of 1947 and 1959. There is more fruit than in 2003 and more phenolic maturity. The whole bunch in 2018 is between 30-40% as in 2017 and we did less pigeage after fermentation. The alcohol is between 13 and 14% but most are around 13.5%." I strongly recommend this domaine's wines, with some gems among the Premier Crus.
2016 Gevrey Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2022 - 2048

Tasting notes: The 2016 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru offers pastille-like raspberry and cranberry fruit on the nose, touches of mulch and oyster shell. Altogether it forms an engaging bouquet that keeps the nose in glass. The palate is framed by fine boned tannin, the acidity nicely judged. There is some vanillary new oak to be subsumed on the finish, it will ultimately turn into a gorgeous and seductive Cazetiers. Tasted blind at the 2016 Burgfest tasting. 

Producer Commentary:
1999 Gevrey Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2018 - 2027

Tasting notes: Medium red. Musky, evolving scents of plum, earth, mocha and chocolate, plus a note of animal fur. Slightly balsamic in the mouth, with the gamey quality carrying through, but also the most generous and ready to drink (and the lowest in acidity?) of the three '99s Bruno Clair presented in January. Has a thickness but maintains an element of finesse. Finishes with a firm spine of tannins and very good length. I suspect this wine is at its peak right now but its tannins should support it for another eight to ten years.

Producer Commentary:
The 20th century went out with a bang for red Burgundy lovers, with the 1999 vintage producing copious quantities of excellent to outstanding wine.

From the outset, the 1999 red Burgundies offered a rare combination of charm and power. Most of the better wines were balanced and alluring from the start, but they are evolving very slowly and still have plenty of life ahead of them. While many of the ‘99s I sampled with the producers this winter have gone through sullen stages in bottle, most of them have launched into their periods of peak drinkability. If you own these wines – and especially if you chose wisely at the outset – you will be amply rewarded.
2018 Gevrey Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2042

Tasting notes: The 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru has a perfumed, floral bouquet of rose petal and potpourri scents enmeshed with raspberry preserve and strawberry. The palate is very fresh on the entry, offering superb tannins, wonderful acidity and great cohesion toward the mineral-rich finish. This is a stupendous wine that will age for 20–30 years. 

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair and Philippe Brun are the Batman and Robin of Marsannay that have really ratcheted up quality at this domaine. Both were on top form when I dropped in at their winery (though my God, whatever Bruno had just eaten for lunch, it was making his tummy rumble like Krakatoa!) “We had a lot of rain in the winter," he told me. "It was completely different to the 2019 growing season. In 2018 the maturity was quite strong. We started the picking on 27 August until the 8 or 9 September. I find that the tannins are very tender. Maybe you could say 2018 is a mixture of 1947 and 1959. There is more fruit than in 2003 and more phenolic maturity. The whole bunch in 2018 is between 30-40% as in 2017 and we did less pigeage after fermentation. The alcohol is between 13 and 14% but most are around 13.5%." I strongly recommend this domaine's wines, with some gems among the Premier Crus.
2008 Gevrey Chambertin Clos St. Jacques – 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2018 - 2028

Tasting notes: The 2008 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos St. Jacques opens with an explosive bouquet. The wine turns decidedly more elegant and ethereal on the palate. The Clos St. Jacques comes across as more ethereal than the Cazétiers. It is a texturally brilliant wine, with a sweet, sensual finish and an utterly refined personality. 

Producer Commentary:
This is a beautiful set of wines from Bruno Clair. Every wine I tasted with Clair's longtime oenologist Philippe Brun was gorgeous from top to bottom. While the top 2009s are certainly superb, the real jewels here are the village level wines which appear to be among the great success stories of the 2009 vintage. I tasted all of the wines from barrel, except the Marsannay and Marsannay Les Vaudanelles, both of which were bottled before the 2010 harvest. In 2009 Clair began harvesting on September 15 and ended on the 23rd. I also tasted a handful of 2008s, from a much later harvest that stretched into October. The handful of wines I tasted from that vintage are equally impressive, and equally worth your time.
2012 Gevrey Chambertin Clos St. Jacques 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 95.0

Drinking window: 2022 - 2038

Tasting notes: The 2012 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos-St.-Jacques dazzles from start to finish. There is a palpable sense of explosive energy to the dark red and black fruit. Exceptional in its balance and full of nuance, the Clos-St. Jacques delivers a fabulous, Grand Cru-level drinking experience. The huge, resonant finish implores readers to be patient, although that will be very difficult here. This is one of the highlights of the range.

Producer Commentary:
Although I was only able to taste a handful of bottled 2012s, the wines I saw confirmed my very positive impressions from last year. Bruno Clair's 2012s are rich, fat and textured, but with more than enough structure to support many years of fine drinking.
2013 Gevrey Chambertin Clos St. Jacques 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 93.5

Drinking window: 2021 - 2035

Tasting notes: The third of Bruno Clair's Gevrey 1er Crus, the 2013 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos-St.-Jacques provides a fascinating window into one of the village's undisputed top sites. Here the impression is of pure power, energy and explosiveness. Leather, cedar, smoke and spice are some of the notes that flesh out in a dark, imposing Burgundy that will require considerable patience.

Producer Commentary:
It's always a pleasure to sit down and taste with Bruno Clair and his longtime winemaker, Philippe Brun, both of whom are a treasure trove of experience and knowledge. Clair brought in his fruit beginning on October 7, which only has parallels in the estate's recent history with 1978 and 1980, where the harvests started on October 10 and 12. It's true that 2008 was almost as late as 2013, except that in 2013 the last few days of ripening did not add a meaningful amount of concentration as they did in 2008. Clair adds that sugars alone are not a measure of quality, as evidenced by the 1991s, many of which are more complete than their 1990 counterparts. Of course, the issue with any late-ripening year is that the days are shorter as the season progresses, so there are meaningful differences between the heat of August and that of September. As if the bad flowering and early start to the year was not enough, Clair's vineyards in Savigny-les-Beaune and Pernand-Vergelesses were all damaged by hail. According to Clair, the Charlemagne was more skin than juice, clearly a far from favorable situation. I tasted the 2013s from barrel, after they had been racked. Where the wines don't carry the signatures of hail they are quite pretty. Philippe Brun adds that while the terroirs are well marked in 2013, the wines should be enjoyed before the 2012s.
2012 Gevrey Chambertin Clos St. Jacques 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2022 - 2037

Tasting notes: Mid-palate pliancy and resonance are on full display in the 2012 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos-St.-Jacques. Sweet rose petals, crushed red berries, mint and spices flesh out in a resonant yet understated Burgundy endowed with considerable depth. This is fascinating to taste next to the more delicate Cazetiers.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair and his longtime winemaker Philippe Brun do so many things well, as these 2012s amply show. Where to start with these wines? Well, the Marsannays are terrific, but frankly so are all the wines. The harvest started on September 20 and wrapped up on October 2. By comparison, the 2013 harvest started on October 3 and lasted until the 20th. Malos were quite late here, and the wines were only racked in early September. Over the last few years Clair has begun to age some of his wines partly or wholly in cask, where volumes allow for larger aging vessels. When all is said and done, Bruno Clair's wines have been among the most impressive for some time and are deserving of a much wider audience. I highly encourage readers to check them out.
2010 Gevrey Chambertin Clos St. Jacques 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2030

Tasting notes: The 2010 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos St. Jacques is deep, round and powerful. The intense tannins are beautifully matched by the intensity of the fruit. Expressive mentholated, spiced notes develop in the glass, adding complexity and gravitas. The fruit turns positively explosive on the finish. The Clos St. Jacques has a very bright future ahead of it. This is a dazzling showing. 

Producer Commentary:
This is a fabulous set of wines from Bruno Clair and his long-time oenologist Philippe Brun. The harvest started on September 25. Yields were 22-30 hectoliters per hectare, which is to say a good 10% less than 2003, a torrid vintage marked by tiny yields. Clair describes the fruit as healthy, with no botrytis and soft tannins from the late harvest. The 2010s were 100% destemmed. New oak ranged from 25% for the villages to 50% for the Grand Crus, except for the Marsannays, which saw very little new oak.
2008 Gevrey Chambertin Cazetiers – 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2018 - 2028

Tasting notes: The estate's 2008 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazétiers is a cool, inward wine graced with exquisite finesse. Dark wild cherries, sage, rosemary and menthol are some of the nuances that come together in the glass. This is a relatively juicy 2008, but it will be even better in a few years' time. 

Producer Commentary:
This is a beautiful set of wines from Bruno Clair. Every wine I tasted with Clair's longtime oenologist Philippe Brun was gorgeous from top to bottom. While the top 2009s are certainly superb, the real jewels here are the village level wines which appear to be among the great success stories of the 2009 vintage. I tasted all of the wines from barrel, except the Marsannay and Marsannay Les Vaudanelles, both of which were bottled before the 2010 harvest. In 2009 Clair began harvesting on September 15 and ended on the 23rd. I also tasted a handful of 2008s, from a much later harvest that stretched into October. The handful of wines I tasted from that vintage are equally impressive, and equally worth your time.
2019 Chambolle Musigny Les Charmes 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2036

Tasting notes: The 2019 Chambolle-Musigny Les Charmes 1er Cru is a new fermage for Bruno Clair. It has just been racked and so the aromatics are difficult to read, however the palate is well balanced with crunchy black fruit laced with graphite, quite precise with fine salinity on the finish. Great potential. 

Producer Commentary:
For the final time, I met Philippe Brun at the winery, as Brun is due to retire in the near future. It will be strange not seeing him flanking Bruno Clair next year. Marsannay’s ‘dynamic duo’ has produced some excellent visits in recent years. “We started the picking on 9 September,” Clair told me. “That was the Bonnes Mares because it was already very ripe. But the serious picking really began on 15 September. We finished on 24 and 25 September. The yields were half for the whites because of the dryness, for the reds it was 15-30% less than last year. Vines with deep roots that could penetrate the fissures performed best and did not show any stress. But overall, I am very pleased with the regularity of crop across the reds irrespective of vine age.” It was a wise decision to pick that Bonnes-Mares early because it may well turn out to be their star performer, closely followed by the Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze. Comparing them side-by-side, I might err for the 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques over the 2019, but we will see. Despite millerandage in the vineyard, the Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers displays superb mineralité. Though their 2019 Clos du Fonteny is very promising, the 2018 seemed out of sorts and I will endeavour to re-examine this. Overall, it was a superb set of 2019s from Bruno Clair that will age with style.
2005 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques
Color: Red

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Bright, dark red-ruby. Very ripe but sappy aromas of plum, black cherry, licorice and minerals. Fat and ripe but almost magically vibrant, with terrific energy and inner-mouth perfume to the black cherry and mineral flavors. This really expands toward the back end, finishing tactile and chewy, with very suave tannins and outstanding aromatic persistence. Great definition of fruit here, as well as the structure for long aging.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair, who harvested quite late in 2006 (September 27 through October 7), says that this vintage now gives a great deal of pleasure, while 2005 is powerful but closed, with the constitution to age for a long time. The big news here is that the estate took back much of its Bonnes-Mares in early 2006, and has virtually doubled its quantities of Chambertin Clos de Beze, Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques and Vosne-Romanee Champs-Perdrix, following the expiration of long-term rental agreements (mostly with Jadot) that had been signed when Bruno's father Bernard left him 15 hectares of vineyards in 1988. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
1997 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques
Color: Red

Score: 89.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good medium red. Liqueur-like aromas of red berries and smoke. Sweet, slightly jammy and velvety in the mouth; rather stylish wine despite its elevated alcohol. This is riper and longer.

Producer Commentary:
"With the high sugars and great ripeness of the grapes, we expected to have wines with tough tannins," said Bruno Clair. "But the tannins in fact are quite fat, and there nothing hard about the wines at all; 1997 is certainly a vin de garde but it no monster." According to cellarmaster Philippe Brun, the cuvaison was shorter in '97, as there were a lot of yeasts on the grape skins and the fermentations started quickly (the estate does nothing to prevent the fermentation from starting). The malos were tumultuous, and early, but the wines remained on their lees through the winter and have taken on more complexity during elevage (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
1999 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Bright ruby-red. Pure, perfumed nose combines blackberry, raspberry, cherry, violet and nutmeg. Still tightly wound but pure, fine and beautifully understated. Very subtle spicy/floral flavors. This reminded me a bit of Sylvie Esmonin example from the same vineyard. Finishes very long and stylish, with fine tannins. This is one style of pinot that simply cannot be duplicated outside Burgundy.

Producer Commentary:
This is always a tricky cellar for barrel tasting, as the wines tend to show a firm tannic side early on and there relatively little sweetening influence of new oak. That said, I found a few of the lesser wines a bit wimpy and dilute, and lacking in flavor authority ("it was a very big harvest in Marsannay," Clair admits), but at the level of the estate's top crus these are scented, pure wines of subtlety and class. The '99s had been racked for the first time about two weeks prior to my visit. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2008 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good deep red. Vibrant aromas of blackberry, violet and bitter chocolate. Gripping but not hard, with terrific mineral energy to the sexy dark berry and violet flavors. By far the most perfumed of these 2008s to this point. Compellingly juicy, detailed wine with a broad dusting of tannins and lovely aromatic persistence.

Producer Commentary:
Clair delayed harvesting in 2008 until September 30, then picked until October 14, doing a sorting in the vines, especially to eliminate pink grapes. He told me that he lost 20% of his volume due to the wind during the second half of September and that the typical 2008 began with potential alcohol of 12.2% to 12.7%, although the range was actually quite extreme: from 10% to 13.5%. Following very late malos, the premier and grand crus-but not the village wines-had been racked and sulfited just a week or two prior to my visit. The 2008s are characterized by their strawberry and raspberry elements, said Clair, while the 2007s are more about black fruits. "But 2008 has great aging potential," he believes. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2004 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques
Color: Red

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good full red. Perfumed nose offers cherry, earth, flowers and red licorice. Suave and supple; in a drier style but ripe and stylish. This coats the entire palate without leaving any impression of weight. Finishes subtle and a bit dry, with noteworthy persistence to the flavors of ripe cherry and sweet oak.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair told me that 1990 is the greatest vintage for this domain since he started here in 1969. "But the crop in 2005 was smaller than that of 1990, and the new vintage is richer and more palate-coating than other great years like 2002, 1999 and 1996," he added. "At harvest time, we had a festival of perfume in the cuverie." (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL) Also recommended: Marsannay Les Longeroies (85), Gevrey-Chambertin Clos du Fonteny (85?), Savigny-les-Beaune La Dominode (86+?).
1998 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Bright medium red. Perfumed, classy aromas of blackberry, cherry, raspberry, minerals, flowers and mint. Superconcentrated, sappy and aromatic in the mouth; offers superb volume without any excess weight. Finishes with extremely supple tannins and subtle, clean, slow-mounting red fruit and floral flavors. Unusually silky for a '98.

Producer Commentary:
This is always a tricky cellar for barrel tasting, as the wines tend to show a firm tannic side early on and there relatively little sweetening influence of new oak. That said, I found a few of the lesser wines a bit wimpy and dilute, and lacking in flavor authority ("it was a very big harvest in Marsannay," Clair admits), but at the level of the estate's top crus these are scented, pure wines of subtlety and class. The '99s had been racked for the first time about two weeks prior to my visit. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2005 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques
Color: Red

Score: 92.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: (from vines planted in 1957, vs. 1958 for the Cazetiers) Bright red-ruby. Highly aromatic nose of black cherry and minerals, complemented by a note of new oak. Densely packed and sweet, with lovely inner-palate energy and a strong stony character to the dark fruit flavors. Currently displaying little of the gamey side of Gevrey. This really saturates the palate with flavor and fills the olfactories on the aftertaste.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair told me that 1990 is the greatest vintage for this domain since he started here in 1969. "But the crop in 2005 was smaller than that of 1990, and the new vintage is richer and more palate-coating than other great years like 2002, 1999 and 1996," he added. "At harvest time, we had a festival of perfume in the cuverie." (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL) Also recommended: Marsannay Les Longeroies (85), Gevrey-Chambertin Clos du Fonteny (85?), Savigny-les-Beaune La Dominode (86+?).
2006 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques
Color: Red

Score: 91.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Full, dark red. Some very ripe notes to the aromas of plum, blackberry and violet. Moderately sweet and penetrating, with very good energy and underlying spine to its currant and floral flavors. A bit youthfully imploded but finishes with solid power, serious tannins and enticing lingering perfume. This classy, fine-grained but still-tight wine calls for seven or eight years of patience. (Incidentally, I tried two different bottles of the Cazetiers and both seemed slightly dried by imperfect corks.)

Producer Commentary:
"The 2007 vintage is about fruit more than volume," said winemaker Philippe Brun, who did a soft extraction. "Still, the wines are a bit more sturdy than we thought at the beginning, and they didn't lose color during the racking, which is a good sign." Acidity levels were sound, and pHs were "not very high for here," he went on. He summed up: "The '07s are more pinot, but we find more personality and terroir in the '06s. But the '06s don't give pleasure yet and need cellaring." (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
1999 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques
Color: Red

Score: 92.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Full red. Precise, complex but laidback aromas of raspberry, minerals and underbrush. Supple and silky, with lovely perfumed carried by the wine subtle vinosity. This has firm underlying backbone and nicely understated sweetness. Finishes with very suave tannins and terrific persistence.

Producer Commentary:
Cellarmaster Philippe Brun describes the domain 2000s as aromatic, supple wines, to drink early - a very good restaurant vintage. The fragile fruit, picked largely under very warm conditions, generally needed some acidification. In comparison, he noted, the 2001 harvest brought thicker skins, higher acidity and more concentration. Brun and Bruno Clair both consider 1999 to be their best vintage since 1990. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
1996 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Very good red ruby. Fruitier, higher-pitched raspberry and licorice nose; suggestions of game and spice. Sweet, spicy and intensely flavored, with a stony foundation. Rather Chambolle-like. More reticent than the Cazetiers, but finer, more sharply delineated, and thoroughly ripe. Finishes with firm tannins.

Producer Commentary:
"The '95s have more color, more density, thicker skins," says cellarmaster Philippe Brun. "It will be necessary to put them in the cellar and forget them, like the '88s." He adds that the '96s, with their higher grape sugars and lower pHs, will be for drinking earlier. I was unimpressed by a couple of the lower-level '96s (though, following late malos, some wines had not yet been racked), but at the top levels there are several potentially outstanding wines at this address. The best '95s are superb. All the wines reviewed below were bottled without fining or filtration; Clair style makes few concessions to current tastes for sweet new oak and early appeal but have a history of developing well in bottle. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2007 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Perfumed aromas of redcurrant, raspberry, strawberry, licorice, flowers and underbrush. Juicy and tight, with fresh ripe acidity and enticing floral lift giving this young wine excellent definition. Intensely flavored, subtly sweet and quite long, with firm tannins nicely supported by mineral-driven fruit. Lay this one down.

Producer Commentary:
Clair delayed harvesting in 2008 until September 30, then picked until October 14, doing a sorting in the vines, especially to eliminate pink grapes. He told me that he lost 20% of his volume due to the wind during the second half of September and that the typical 2008 began with potential alcohol of 12.2% to 12.7%, although the range was actually quite extreme: from 10% to 13.5%. Following very late malos, the premier and grand crus-but not the village wines-had been racked and sulfited just a week or two prior to my visit. The 2008s are characterized by their strawberry and raspberry elements, said Clair, while the 2007s are more about black fruits. "But 2008 has great aging potential," he believes. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2007 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques
Color: Red

Score: 91.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Deep, bright red-ruby. Sexy aromas of black raspberry, blueberry, minerals, menthol and licorice; a bit withdrawn but lively and classic. Dense and sharply delineated, with lovely floral perfume lifting the purple fruit flavors. This is still backward and youthfully compact but finishes impressively, with the broad, fine tannins reaching the incisors.

Producer Commentary:
"The 2007 vintage is about fruit more than volume," said winemaker Philippe Brun, who did a soft extraction. "Still, the wines are a bit more sturdy than we thought at the beginning, and they didn't lose color during the racking, which is a good sign." Acidity levels were sound, and pHs were "not very high for here," he went on. He summed up: "The '07s are more pinot, but we find more personality and terroir in the '06s. But the '06s don't give pleasure yet and need cellaring." (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2009 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good deep red. Sappy aromas of cherry liqueur, coffee, mocha and rose petal. Very ripe and silky in the mouth, but with lively floral and mineral elements giving tension to the wine. Finishes seamless, broad and very long, with a fine dusting of tannins easily supported by the wine's excellent stuffing. No shortage of energy here.

Producer Commentary:
Clair, who started picking pinot noir on the late side (September 14), describes 2009 as "a very generous year, easy to vinify, with round, rich tannins." He ranks the vintage with past favorites like 2002 and 1990. Only the yields in Chambolle-Musigny, where his vines are not quite 20 years old, are particularly high, he told me-this despite the fact that he did a green harvest in these vines. Compared to the 2009s, the 2008s are vins de garde, he went on, and they will probably shut down in bottle. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL) Other wines tasted: Chambolle-Musigny Les Veroilles, Morey-Saint-Denis en La Rue de Vergy.
2010 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques
Color: Red

Score: 93.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good bright medium red. Knockout aromas of raspberry, dark cherry and rose petal. Densely packed yet weightless, offering terrific inner-mouth tension and precision to the tangy flavors of red cherry, raspberry and flowers. Wonderfully penetrating, high-pitched wine with a firm spine of tannins and acids for extended aging. I would not be at all surprised if this merited an even higher score a decade down the road. (Tragically, my sample of Clair's Clos de Beze was corked.)

Producer Commentary:
1997 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good deep red. Deeper, less forthcoming but ripe and perfumed aromas of black raspberry and minerals; shows a distinct jammy element. Concentrated, sweet and fresh; in the supple style of the vintage but bright and firmly constituted. The fine tannins coat the entire palate, and the finish is very long.

Producer Commentary:
"The '98 vintage was completely heterogeneous," said Bruno Clair. "We picked Marsannay ten days before Savigny Dominode. Because of the intense heat in early August, which stressed the vines in some spots but not in others, there was no logic to the ripeness." Yields were very low, especially on hillside sites affected by the April frost. Following a trie in the vines and another selection in the cuverie, the domain, according to Clair, vinified perfectly clean fruit. Cellarmaster Philippe Brun compared the '98s to the estate's '93s, but said the new vintage has riper tannins and more gras. "And there's more to the wine in '98 than in '97, clearly more structure," he added. Just a few '98s had been racked in November following late malos; the rest were still on their lees. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2017 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Du Fonteny 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2022 - 2035

Tasting notes: The 2017 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos du Fonteny 1er Cru, which contains 40% whole bunch fruit, has a very detailed bouquet of crushed-stone-infused, minerally fruit; hints of incense and lavender emerge with time in the glass. The palate is fresh and vibrant right from the start, offering candied tart red fruit mixed with orange zest and citrus peel, wonderful definition and such vivacity on the finish that you will beg for another sip straight away. Might this surpass the Clos Saint-Jacques this year?

Producer Commentary:
This year, Philippe Brun escorted me through the domaine’s 2017s. Once known for its intermittently rustic wines, there is a sense of newfound refinement and elegance that has seen Bruno Clair gain a wider and well-deserved following. This is partly because they have eased off the extraction and picked just a little earlier. They oversee a strong portfolio of cuvées, not just their Grand Crus and prized rows within Clos Saint-Jacques, but a cluster of excellent Village and Premier Crus that can offer great value. Brun told me that they commenced the picking on September 5 and picked over the following five days - quite a short harvest given their range of holdings. None of the wines had been racked when I visited, and they plan to blend the cuvées in January.

This was a very fine set of wines from Bruno Clair, though one or two, such as the Gevrey-Chambertin Petite Chapelle and perhaps the Cazetiers and Clos Saint-Jacques, left me wondering if they could have given more. It was another Gevrey-Chambertin – the 0.68-hectare monopole of Clos du Fonteny, which rises on a geological ledge a few meters above the rest of Fonteny – that really caught my eye, alongside a very impressive Marsannay Les Grasses-Têtes and a superb Bonnes-Mares that crowns their range. Generally, I found assiduous use of whole bunches here and a collection of wines that range from the easygoing to others that boast long-term potential.
2010 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Du Fonteny 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2018 - 2030

Tasting notes: The2010 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos du Fonteny is flat-out beautiful. Striking, well-articulated aromatics lead to sensual layers of fruit in this totally finessed, elegant Gevrey. Deep, spiced notes add complexity on the finish. The Clos du Fonteny is simply dazzling from the very first taste. Hints of Chambolle-like perfume linger in the empty glass. 

Producer Commentary:
This is a fabulous set of wines from Bruno Clair and his long-time oenologist Philippe Brun. The harvest started on September 25. Yields were 22-30 hectoliters per hectare, which is to say a good 10% less than 2003, a torrid vintage marked by tiny yields. Clair describes the fruit as healthy, with no botrytis and soft tannins from the late harvest. The 2010s were 100% destemmed. New oak ranged from 25% for the villages to 50% for the Grand Crus, except for the Marsannays, which saw very little new oak.
2015 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Du Fonteny 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2028

Tasting notes: (bottled at the end of May): Medium red. Slightly roasted aromas of cherry, raspberry and smoke came as a shock following the collection of '16s. Fat, plush and sweet for this bottling, but its chocolatey fullness is nicely leaved by surprising minerality. Cellarmaster Philippe Brun vinified most of the estate's '15s with about 30% whole clusters, which has clearly provided an added element of firmness. Still, he believes that the '15s are unlikely to go through an extended closed period.

Producer Commentary:
“We were massacred by the frost in Chambolle, Savigny and the south side of Marsannay,” said Bruno Clair in January, adding that his estate produced just 35% of a normal crop in 2016. But he added that he had only half a crop in 2015, and roughly the same production in 2013, 2012 and 2010 as well. The estate began harvesting on September 23 with grape sugars around 12% and chaptalized about half a degree. In comparison, potential alcohol levels were at least 13% in 2015 (13.5% for the Bonnes-Mares) and no chaptalization was done.

Cellarmaster Philippe Brun vinified most of the ‘16s with 20% to 25% whole clusters. The malos were protracted, typically lasting until August, and the wines had been racked and assembled in November. Clair described 2016 as “a classic vintage with less excesses of heat and drought than 2015, and a set of wines that should age well. Only the frost was a problem, and the wines have good balance and structure.” Brun added that he prefers the more linear 2016s and that he finds the 2015s "a bit too rich, even if they avoided any cooked taste. But we'll see in ten years."
2018 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Du Fonteny 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score:

Drinking window: 2023 - 2040

Tasting notes: The 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos du Fonteny 1er Cru shows just a little VA on the nose. The palate is sweet with crunchy red fruit but it needs to coalesce. I suspect this is just recovering from bottling and will require time in bottle. I will defer from passing judgement for now. 

Producer Commentary:
For the final time, I met Philippe Brun at the winery, as Brun is due to retire in the near future. It will be strange not seeing him flanking Bruno Clair next year. Marsannay’s ‘dynamic duo’ has produced some excellent visits in recent years. “We started the picking on 9 September,” Clair told me. “That was the Bonnes Mares because it was already very ripe. But the serious picking really began on 15 September. We finished on 24 and 25 September. The yields were half for the whites because of the dryness, for the reds it was 15-30% less than last year. Vines with deep roots that could penetrate the fissures performed best and did not show any stress. But overall, I am very pleased with the regularity of crop across the reds irrespective of vine age.” It was a wise decision to pick that Bonnes-Mares early because it may well turn out to be their star performer, closely followed by the Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze. Comparing them side-by-side, I might err for the 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques over the 2019, but we will see. Despite millerandage in the vineyard, the Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers displays superb mineralité. Though their 2019 Clos du Fonteny is very promising, the 2018 seemed out of sorts and I will endeavour to re-examine this. Overall, it was a superb set of 2019s from Bruno Clair that will age with style.
2019 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Du Fonteny 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2040

Tasting notes: The 2019 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos du Fonteny 1er Cru, a monopole of 0.67 hectares, has a tightly wound bouquet that opens with aeration: brambly red fruit mixed with light loamy and woodland scents. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, very mineral-driven with an almost flinty, stern and strict just like a Ruchottes on the finish. Excellent, but one for serious Burgophiles. 

Producer Commentary:
For the final time, I met Philippe Brun at the winery, as Brun is due to retire in the near future. It will be strange not seeing him flanking Bruno Clair next year. Marsannay’s ‘dynamic duo’ has produced some excellent visits in recent years. “We started the picking on 9 September,” Clair told me. “That was the Bonnes Mares because it was already very ripe. But the serious picking really began on 15 September. We finished on 24 and 25 September. The yields were half for the whites because of the dryness, for the reds it was 15-30% less than last year. Vines with deep roots that could penetrate the fissures performed best and did not show any stress. But overall, I am very pleased with the regularity of crop across the reds irrespective of vine age.” It was a wise decision to pick that Bonnes-Mares early because it may well turn out to be their star performer, closely followed by the Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze. Comparing them side-by-side, I might err for the 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques over the 2019, but we will see. Despite millerandage in the vineyard, the Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers displays superb mineralité. Though their 2019 Clos du Fonteny is very promising, the 2018 seemed out of sorts and I will endeavour to re-examine this. Overall, it was a superb set of 2019s from Bruno Clair that will age with style.
2018 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Du Fonteny 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2042

Tasting notes: The 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos du Fonteny 1er Cru comes from the domaine’s monopole. It has a well-defined, quite leafy bouquet that is a little timid at the moment compared to its siblings. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannins, a mixture of red and blueberry fruit and superb salinity and tension on the elegant finish. Recommended - one of Clair's hidden gems as everyone goes for the Clos Saint-Jacques! 

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair and Philippe Brun are the Batman and Robin of Marsannay that have really ratcheted up quality at this domaine. Both were on top form when I dropped in at their winery (though my God, whatever Bruno had just eaten for lunch, it was making his tummy rumble like Krakatoa!) “We had a lot of rain in the winter," he told me. "It was completely different to the 2019 growing season. In 2018 the maturity was quite strong. We started the picking on 27 August until the 8 or 9 September. I find that the tannins are very tender. Maybe you could say 2018 is a mixture of 1947 and 1959. There is more fruit than in 2003 and more phenolic maturity. The whole bunch in 2018 is between 30-40% as in 2017 and we did less pigeage after fermentation. The alcohol is between 13 and 14% but most are around 13.5%." I strongly recommend this domaine's wines, with some gems among the Premier Crus.
2014 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Du Fonteny 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 89.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Bright palish red. Distinctly red aromas of cherry and rose petal. Sappy and perfumed, conveying lovely inner-mouth floral lift and noteworthy finesse. Nicely suave, fine-grained wine with smooth tannins and very good length. These vines are planted on soil rich in white marl, like Clair's Gevrey-Chambertin Cazetiers and Bonne-Mares, and routinely has the highest pH in the cellar (3. 7 in 2014). But this 2014 does not lack for energy.

Producer Commentary:
"The 2014s showcase their terroirs while the 2013s are more marked by the almost historically cool season," said Bruno Clair in December. He made between 70% and 80% of a normal crop in 2014 and finds these wines riper than the 2013s, which he says "ripened by concentration, not from sun. The 2014s have a bit of the finesse of the 2011s but they also have more depth."

This estate benefits from a high percentage of very old vines. In fact, thanks to the quality of the genetic material planted here, cuttings from Clair's vines, along with those of Domaine Ponsot, were used by the University of Dijon in the 1960s to create some of the clones that are most highly regarded today in Burgundy and elsewhere. I tasted the Marsannay cuvées from large casks, and all but one of the rest from barriques; all of the 2014s had been racked in October.
2013 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Du Fonteny 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2019 - 2027

Tasting notes: Palish medium red. Reticent aromas and flavors of black cherry and earth. Juicy and tight, showing decent density but less fruit sweetness than the 2014 version. Finishes with dusty, reasonably ripe tannins and good length. 

Producer Commentary:
The team here did a lot of triage in the vines at the beginning of September, said Bruno Clair, to protect the fruit against rot and to speed up the ripening process, as the grapes were still green. In the end, he told me, "2013 did not reach the same ripeness as 2014 did, and ripeness came from loss of juice in the grapes rather than from photosynthesis." Two thousand fourteen conveys terroir character while 2013 is more marked by the "historic climate" of the year, he added. Clair began harvesting in 2013 on October 3.
2016 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Du Fonteny 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: (there wasn't much frost here but production was still just 27 hectoliters per hectare): Saturated medium red. Aromas of black raspberry, black cherry, smoke and game show moderate lift. Then sweet and fairly deep in the mouth, conveying moderate definition and lift to its flavors of dark berries, black cherry and smoke. A bit tight on the back end, which features a ripe dusting of tannins and very good length.

Producer Commentary:
“We were massacred by the frost in Chambolle, Savigny and the south side of Marsannay,” said Bruno Clair in January, adding that his estate produced just 35% of a normal crop in 2016. But he added that he had only half a crop in 2015, and roughly the same production in 2013, 2012 and 2010 as well. The estate began harvesting on September 23 with grape sugars around 12% and chaptalized about half a degree. In comparison, potential alcohol levels were at least 13% in 2015 (13.5% for the Bonnes-Mares) and no chaptalization was done.

Cellarmaster Philippe Brun vinified most of the ‘16s with 20% to 25% whole clusters. The malos were protracted, typically lasting until August, and the wines had been racked and assembled in November. Clair described 2016 as “a classic vintage with less excesses of heat and drought than 2015, and a set of wines that should age well. Only the frost was a problem, and the wines have good balance and structure.” Brun added that he prefers the more linear 2016s and that he finds the 2015s "a bit too rich, even if they avoided any cooked taste. But we'll see in ten years."
2015 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Du Fonteny 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: (from vines planted on rock, close to Ruchottes-Chambertin): Medium palish red. Subtle, somewhat reduced scents of raspberry, strawberry, smoke and earth. A step up in sweetness and pliancy from the village Gevrey, but with pungent minerality enlivening the middle palate. Offers an impression of breadth without weight and finishes with nicely buffered tannins. Lovely potential here.

Producer Commentary:
The rain on August 6 brought the grapes back to a state of equilibrium following the drought conditions in July and saved the 2015 harvest, said Bruno Clair, who added that there were two subsequent “key” rains in August. “But we didn’t have a lot of grapes and they never got large,” he noted, and the estate ultimately produced the equivalent of half a normal crop.

Clair started harvesting with his Bonnes-Mares on September 5 and needed two weeks to pick. Grape sugars were mostly between 12.5% and 13%, with some even higher. The harvest was “perfectly clean” and the estate vinified with a higher percentage of whole clusters than normally. The malolactic fermentations finished relatively quickly, during the winter, and Clair expected to bottle the bulk of his 2015s in April of 2017. “The wines have complexity, charm and drive,” Clair summarized, “and they are not austere.”

Incidentally, Clair took back the remainder of his Bonnes-Mares in 2016 and now works 1.45 hectares of vines in this grand cru. All of his land is in Chambolle-Musigny, except for a small band of vines next to Clos de Tart.
2012 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Du Fonteny 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2032

Tasting notes: A pulsating, energetic wine, Clair's 2012 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos du Fonteny impresses for its overall poise and sense of balance. Dark red cherry, plum, dried flowers and rocks are all woven together beautifully. The sheer depth of the fruit is going to make the 2012 difficult to resist young, but there is more than enough tannin and acidity to support aging.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair and his longtime winemaker Philippe Brun do so many things well, as these 2012s amply show. Where to start with these wines? Well, the Marsannays are terrific, but frankly so are all the wines. The harvest started on September 20 and wrapped up on October 2. By comparison, the 2013 harvest started on October 3 and lasted until the 20th. Malos were quite late here, and the wines were only racked in early September. Over the last few years Clair has begun to age some of his wines partly or wholly in cask, where volumes allow for larger aging vessels. When all is said and done, Bruno Clair's wines have been among the most impressive for some time and are deserving of a much wider audience. I highly encourage readers to check them out.
2009 Gevrey Chambertin Clos De Fonteny – 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2014 - 2029

Tasting notes: The2009 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos de Fonteny fills out beautifully on the mid-palate with layers of dark red fruit. Broad and long on the finish, the Clos de Fonteny displays exceptional balance and plenty of sheer breed. The wine's freshness and overall harmony suggest a long life of hugely rewarding drinking. 

Producer Commentary:
This is a beautiful set of wines from Bruno Clair. Every wine I tasted with Clair's longtime oenologist Philippe Brun was gorgeous from top to bottom. While the top 2009s are certainly superb, the real jewels here are the village level wines which appear to be among the great success stories of the 2009 vintage. I tasted all of the wines from barrel, except the Marsannay and Marsannay Les Vaudanelles, both of which were bottled before the 2010 harvest. In 2009 Clair began harvesting on September 15 and ended on the 23rd. I also tasted a handful of 2008s, from a much later harvest that stretched into October. The handful of wines I tasted from that vintage are equally impressive, and equally worth your time.
2012 Chambertin Clos De Béze Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 95.0

Drinking window: 2022 - 2042

Tasting notes: A huge, vertical wine, Bruno Clair's 2012 Chambertin Clos de Béze is endowed with serious structure. Layers of dark, expressive fruit are supported by beams of minerality and acidity. This is an especially sleek, gracious Béze, but there is plenty of power lurking in the background. Layers of voluptuous fruit nearly cover the tannins in a majestic Béze that should drink well for many years.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair and his longtime winemaker Philippe Brun do so many things well, as these 2012s amply show. Where to start with these wines? Well, the Marsannays are terrific, but frankly so are all the wines. The harvest started on September 20 and wrapped up on October 2. By comparison, the 2013 harvest started on October 3 and lasted until the 20th. Malos were quite late here, and the wines were only racked in early September. Over the last few years Clair has begun to age some of his wines partly or wholly in cask, where volumes allow for larger aging vessels. When all is said and done, Bruno Clair's wines have been among the most impressive for some time and are deserving of a much wider audience. I highly encourage readers to check them out.
2012 Chambertin Clos De Béze Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 95.0

Drinking window: 2024 - 2042

Tasting notes: The 2012 Chambertin Clos de Béze is going to need time to fully come together. The combination of huge fruit and prominent acidity is utterly captivating, even if the 2012 is only showing a hint of its ultimate potential. A layered, resonant finish laced with new leather, spice, mint, rose petal and violet overtones leaves a lasting impression.

Producer Commentary:
Although I was only able to taste a handful of bottled 2012s, the wines I saw confirmed my very positive impressions from last year. Bruno Clair's 2012s are rich, fat and textured, but with more than enough structure to support many years of fine drinking.
2015 Chambertin Clos De Bèze Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2027 - 2040

Tasting notes: Healthy medium red. Distinctly darker on the nose than the Clos Saint-Jacques, offering aromas of black cherry, licorice, spices and crushed rock if not quite the floral high notes of the 2016 version. At once thick and vibrant in the mouth, conveying good mineral verve to its intense flavors of dark berries and underbrush. The slowly mounting, fine-grained finish displays a subtle suggestion of candied fruits but excellent energy and grip. This beauty seems less dominated by its vintage character than the Clos Saint-Jacques.

Producer Commentary:
“We were massacred by the frost in Chambolle, Savigny and the south side of Marsannay,” said Bruno Clair in January, adding that his estate produced just 35% of a normal crop in 2016. But he added that he had only half a crop in 2015, and roughly the same production in 2013, 2012 and 2010 as well. The estate began harvesting on September 23 with grape sugars around 12% and chaptalized about half a degree. In comparison, potential alcohol levels were at least 13% in 2015 (13.5% for the Bonnes-Mares) and no chaptalization was done.

Cellarmaster Philippe Brun vinified most of the ‘16s with 20% to 25% whole clusters. The malos were protracted, typically lasting until August, and the wines had been racked and assembled in November. Clair described 2016 as “a classic vintage with less excesses of heat and drought than 2015, and a set of wines that should age well. Only the frost was a problem, and the wines have good balance and structure.” Brun added that he prefers the more linear 2016s and that he finds the 2015s "a bit too rich, even if they avoided any cooked taste. But we'll see in ten years."
2014 Chambertin Clos De Bèze Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 94.5

Drinking window: 2026 - 2038

Tasting notes: Bright medium red. Pungent lift to the aromas of pomegranate, cranberry and flowers. Fine-grained but tightly wound, even a bit imploded today, conveying a powerful impression of energy and lift. Not an especially fleshy wine but wonderfully precise and complete, with an extremely long finish that shows more saline minerality than primary red fruits. This youthfully taut wine is going to require extended aging.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair’s 2014s stood out for their precision and transparency to terroir in December. Even if they don’t have the sheer thickness of the ‘15s, I had a hard time choosing between the two vintages. The '14s were bottled between late April and the end of May of 2016.
2015 Chambertin Clos De Bèze Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 94.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: (these vines were picked on September 9): Healthy medium red. Pungently floral aromas and flavors of raspberry, crushed stone, underbrush and rose petal. Delivers a superb combination of thickness and lift, with its captivating sweetness perfectly buffered by underlying smoky mineral tension. Conveys an almost chocolatey impression but the alcohol here is a moderate 12.9%. Most impressive today on the very long, rising finish, where the ripe tannins are perfectly integrated.

Producer Commentary:
The rain on August 6 brought the grapes back to a state of equilibrium following the drought conditions in July and saved the 2015 harvest, said Bruno Clair, who added that there were two subsequent “key” rains in August. “But we didn’t have a lot of grapes and they never got large,” he noted, and the estate ultimately produced the equivalent of half a normal crop.

Clair started harvesting with his Bonnes-Mares on September 5 and needed two weeks to pick. Grape sugars were mostly between 12.5% and 13%, with some even higher. The harvest was “perfectly clean” and the estate vinified with a higher percentage of whole clusters than normally. The malolactic fermentations finished relatively quickly, during the winter, and Clair expected to bottle the bulk of his 2015s in April of 2017. “The wines have complexity, charm and drive,” Clair summarized, “and they are not austere.”

Incidentally, Clair took back the remainder of his Bonnes-Mares in 2016 and now works 1.45 hectares of vines in this grand cru. All of his land is in Chambolle-Musigny, except for a small band of vines next to Clos de Tart.
1999 Chambertin Clos De Bèze Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 92.5

Drinking window: 2021 - 2035

Tasting notes: Bright medium-dark red. Less expressive on the nose than the Clos Saint-Jacques but a step up in intensity and freshness in the mouth. More serious on the attack than the Clos Saint-Jacques, then more saline in the middle palate, conveying a sappy quality to its distinctly dark purple fruit flavors. Offers noteworthy nervosité and needs at least as much time as the Clos Saint-Jacques. Finishes with a serious spine of dusty tannins. Bruno Clair noted that he prefers the finish of the Clos Saint-Jacques today.

Producer Commentary:
The 20th century went out with a bang for red Burgundy lovers, with the 1999 vintage producing copious quantities of excellent to outstanding wine.

From the outset, the 1999 red Burgundies offered a rare combination of charm and power. Most of the better wines were balanced and alluring from the start, but they are evolving very slowly and still have plenty of life ahead of them. While many of the ‘99s I sampled with the producers this winter have gone through sullen stages in bottle, most of them have launched into their periods of peak drinkability. If you own these wines – and especially if you chose wisely at the outset – you will be amply rewarded.
2014 Chambertin Clos De Bèze Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Palish medium red. Less high-pitched and more soil-driven on the nose than the Clos Saint-Jacques. Silky on entry, then rich, deep and plush in the middle, boasting an utterly seamless texture. Distinctly lower-toned and earthier than the Clos Saint-Jacques but without that wine's floral lift. These two cuvées could hardly be more different.

Producer Commentary:
"The 2014s showcase their terroirs while the 2013s are more marked by the almost historically cool season," said Bruno Clair in December. He made between 70% and 80% of a normal crop in 2014 and finds these wines riper than the 2013s, which he says "ripened by concentration, not from sun. The 2014s have a bit of the finesse of the 2011s but they also have more depth."

This estate benefits from a high percentage of very old vines. In fact, thanks to the quality of the genetic material planted here, cuttings from Clair's vines, along with those of Domaine Ponsot, were used by the University of Dijon in the 1960s to create some of the clones that are most highly regarded today in Burgundy and elsewhere. I tasted the Marsannay cuvées from large casks, and all but one of the rest from barriques; all of the 2014s had been racked in October.
2014 Gevrey Chambertin Cazetiers 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2022 - 2029

Tasting notes: Medium red. Sexy aromas of strawberry and earthy underbrush. Juicy and alive in the mouth, with its wild red berry flavors complicated by herbs and pepper. Conveys good energy for its relatively high pH, as well as noteworthy depth and breadth. Round but not at all flat, this Cazetiers finishes with ripe tannins and good thrust.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair’s 2014s stood out for their precision and transparency to terroir in December. Even if they don’t have the sheer thickness of the ‘15s, I had a hard time choosing between the two vintages. The '14s were bottled between late April and the end of May of 2016.
2013 Gevrey Chambertin Cazetiers 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2022 - 2031

Tasting notes: Healthy medium red. Closed nose hints at dark berries, licorice and rocks, along with a subtle note of game. Less perfumed in the mouth than the 2014 version but shows good peppery energy and a fairly silky texture to its purple fruit flavors. Finishes with very good length and lift and no dryness. This grew on me as more intense blackberry fruit emerged with air.

Producer Commentary:
The team here did a lot of triage in the vines at the beginning of September, said Bruno Clair, to protect the fruit against rot and to speed up the ripening process, as the grapes were still green. In the end, he told me, "2013 did not reach the same ripeness as 2014 did, and ripeness came from loss of juice in the grapes rather than from photosynthesis." Two thousand fourteen conveys terroir character while 2013 is more marked by the "historic climate" of the year, he added. Clair began harvesting in 2013 on October 3.
2008 Gevrey Chambertin
Color: Red

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Red fruits and minerals on the nose, with hints of earth and iron; a tad rustic. Suppler and sweeter than the Chambolle, with more body and stuffing to support its building, granular tannins. Still a tad dry on the end, with a late note of licorice.

Producer Commentary:
Clair delayed harvesting in 2008 until September 30, then picked until October 14, doing a sorting in the vines, especially to eliminate pink grapes. He told me that he lost 20% of his volume due to the wind during the second half of September and that the typical 2008 began with potential alcohol of 12.2% to 12.7%, although the range was actually quite extreme: from 10% to 13.5%. Following very late malos, the premier and grand crus-but not the village wines-had been racked and sulfited just a week or two prior to my visit. The 2008s are characterized by their strawberry and raspberry elements, said Clair, while the 2007s are more about black fruits. "But 2008 has great aging potential," he believes. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2012 Gevrey Chambertin Cazetiers 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2022 - 2037

Tasting notes: Bruno Clair's 2012 Gevrey-Chambertin Cazetiers lies behind a wall of intense salinity and minerality. A totally embryonic wine, the 2012 is going to need at least several years in bottle to truly come together. Here focus and delineation elevate the wine. The classic Cazetiers signatures are there, but the wine is nowhere near ready to show at its very best. 

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair and his longtime winemaker Philippe Brun do so many things well, as these 2012s amply show. Where to start with these wines? Well, the Marsannays are terrific, but frankly so are all the wines. The harvest started on September 20 and wrapped up on October 2. By comparison, the 2013 harvest started on October 3 and lasted until the 20th. Malos were quite late here, and the wines were only racked in early September. Over the last few years Clair has begun to age some of his wines partly or wholly in cask, where volumes allow for larger aging vessels. When all is said and done, Bruno Clair's wines have been among the most impressive for some time and are deserving of a much wider audience. I highly encourage readers to check them out.
2015 Gevrey Chambertin
Color: Red

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: (two-thirds from Carougeot, the rest from the premier cru Bel-Air and Fontenys outside the clos): Medium red. Strawberry, minerals and spices on the nose; slightly rustic in a positive Gevrey way. Then juicy and on the lean side, with red berry, spice and earth flavors dominating. Not bad but a bit dry, with its medicinal aspect suggesting only moderate ripeness. Less intense than most of Clair's young 2015s.

Producer Commentary:
The rain on August 6 brought the grapes back to a state of equilibrium following the drought conditions in July and saved the 2015 harvest, said Bruno Clair, who added that there were two subsequent “key” rains in August. “But we didn’t have a lot of grapes and they never got large,” he noted, and the estate ultimately produced the equivalent of half a normal crop.

Clair started harvesting with his Bonnes-Mares on September 5 and needed two weeks to pick. Grape sugars were mostly between 12.5% and 13%, with some even higher. The harvest was “perfectly clean” and the estate vinified with a higher percentage of whole clusters than normally. The malolactic fermentations finished relatively quickly, during the winter, and Clair expected to bottle the bulk of his 2015s in April of 2017. “The wines have complexity, charm and drive,” Clair summarized, “and they are not austere.”

Incidentally, Clair took back the remainder of his Bonnes-Mares in 2016 and now works 1.45 hectares of vines in this grand cru. All of his land is in Chambolle-Musigny, except for a small band of vines next to Clos de Tart.
2012 Gevrey Chambertin
Color: Red

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good bright red. Tight, medicinal nose hints at licorice. Sappy red fruit flavors come across as cool and medicinal but display good density. Finishes with slightly dusty tannins. Needs a bit more personality.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair described his 2010s as austere but the 2012s as fatter and fleshier, and the richness of the new vintage is especially clear in the estate's top cuvees.The domain harvested from September 20 until October 2, bringing in fruit with potential alcohol levels between 12% and 12.5% and chaptalizing about a half degree.They used their vibrating sorting table to eliminate the grapes grilled by sun at the end of July.Winemaker Philippe Brun told me he did two pigeages per day at the beginning of the fermentation, relying mostly on remontages at that stage, then three or four punchdowns per day at the peak of fermentation.Most cuvees were vinified with about 20% whole clusters.The 2012s were racked before the harvest of 2013. (A Becky Wasserman selection; importers include Martin-Scott Wines, Ltd., www.martinscottwines.com; Fine Vines, www.finevines.com; Cordon Selections, www.cordonselections.com; The Source Imports, www.thesourceimports.com)
1999 Gevrey Chambertin
Color: Red

Score: 85.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Spicy, highly perfumed aromas of cherry, raspberry, cinnamon, mace and mint. Aromatic and tangy in the mouth, with appealing, round flavors of cherry and berries. Finishes with dusty tannins and decent length. This will offer early appeal. In comparison, Clair village wine from Chambolle-Musigny was a bit wishy-washy and diffuse.

Producer Commentary:
This is always a tricky cellar for barrel tasting, as the wines tend to show a firm tannic side early on and there relatively little sweetening influence of new oak. That said, I found a few of the lesser wines a bit wimpy and dilute, and lacking in flavor authority ("it was a very big harvest in Marsannay," Clair admits), but at the level of the estate's top crus these are scented, pure wines of subtlety and class. The '99s had been racked for the first time about two weeks prior to my visit. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2013 Gevrey Chambertin
Color: Red

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2017 - 2028

Tasting notes: The 2013 Gevrey-Chambertin comes across as quite raw and not fully formed, with plenty of Gevrey sauvage character laced throughout. Firm tannins add to an overall impression of tension and energy, but limited finesse. It will be interesting to see what time brings here, and specifically, if the 2013 develops greater balance. Clair's Gevrey is a blend of fruit from Carougeot, Fontenys and Bel-Air.

Producer Commentary:
It's always a pleasure to sit down and taste with Bruno Clair and his longtime winemaker, Philippe Brun, both of whom are a treasure trove of experience and knowledge. Clair brought in his fruit beginning on October 7, which only has parallels in the estate's recent history with 1978 and 1980, where the harvests started on October 10 and 12. It's true that 2008 was almost as late as 2013, except that in 2013 the last few days of ripening did not add a meaningful amount of concentration as they did in 2008. Clair adds that sugars alone are not a measure of quality, as evidenced by the 1991s, many of which are more complete than their 1990 counterparts. Of course, the issue with any late-ripening year is that the days are shorter as the season progresses, so there are meaningful differences between the heat of August and that of September. As if the bad flowering and early start to the year was not enough, Clair's vineyards in Savigny-les-Beaune and Pernand-Vergelesses were all damaged by hail. According to Clair, the Charlemagne was more skin than juice, clearly a far from favorable situation. I tasted the 2013s from barrel, after they had been racked. Where the wines don't carry the signatures of hail they are quite pretty. Philippe Brun adds that while the terroirs are well marked in 2013, the wines should be enjoyed before the 2012s.
2002 Gevrey Chambertin
Color: Red

Score: 86.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Slightly shallow aromas of red fruits, flowers and menthol. Supple on entry, then a bit woody in the middle, in need of a bit more vibrancy. The chocolatey finish shows a slight dry edge.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair described 2002 as an easy vintage: Like 1990:very ripe, no rot, little selection necessary, easy to vinify."Potential alcohols were typically in the 12% to 12.5% range, with most wines chaptalized about a half a degree.The wines had been assembled and racked a couple weeks prior to my visit; Clair noted that the colors were still a bit lightened by the recent sulfur additions.(Vineyard Brands, Birmingham AL
2009 Gevrey Chambertin
Color: Red

Score: 86.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Bright red. Medicinal black cherry, coffee and smoke on the nose and palate, with a faint dried fruit character. Fat, supple and sweet, with a musky note of underbrush. Finishes with slightly dry, dusty tannins.

Producer Commentary:
Clair, who started picking pinot noir on the late side (September 14), describes 2009 as "a very generous year, easy to vinify, with round, rich tannins." He ranks the vintage with past favorites like 2002 and 1990. Only the yields in Chambolle-Musigny, where his vines are not quite 20 years old, are particularly high, he told me-this despite the fact that he did a green harvest in these vines. Compared to the 2009s, the 2008s are vins de garde, he went on, and they will probably shut down in bottle. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL) Other wines tasted: Chambolle-Musigny Les Veroilles, Morey-Saint-Denis en La Rue de Vergy.
2010 Gevrey Chambertin
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2015 - 2030

Tasting notes: The 2010 Gevrey-Chambertin impresses for the purity of its fruit and its exceptional balance. This mid-weight, gracious Gevrey is nicely supported by clean veins of minerality that give the wine its focus and energy through the mid-palate and finish. Tar, licorice, freshly cut flowers and spices are some of the nuances that add complexity and dimension on the close. The Gevrey is made from parcels in Carougeot, Bel Air and Fonteny. 

Producer Commentary:
This is a fabulous set of wines from Bruno Clair and his long-time oenologist Philippe Brun. The harvest started on September 25. Yields were 22-30 hectoliters per hectare, which is to say a good 10% less than 2003, a torrid vintage marked by tiny yields. Clair describes the fruit as healthy, with no botrytis and soft tannins from the late harvest. The 2010s were 100% destemmed. New oak ranged from 25% for the villages to 50% for the Grand Crus, except for the Marsannays, which saw very little new oak.
2009 Gevrey Chambertin
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2014 - 2024

Tasting notes: The 2009 Gevrey-Chambertin is mostly Carougeot, plus declassified Fonteny and Bel-Air, the latter two 1er Crus. Cool, mineral-laced fruit, crushed flowers, mint and spices come together nicely in this pointed, superbly delineated wine. The finish is long and articulate. The wine fills out a bit with time in the glass, so it will be interesting to see how things develop. The direction seems obvious, the degree less certain, but either way, this is a very fine Burgundy. 

Producer Commentary:
This is a beautiful set of wines from Bruno Clair. Every wine I tasted with Clair's longtime oenologist Philippe Brun was gorgeous from top to bottom. While the top 2009s are certainly superb, the real jewels here are the village level wines which appear to be among the great success stories of the 2009 vintage. I tasted all of the wines from barrel, except the Marsannay and Marsannay Les Vaudanelles, both of which were bottled before the 2010 harvest. In 2009 Clair began harvesting on September 15 and ended on the 23rd. I also tasted a handful of 2008s, from a much later harvest that stretched into October. The handful of wines I tasted from that vintage are equally impressive, and equally worth your time.
2016 Gevrey Chambertin
Color: Red

Score: 87.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good medium red. Sexy aromas of raspberry, black cherry, currant, smoked meat and earth. Offers good vinosity but the wine's chocolate and herbal elements convey an impression of irregular ripeness. There's decent material here but the wine is a bit tart and lacking in flesh, sweetness and depth. Slightly medicinal on the back end. An awkward showing today.

Producer Commentary:
“We were massacred by the frost in Chambolle, Savigny and the south side of Marsannay,” said Bruno Clair in January, adding that his estate produced just 35% of a normal crop in 2016. But he added that he had only half a crop in 2015, and roughly the same production in 2013, 2012 and 2010 as well. The estate began harvesting on September 23 with grape sugars around 12% and chaptalized about half a degree. In comparison, potential alcohol levels were at least 13% in 2015 (13.5% for the Bonnes-Mares) and no chaptalization was done.

Cellarmaster Philippe Brun vinified most of the ‘16s with 20% to 25% whole clusters. The malos were protracted, typically lasting until August, and the wines had been racked and assembled in November. Clair described 2016 as “a classic vintage with less excesses of heat and drought than 2015, and a set of wines that should age well. Only the frost was a problem, and the wines have good balance and structure.” Brun added that he prefers the more linear 2016s and that he finds the 2015s "a bit too rich, even if they avoided any cooked taste. But we'll see in ten years."
2003 Gevrey Chambertin
Color: Red

Score: 85.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good medium red. Rather tired nose dominated by nutty, resiny oak. Soft and fat but lacking verve and primary fruit. A bit dry-edged.

Producer Commentary:
According to cellarmaster Philippe Brun, this estate started picking its white grapes on August 26, and then stopped until September 1.Because they couldn't cool all their tanks at once, they picked only in the mornings.The pinot noirs lack acidity and are rather fragile, says Brun, adding that he believes they are best suited for drinking in their fruity youth.But he maintained that the estate had no surmaturite, and that while the premier crus are virtually all 13% or more alcohol, none of them reached 14%.Incidentally, Clair will not offer a regular Marsannay in 2003, as the estate needed this fruit to make their rose, a wine that is very popular in the U.S. market.(Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2012 Gevrey Chambertin
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2017 - 2032

Tasting notes: The 2012 Gevrey-Chambertin bursts from the glass with energy and tons of pure salinity, both in support of expressive dark black fruit, crushed rocks, mint, licorice and spices. Bright floral notes give the 2012 much of its focus. I very much like the sense of tension and vibrancy. There is a lot to look forward to. In 2012, the village Gevrey is 2/3rds Carougeot plus dollops of Bel Air and Fontenys.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair and his longtime winemaker Philippe Brun do so many things well, as these 2012s amply show. Where to start with these wines? Well, the Marsannays are terrific, but frankly so are all the wines. The harvest started on September 20 and wrapped up on October 2. By comparison, the 2013 harvest started on October 3 and lasted until the 20th. Malos were quite late here, and the wines were only racked in early September. Over the last few years Clair has begun to age some of his wines partly or wholly in cask, where volumes allow for larger aging vessels. When all is said and done, Bruno Clair's wines have been among the most impressive for some time and are deserving of a much wider audience. I highly encourage readers to check them out.
1999 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Du Fonteny
Color: Red

Score: 87.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Deep red-ruby. Sappy, pure, cool aromas of black cherry, pepper and mint. On the dry side but chewy and subtly intense, with flavors of blueberry, blackberry, pepper and mint. This has sneaky concentration, and the firm tannins are nicely buffered. Very laid-back but interesting wine.

Producer Commentary:
This is always a tricky cellar for barrel tasting, as the wines tend to show a firm tannic side early on and there relatively little sweetening influence of new oak. That said, I found a few of the lesser wines a bit wimpy and dilute, and lacking in flavor authority ("it was a very big harvest in Marsannay," Clair admits), but at the level of the estate's top crus these are scented, pure wines of subtlety and class. The '99s had been racked for the first time about two weeks prior to my visit. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2005 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Du Fonteny
Color: Red

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good ruby-red. Blackberry and violet on the bright nose. Pure and juicy but tightly wound; less obviously sweet and giving than the Petite Chapelle. In a more mineral, more uphill style. The tannins are strong but arrive late and then build. "The Chambolle of Gevrey in our cellar," notes Clair.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair told me that 1990 is the greatest vintage for this domain since he started here in 1969. "But the crop in 2005 was smaller than that of 1990, and the new vintage is richer and more palate-coating than other great years like 2002, 1999 and 1996," he added. "At harvest time, we had a festival of perfume in the cuverie." (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL) Also recommended: Marsannay Les Longeroies (85), Gevrey-Chambertin Clos du Fonteny (85?), Savigny-les-Beaune La Dominode (86+?).
1997 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Du Fonteny
Color: Red

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Fruit-driven aromas of cherry, raspberry, minerals, coffee, smoke and earth. Sweet, fresh and immediately appealing, if not especially complex. This stylish, perfumed wine finishes with fine tannins and sneaky length. Perfectly balanced to offer early pleasure.

Producer Commentary:
"The '98 vintage was completely heterogeneous," said Bruno Clair. "We picked Marsannay ten days before Savigny Dominode. Because of the intense heat in early August, which stressed the vines in some spots but not in others, there was no logic to the ripeness." Yields were very low, especially on hillside sites affected by the April frost. Following a trie in the vines and another selection in the cuverie, the domain, according to Clair, vinified perfectly clean fruit. Cellarmaster Philippe Brun compared the '98s to the estate's '93s, but said the new vintage has riper tannins and more gras. "And there's more to the wine in '98 than in '97, clearly more structure," he added. Just a few '98s had been racked in November following late malos; the rest were still on their lees. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
1996 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Du Fonteny
Color: Red

Score: 88.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Red-ruby. Aromas of cherry, pepper, minerals, spice and coffee. Lush, broad entry, then rather closed in the middle palate and slightly dry on the finish. I had the same reaction to this wine a year ago, but I suspect bottle aging will bring more flesh and texture.

Producer Commentary:
"With the high sugars and great ripeness of the grapes, we expected to have wines with tough tannins," said Bruno Clair. "But the tannins in fact are quite fat, and there nothing hard about the wines at all; 1997 is certainly a vin de garde but it no monster." According to cellarmaster Philippe Brun, the cuvaison was shorter in '97, as there were a lot of yeasts on the grape skins and the fermentations started quickly (the estate does nothing to prevent the fermentation from starting). The malos were tumultuous, and early, but the wines remained on their lees through the winter and have taken on more complexity during elevage (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2000 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Du Fonteny
Color: Red

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Pure but withdrawn aromas of redcurrant, red cherry and flowers. Precise and penetrating, with enticing flavors of bitter cherry, rose petal and minerals. Offers very good intensity without excess weight. Firm finish builds nicely. This has turned out very well.

Producer Commentary:
2000 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Du Fonteny
Color: Red

Score: 86.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red, still cloudy from the racking yesterday. Spicy red fruits, coffee, mocha and game on the nose. Supple and sweet, but with modest thrust and spine. Hard to taste today, as it still a bit dry from the racking.

Producer Commentary:
Cellarmaster Philippe Brun describes the domain 2000s as aromatic, supple wines, to drink early - a very good restaurant vintage. The fragile fruit, picked largely under very warm conditions, generally needed some acidification. In comparison, he noted, the 2001 harvest brought thicker skins, higher acidity and more concentration. Brun and Bruno Clair both consider 1999 to be their best vintage since 1990. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2008 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Du Fonteny
Color: Red

Score: 88.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good deep red. Medicinal black cherry and a rocky quality on the nose. Smooth and rather fine-grained, with round flavors of black raspberry and chocolate complicated by smoke and game. Not especially deep but a nicely supple 2008. Finishes with sweet, dusty tannins.

Producer Commentary:
Clair delayed harvesting in 2008 until September 30, then picked until October 14, doing a sorting in the vines, especially to eliminate pink grapes. He told me that he lost 20% of his volume due to the wind during the second half of September and that the typical 2008 began with potential alcohol of 12.2% to 12.7%, although the range was actually quite extreme: from 10% to 13.5%. Following very late malos, the premier and grand crus-but not the village wines-had been racked and sulfited just a week or two prior to my visit. The 2008s are characterized by their strawberry and raspberry elements, said Clair, while the 2007s are more about black fruits. "But 2008 has great aging potential," he believes. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2007 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Du Fonteny
Color: Red

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good deep red with ruby highlights. Blackberry and licorice on the nose, with some rustic leather and game nuances. Juicy, minerally and youthfully imploded, showing less volume today than the Dominode. In a drier style but offers good life and finishes without rough edges.

Producer Commentary:
"The 2007 vintage is about fruit more than volume," said winemaker Philippe Brun, who did a soft extraction. "Still, the wines are a bit more sturdy than we thought at the beginning, and they didn't lose color during the racking, which is a good sign." Acidity levels were sound, and pHs were "not very high for here," he went on. He summed up: "The '07s are more pinot, but we find more personality and terroir in the '06s. But the '06s don't give pleasure yet and need cellaring." (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2009 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Du Fonteny
Color: Red

Score: 88.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Very ripe, high-toned, candied aromas of cherry, raspberry, flowers, spices and espresso. Sweet, fruit-driven wine with good texture and a sappy quality. Finishes with good persistence. This did its malo early and seemed almost ready to bottle.

Producer Commentary:
Clair, who started picking pinot noir on the late side (September 14), describes 2009 as "a very generous year, easy to vinify, with round, rich tannins." He ranks the vintage with past favorites like 2002 and 1990. Only the yields in Chambolle-Musigny, where his vines are not quite 20 years old, are particularly high, he told me-this despite the fact that he did a green harvest in these vines. Compared to the 2009s, the 2008s are vins de garde, he went on, and they will probably shut down in bottle. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL) Other wines tasted: Chambolle-Musigny Les Veroilles, Morey-Saint-Denis en La Rue de Vergy.
2004 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Du Fonteny
Color: Red

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good medium red. Expressive aromas of crushed red berries, mint, pepper, herbs and licorice. Not exactly sweet in the mouth but supple and aromatic, with floral and pepper notes lifting the cherry flavor. Finishes with firm tannic structure and lingering notes of pepper and herbs.

Producer Commentary:
1998 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Du Fonteny
Color: Red

Score: 89.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Deep red-ruby. More torrefied aromas of black raspberry, espresso and dark chocolate. Sappy, deep and stuffed with fruit; lovely sweet flavors of cassis, raspberry and espresso. A suppler, softer style of Gevrey, finishing with fine tannins and good length.

Producer Commentary:
"The '98 vintage was completely heterogeneous," said Bruno Clair. "We picked Marsannay ten days before Savigny Dominode. Because of the intense heat in early August, which stressed the vines in some spots but not in others, there was no logic to the ripeness." Yields were very low, especially on hillside sites affected by the April frost. Following a trie in the vines and another selection in the cuverie, the domain, according to Clair, vinified perfectly clean fruit. Cellarmaster Philippe Brun compared the '98s to the estate's '93s, but said the new vintage has riper tannins and more gras. "And there's more to the wine in '98 than in '97, clearly more structure," he added. Just a few '98s had been racked in November following late malos; the rest were still on their lees. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2012 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Du Fonteny
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Bright red. Pure, subtle, slightly wild aromas of raspberry and smoke. Dense and silky but light on its feet, with lovely balance and life to its berry, violet and spice flavors. Finishes with sweet tannins and lingering dark fruits and flowers. Lovely aromatic wine with stuffing.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair described his 2010s as austere but the 2012s as fatter and fleshier, and the richness of the new vintage is especially clear in the estate's top cuvees.The domain harvested from September 20 until October 2, bringing in fruit with potential alcohol levels between 12% and 12.5% and chaptalizing about a half degree.They used their vibrating sorting table to eliminate the grapes grilled by sun at the end of July.Winemaker Philippe Brun told me he did two pigeages per day at the beginning of the fermentation, relying mostly on remontages at that stage, then three or four punchdowns per day at the peak of fermentation.Most cuvees were vinified with about 20% whole clusters.The 2012s were racked before the harvest of 2013. (A Becky Wasserman selection; importers include Martin-Scott Wines, Ltd., www.martinscottwines.com; Fine Vines, www.finevines.com; Cordon Selections, www.cordonselections.com; The Source Imports, www.thesourceimports.com)
1997 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Du Fonteny
Color: Red

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium-deep red. More sauvage aromas of black cherry, smoke and animal fur. Sweeter and richer in the mouth; in a soft, somewhat loosely structured style. I get a trace of finishing dryness.

Producer Commentary:
"With the high sugars and great ripeness of the grapes, we expected to have wines with tough tannins," said Bruno Clair. "But the tannins in fact are quite fat, and there nothing hard about the wines at all; 1997 is certainly a vin de garde but it no monster." According to cellarmaster Philippe Brun, the cuvaison was shorter in '97, as there were a lot of yeasts on the grape skins and the fermentations started quickly (the estate does nothing to prevent the fermentation from starting). The malos were tumultuous, and early, but the wines remained on their lees through the winter and have taken on more complexity during elevage (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
1996 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Du Fonteny
Color: Red

Score: 87.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Excellent deep red-ruby color. Reticent red fruit, mineral and spice aromas show an herbal nuance. Spicy, minerally and rather unforthcoming on the palate; wrapped up in its acidity today. In a distinctly drier style but there's no shortage of fruit here. Tannins are fine.

Producer Commentary:
"The '95s have more color, more density, thicker skins," says cellarmaster Philippe Brun. "It will be necessary to put them in the cellar and forget them, like the '88s." He adds that the '96s, with their higher grape sugars and lower pHs, will be for drinking earlier. I was unimpressed by a couple of the lower-level '96s (though, following late malos, some wines had not yet been racked), but at the top levels there are several potentially outstanding wines at this address. The best '95s are superb. All the wines reviewed below were bottled without fining or filtration; Clair style makes few concessions to current tastes for sweet new oak and early appeal but have a history of developing well in bottle. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2006 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Du Fonteny
Color: Red

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Aromas of black cherry, currant, dark chocolate and minerals are riper than those of the Petite Chapelle. Lush in texture but showing no easy sweetness; stony and minerally more than fruity today. This boasts good volume but seems quite firm. Finishes with saline, tobacco and brown spice notes.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair, who harvested quite late in 2006 (September 27 through October 7), says that this vintage now gives a great deal of pleasure, while 2005 is powerful but closed, with the constitution to age for a long time. The big news here is that the estate took back much of its Bonnes-Mares in early 2006, and has virtually doubled its quantities of Chambertin Clos de Beze, Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques and Vosne-Romanee Champs-Perdrix, following the expiration of long-term rental agreements (mostly with Jadot) that had been signed when Bruno's father Bernard left him 15 hectares of vineyards in 1988. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2018 Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru
Color: White

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2021 - 2032

Tasting notes: The 2018 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru has a tightly knit bouquet of lemon zest, peach skin and light minerally aromas, more linear than many other Corton-Charlemagnes. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, and precise and tender with a touch of lemongrass on the finish. Excellent. 

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair and Philippe Brun are the Batman and Robin of Marsannay that have really ratcheted up quality at this domaine. Both were on top form when I dropped in at their winery (though my God, whatever Bruno had just eaten for lunch, it was making his tummy rumble like Krakatoa!) “We had a lot of rain in the winter," he told me. "It was completely different to the 2019 growing season. In 2018 the maturity was quite strong. We started the picking on 27 August until the 8 or 9 September. I find that the tannins are very tender. Maybe you could say 2018 is a mixture of 1947 and 1959. There is more fruit than in 2003 and more phenolic maturity. The whole bunch in 2018 is between 30-40% as in 2017 and we did less pigeage after fermentation. The alcohol is between 13 and 14% but most are around 13.5%." I strongly recommend this domaine's wines, with some gems among the Premier Crus.
2017 Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2021 - 2033

Tasting notes: The 2017 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru is matured in a judicious 20% new oak. It has a honeyed bouquet of white peach, mango and light yellow flower aromas. The tensile palate is well-balanced on the entry, and the resinous, waxy-textured finish seems to coat the mouth. I would have liked a little more weight, but otherwise, this should drink well for 10 to 12 years. 

Producer Commentary:
This year, Philippe Brun escorted me through the domaine’s 2017s. Once known for its intermittently rustic wines, there is a sense of newfound refinement and elegance that has seen Bruno Clair gain a wider and well-deserved following. This is partly because they have eased off the extraction and picked just a little earlier. They oversee a strong portfolio of cuvées, not just their Grand Crus and prized rows within Clos Saint-Jacques, but a cluster of excellent Village and Premier Crus that can offer great value. Brun told me that they commenced the picking on September 5 and picked over the following five days - quite a short harvest given their range of holdings. None of the wines had been racked when I visited, and they plan to blend the cuvées in January.

This was a very fine set of wines from Bruno Clair, though one or two, such as the Gevrey-Chambertin Petite Chapelle and perhaps the Cazetiers and Clos Saint-Jacques, left me wondering if they could have given more. It was another Gevrey-Chambertin – the 0.68-hectare monopole of Clos du Fonteny, which rises on a geological ledge a few meters above the rest of Fonteny – that really caught my eye, alongside a very impressive Marsannay Les Grasses-Têtes and a superb Bonnes-Mares that crowns their range. Generally, I found assiduous use of whole bunches here and a collection of wines that range from the easygoing to others that boast long-term potential.
2015 Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru
Color: White

Score: 92.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: (13% natural alcohol): Straw-yellow. Sexy, soil-driven aromas of white plum, quince, pear, cinnamon and dried herbs. A compellingly pure expression of terroir on the palate, more about pungent salty minerality and spices than fruit. Not at all overly ripe for such a warm, early vintage. This penetrating, deep Corton-Charlemagne finishes with lovely rising length and calcaire energy.

Producer Commentary:
The rain on August 6 brought the grapes back to a state of equilibrium following the drought conditions in July and saved the 2015 harvest, said Bruno Clair, who added that there were two subsequent “key” rains in August. “But we didn’t have a lot of grapes and they never got large,” he noted, and the estate ultimately produced the equivalent of half a normal crop.

Clair started harvesting with his Bonnes-Mares on September 5 and needed two weeks to pick. Grape sugars were mostly between 12.5% and 13%, with some even higher. The harvest was “perfectly clean” and the estate vinified with a higher percentage of whole clusters than normally. The malolactic fermentations finished relatively quickly, during the winter, and Clair expected to bottle the bulk of his 2015s in April of 2017. “The wines have complexity, charm and drive,” Clair summarized, “and they are not austere.”

Incidentally, Clair took back the remainder of his Bonnes-Mares in 2016 and now works 1.45 hectares of vines in this grand cru. All of his land is in Chambolle-Musigny, except for a small band of vines next to Clos de Tart.
2010 Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru
Color: White

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2013 - 2018

Tasting notes: The 2010 Corton-Charlemagne is deep, rich and totally satisfying. Layers of fruit fill out on the mid-palate while adding a mineral register that is highly attractive. The 2010 reveals considerable energy and focus through to the vibrant mineral soaked finish. This is a highly promising Corton-Charlemagne. 

Producer Commentary:
This is a fabulous set of wines from Bruno Clair and his long-time oenologist Philippe Brun. The harvest started on September 25. Yields were 22-30 hectoliters per hectare, which is to say a good 10% less than 2003, a torrid vintage marked by tiny yields. Clair describes the fruit as healthy, with no botrytis and soft tannins from the late harvest. The 2010s were 100% destemmed. New oak ranged from 25% for the villages to 50% for the Grand Crus, except for the Marsannays, which saw very little new oak.
2012 Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru
Color: White

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2015 - 2015

Tasting notes: A wine of contrasts, the 2012 Corton Charlemagne is at once rich yet also restrained, showing an inner tension that is compelling. Pear, white flowers and spices blossom on the palate as this creamy, textured Corton continues to show off its personality. This is a notable effort from Bruno Clair.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair and his longtime winemaker Philippe Brun do so many things well, as these 2012s amply show. Where to start with these wines? Well, the Marsannays are terrific, but frankly so are all the wines. The harvest started on September 20 and wrapped up on October 2. By comparison, the 2013 harvest started on October 3 and lasted until the 20th. Malos were quite late here, and the wines were only racked in early September. Over the last few years Clair has begun to age some of his wines partly or wholly in cask, where volumes allow for larger aging vessels. When all is said and done, Bruno Clair's wines have been among the most impressive for some time and are deserving of a much wider audience. I highly encourage readers to check them out.
2019 Chambolles Musigny Les Veroilles
Color: Red

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2022 - 2032

Tasting notes: The 2019 Chambolles-Musigny Les Veroilles has a perfumed bouquet with strawberry and cranberry, touches of ash and embers emerging with time. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, fresh and focused, elegant in style with a poised finish. Probably one of the Domaine earlier drinking cuvées and very winsome. 

Producer Commentary:
For the final time, I met Philippe Brun at the winery, as Brun is due to retire in the near future. It will be strange not seeing him flanking Bruno Clair next year. Marsannay’s ‘dynamic duo’ has produced some excellent visits in recent years. “We started the picking on 9 September,” Clair told me. “That was the Bonnes Mares because it was already very ripe. But the serious picking really began on 15 September. We finished on 24 and 25 September. The yields were half for the whites because of the dryness, for the reds it was 15-30% less than last year. Vines with deep roots that could penetrate the fissures performed best and did not show any stress. But overall, I am very pleased with the regularity of crop across the reds irrespective of vine age.” It was a wise decision to pick that Bonnes-Mares early because it may well turn out to be their star performer, closely followed by the Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze. Comparing them side-by-side, I might err for the 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques over the 2019, but we will see. Despite millerandage in the vineyard, the Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers displays superb mineralité. Though their 2019 Clos du Fonteny is very promising, the 2018 seemed out of sorts and I will endeavour to re-examine this. Overall, it was a superb set of 2019s from Bruno Clair that will age with style.
2018 Chambolles Musigny Les Veroilles
Color: Red

Score:

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: The 2018 Chambolle-Musigny Les Veroilles has a lifted liquorice tinged bouquet with plenty of black cherry and blueberry fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with repeating liquorice tinged black fruit but just missing a little definition on the finish. A bit out of sorts at the moment. 

Producer Commentary:
For the final time, I met Philippe Brun at the winery, as Brun is due to retire in the near future. It will be strange not seeing him flanking Bruno Clair next year. Marsannay’s ‘dynamic duo’ has produced some excellent visits in recent years. “We started the picking on 9 September,” Clair told me. “That was the Bonnes Mares because it was already very ripe. But the serious picking really began on 15 September. We finished on 24 and 25 September. The yields were half for the whites because of the dryness, for the reds it was 15-30% less than last year. Vines with deep roots that could penetrate the fissures performed best and did not show any stress. But overall, I am very pleased with the regularity of crop across the reds irrespective of vine age.” It was a wise decision to pick that Bonnes-Mares early because it may well turn out to be their star performer, closely followed by the Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze. Comparing them side-by-side, I might err for the 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques over the 2019, but we will see. Despite millerandage in the vineyard, the Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers displays superb mineralité. Though their 2019 Clos du Fonteny is very promising, the 2018 seemed out of sorts and I will endeavour to re-examine this. Overall, it was a superb set of 2019s from Bruno Clair that will age with style.
2017 Chambolles Musigny Les Veroilles
Color: Red

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2030

Tasting notes: The 2017 Chambolle-Musigny Les Veroilles has a fresh, vibrant, quite taut bouquet featuring crushed stone aromas filtering through brambly black fruit laced with black tea. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, the 30% whole bunches nicely integrated, and the finish is transparent and precise. Very fine. 

Producer Commentary:
This year, Philippe Brun escorted me through the domaine’s 2017s. Once known for its intermittently rustic wines, there is a sense of newfound refinement and elegance that has seen Bruno Clair gain a wider and well-deserved following. This is partly because they have eased off the extraction and picked just a little earlier. They oversee a strong portfolio of cuvées, not just their Grand Crus and prized rows within Clos Saint-Jacques, but a cluster of excellent Village and Premier Crus that can offer great value. Brun told me that they commenced the picking on September 5 and picked over the following five days - quite a short harvest given their range of holdings. None of the wines had been racked when I visited, and they plan to blend the cuvées in January.

This was a very fine set of wines from Bruno Clair, though one or two, such as the Gevrey-Chambertin Petite Chapelle and perhaps the Cazetiers and Clos Saint-Jacques, left me wondering if they could have given more. It was another Gevrey-Chambertin – the 0.68-hectare monopole of Clos du Fonteny, which rises on a geological ledge a few meters above the rest of Fonteny – that really caught my eye, alongside a very impressive Marsannay Les Grasses-Têtes and a superb Bonnes-Mares that crowns their range. Generally, I found assiduous use of whole bunches here and a collection of wines that range from the easygoing to others that boast long-term potential.
1999 Corton Charlemagne
Color: White

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Extremely fresh, soil-inflected nose combines papaya, pineapple, lime blossom and menthol. Superrich and multifaceted, with strong flavors of apple, minerals, mint and flowers. Uncompromisingly dry but very deep. Finishes extremely long and subtle. Offers great potential.

Producer Commentary:
This is always a tricky cellar for barrel tasting, as the wines tend to show a firm tannic side early on and there relatively little sweetening influence of new oak. That said, I found a few of the lesser wines a bit wimpy and dilute, and lacking in flavor authority ("it was a very big harvest in Marsannay," Clair admits), but at the level of the estate's top crus these are scented, pure wines of subtlety and class. The '99s had been racked for the first time about two weeks prior to my visit. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2009 Corton Charlemagne
Color: White

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2014 - 2014

Tasting notes: The 2009 Corton-Charlemagne impresses for its balance and finesse. This is a decidedly elegant style of Corton Charlemagne endowed with striking inner perfume and silky fruit. Clean saline notes give the finish a sense of tension that is quite striking as it contrasts some of the riper elements in the wine. I especially like the coolness and minerality here.

Producer Commentary:
Is there anything Bruno Clair doesn't do well?
1998 Chambolle Musigny Les Veroilles
Color: Red

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Deep red, but not as dark as the Marsannays. Briary aromas of black cherry, raspberry, minerals, herbs and chocolate. Sweeter than the Marsannays but less dense and structured. Juicy and pliant in the middle palate but slightly dry on the back end.

Producer Commentary:
"The '98 vintage was completely heterogeneous," said Bruno Clair. "We picked Marsannay ten days before Savigny Dominode. Because of the intense heat in early August, which stressed the vines in some spots but not in others, there was no logic to the ripeness." Yields were very low, especially on hillside sites affected by the April frost. Following a trie in the vines and another selection in the cuverie, the domain, according to Clair, vinified perfectly clean fruit. Cellarmaster Philippe Brun compared the '98s to the estate's '93s, but said the new vintage has riper tannins and more gras. "And there's more to the wine in '98 than in '97, clearly more structure," he added. Just a few '98s had been racked in November following late malos; the rest were still on their lees. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2004 Chambolle Musigny Les Veroilles
Color: Red

Score: 86.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Bright cherry-red. Aromas of raspberry, cherry, mint and spices, with good stony lift. Supple and round on entry, then moderately concentrated in the middle, with slightly high-toned red fruit flavors. But finishes a tad dry and short. (The Morey-Saint-Denis lacked concentration and clarity of flavor, not to mention structure.)

Producer Commentary:
2000 Chambolle Musigny Les Veroilles
Color: Red

Score: 85.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Raspberry and strawberry aromas complicated by mineral and spice notes. Supple and soft, with a juicy character and modest depth. Not especially pristine but offers enticing sweetness. From young vines. In comparison to this wine, the Vosne villages came across as more diffuse and drier on the end.

Producer Commentary:
Cellarmaster Philippe Brun describes the domain 2000s as aromatic, supple wines, to drink early - a very good restaurant vintage. The fragile fruit, picked largely under very warm conditions, generally needed some acidification. In comparison, he noted, the 2001 harvest brought thicker skins, higher acidity and more concentration. Brun and Bruno Clair both consider 1999 to be their best vintage since 1990. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2009 Chambolle Musigny Les Veroilles
Color: Red

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2013 - 2019

Tasting notes: Clair's 2009 Chambolle-Musigny Les Veroilles caresses the palate with layers of soft yet intensely perfumed fruit. This shows lovely inner fragrance, superb balance and a soft, engaging personality. It will be virtually impossible to resist in its youth. 

Producer Commentary:
This is a beautiful set of wines from Bruno Clair. Every wine I tasted with Clair's longtime oenologist Philippe Brun was gorgeous from top to bottom. While the top 2009s are certainly superb, the real jewels here are the village level wines which appear to be among the great success stories of the 2009 vintage. I tasted all of the wines from barrel, except the Marsannay and Marsannay Les Vaudanelles, both of which were bottled before the 2010 harvest. In 2009 Clair began harvesting on September 15 and ended on the 23rd. I also tasted a handful of 2008s, from a much later harvest that stretched into October. The handful of wines I tasted from that vintage are equally impressive, and equally worth your time.
2014 Chambolle Musigny Les Veroilles
Color: Red

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2018 - 2025

Tasting notes: Medium red. Pungent but slightly shallow aromas of raspberry and stone. Brighter and more delineated than it appeared to be from barrel a year earlier but can't match the Marsannay Les Longeroies for depth. In a leaner but nicely delineated style, showing good mineral lift to its raspberry and cranberry flavors. The firm finish displays inviting perfume.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair’s 2014s stood out for their precision and transparency to terroir in December. Even if they don’t have the sheer thickness of the ‘15s, I had a hard time choosing between the two vintages. The '14s were bottled between late April and the end of May of 2016.
2010 Chambolle Musigny Les Veroilles
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2015 - 2025

Tasting notes: The 2010 Chambolle-Musigny Les Veroilles is all finesse and delicacy. Layers of sweet red fruit, freshly cut flowers and spices are some of the notes that flesh out in this silky, impeccably textured Chambolle. A polished, long finish rounds things out in style. 

Producer Commentary:
This is a fabulous set of wines from Bruno Clair and his long-time oenologist Philippe Brun. The harvest started on September 25. Yields were 22-30 hectoliters per hectare, which is to say a good 10% less than 2003, a torrid vintage marked by tiny yields. Clair describes the fruit as healthy, with no botrytis and soft tannins from the late harvest. The 2010s were 100% destemmed. New oak ranged from 25% for the villages to 50% for the Grand Crus, except for the Marsannays, which saw very little new oak.
2014 Chambolle Musigny Les Veroilles
Color: Red

Score: 86.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: (from the village portion of Les Veroilles): Medium red. Musky nose dominated by earthy underbrush. In a distinctly soft, even slightly dull, style, showing a faint roasted quality to the vague berry and plum flavors. This really needs an early bottling. From the estate's youngest vines, planted between 1989 and 1992.

Producer Commentary:
"The 2014s showcase their terroirs while the 2013s are more marked by the almost historically cool season," said Bruno Clair in December. He made between 70% and 80% of a normal crop in 2014 and finds these wines riper than the 2013s, which he says "ripened by concentration, not from sun. The 2014s have a bit of the finesse of the 2011s but they also have more depth."

This estate benefits from a high percentage of very old vines. In fact, thanks to the quality of the genetic material planted here, cuttings from Clair's vines, along with those of Domaine Ponsot, were used by the University of Dijon in the 1960s to create some of the clones that are most highly regarded today in Burgundy and elsewhere. I tasted the Marsannay cuvées from large casks, and all but one of the rest from barriques; all of the 2014s had been racked in October.
2008 Chambolle Musigny Les Veroilles
Color: Red

Score: 85.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good deep red. Withdrawn nose hints at blackberry. Juicy but lean flavors of dark berries and bitter chocolate come across as a bit dry today. Lacks finesse for Chambolle and finishes a bit skinny.

Producer Commentary:
Clair delayed harvesting in 2008 until September 30, then picked until October 14, doing a sorting in the vines, especially to eliminate pink grapes. He told me that he lost 20% of his volume due to the wind during the second half of September and that the typical 2008 began with potential alcohol of 12.2% to 12.7%, although the range was actually quite extreme: from 10% to 13.5%. Following very late malos, the premier and grand crus-but not the village wines-had been racked and sulfited just a week or two prior to my visit. The 2008s are characterized by their strawberry and raspberry elements, said Clair, while the 2007s are more about black fruits. "But 2008 has great aging potential," he believes. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2013 Chambolle Musigny Les Veroilles
Color: Red

Score: 87.5

Drinking window: 2015 - 2025

Tasting notes: The Chambolle Musigny Les Veroilles is especially lifted in an ethereal in 2013. Today, the 2013 appears to be best suited to near and medium-term drinking. There is plenty of nuance and finesse, if a touch less excitement than in the very best years. A bevy of floral and red stone fruits add the final layers of complexity.

Producer Commentary:
It's always a pleasure to sit down and taste with Bruno Clair and his longtime winemaker, Philippe Brun, both of whom are a treasure trove of experience and knowledge. Clair brought in his fruit beginning on October 7, which only has parallels in the estate's recent history with 1978 and 1980, where the harvests started on October 10 and 12. It's true that 2008 was almost as late as 2013, except that in 2013 the last few days of ripening did not add a meaningful amount of concentration as they did in 2008. Clair adds that sugars alone are not a measure of quality, as evidenced by the 1991s, many of which are more complete than their 1990 counterparts. Of course, the issue with any late-ripening year is that the days are shorter as the season progresses, so there are meaningful differences between the heat of August and that of September. As if the bad flowering and early start to the year was not enough, Clair's vineyards in Savigny-les-Beaune and Pernand-Vergelesses were all damaged by hail. According to Clair, the Charlemagne was more skin than juice, clearly a far from favorable situation. I tasted the 2013s from barrel, after they had been racked. Where the wines don't carry the signatures of hail they are quite pretty. Philippe Brun adds that while the terroirs are well marked in 2013, the wines should be enjoyed before the 2012s.
2002 Chambolle Musigny Les Veroilles
Color: Red

Score: 86.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Palish medium red. Perfumed, expressive nose dominated by strawberry and raspberry. Sweet and supple but with solid mineral backbone. Longer and firmer than the 2003 example but also accessible and easygoing today. From the estate's youngest vines; the first crop here was 1992.

Producer Commentary:
According to cellarmaster Philippe Brun, this estate started picking its white grapes on August 26, and then stopped until September 1.Because they couldn't cool all their tanks at once, they picked only in the mornings.The pinot noirs lack acidity and are rather fragile, says Brun, adding that he believes they are best suited for drinking in their fruity youth.But he maintained that the estate had no surmaturite, and that while the premier crus are virtually all 13% or more alcohol, none of them reached 14%.Incidentally, Clair will not offer a regular Marsannay in 2003, as the estate needed this fruit to make their rose, a wine that is very popular in the U.S. market.(Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2002 Chambolle Musigny Les Veroilles
Color: Red

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: (these vines are now 12 years old) Barely medium red. Tangy aromas of red fruits, rose petal and stone. Juicy and sweet, with captivating, vibrant flavors of red fruits, stone, flowers and fresh herbs. Finishes with ripe tannins and attractive lingering fruit. The best yet from these vines, although Clair is also fond of the '99 offering.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair described 2002 as an easy vintage: Like 1990:very ripe, no rot, little selection necessary, easy to vinify."Potential alcohols were typically in the 12% to 12.5% range, with most wines chaptalized about a half a degree.The wines had been assembled and racked a couple weeks prior to my visit; Clair noted that the colors were still a bit lightened by the recent sulfur additions.(Vineyard Brands, Birmingham AL
2012 Chambolle Musigny Les Veroilles
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2033

Tasting notes: The 2012 Chambolle-Musigny is wonderfully alive and layered in the glass. Hard candy, freshly cut flowers and sweet spices are super-expressive . The 2012 is translucent and beautifully perfumed throughout, with lovely balance and tons of class. Simply put, this is a delicious village-level Burgundy.

Producer Commentary:
Although I was only able to taste a handful of bottled 2012s, the wines I saw confirmed my very positive impressions from last year. Bruno Clair's 2012s are rich, fat and textured, but with more than enough structure to support many years of fine drinking.
2012 Chambolle Musigny Les Veroilles
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2022 - 2034

Tasting notes: Freshly cut flowers, sweet red berries, spices and licorice flow across the palate in Bruno Clair's 2012 Chambolle Musigny Les Veroilles. Round and supple throughout, the Veroilles offers tons of appeal. I am sure the Veroilles will only improve in bottle, but there is an immediacy to the wine that will tempt readers from the outset. What a gorgeous wine this is.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair and his longtime winemaker Philippe Brun do so many things well, as these 2012s amply show. Where to start with these wines? Well, the Marsannays are terrific, but frankly so are all the wines. The harvest started on September 20 and wrapped up on October 2. By comparison, the 2013 harvest started on October 3 and lasted until the 20th. Malos were quite late here, and the wines were only racked in early September. Over the last few years Clair has begun to age some of his wines partly or wholly in cask, where volumes allow for larger aging vessels. When all is said and done, Bruno Clair's wines have been among the most impressive for some time and are deserving of a much wider audience. I highly encourage readers to check them out.
2009 Chambertin Clos De Beze – Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 95.0

Drinking window: 2019 - 2029

Tasting notes: The 2009 Chambertin-Clos de Bèze literally explodes on the palate with an array of dark fruit, roses, sweet spices and minerals. This is a deep, beautifully articulated Bèze with tons of structure and a magical weightlessness that is hard to describe with mere words. Simply put, this is a great wine in the making. 

Producer Commentary:
This is a beautiful set of wines from Bruno Clair. Every wine I tasted with Clair's longtime oenologist Philippe Brun was gorgeous from top to bottom. While the top 2009s are certainly superb, the real jewels here are the village level wines which appear to be among the great success stories of the 2009 vintage. I tasted all of the wines from barrel, except the Marsannay and Marsannay Les Vaudanelles, both of which were bottled before the 2010 harvest. In 2009 Clair began harvesting on September 15 and ended on the 23rd. I also tasted a handful of 2008s, from a much later harvest that stretched into October. The handful of wines I tasted from that vintage are equally impressive, and equally worth your time.
2012 Chambertin Clos De Beze
Color: Red

Score: 94.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good bright red. Lovely perfume of crushed blackberry and violet. At once densely packed and light on its feet, with superb definition and lift to its flavors of sweet raspberry, boysenberry, blackberry and spices. Finishes very long and subtly perfumed, with substantial but lush and noble tannins. This is remarkably accessible today but there's plenty of medicinal reserve here to ensure a graceful evolution in bottle.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair described his 2010s as austere but the 2012s as fatter and fleshier, and the richness of the new vintage is especially clear in the estate's top cuvees.The domain harvested from September 20 until October 2, bringing in fruit with potential alcohol levels between 12% and 12.5% and chaptalizing about a half degree.They used their vibrating sorting table to eliminate the grapes grilled by sun at the end of July.Winemaker Philippe Brun told me he did two pigeages per day at the beginning of the fermentation, relying mostly on remontages at that stage, then three or four punchdowns per day at the peak of fermentation.Most cuvees were vinified with about 20% whole clusters.The 2012s were racked before the harvest of 2013. (A Becky Wasserman selection; importers include Martin-Scott Wines, Ltd., www.martinscottwines.com; Fine Vines, www.finevines.com; Cordon Selections, www.cordonselections.com; The Source Imports, www.thesourceimports.com)
2002 Chambertin Clos De Beze
Color: Red

Score: 93.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Liqueur-like raspberry, minerals, leather and game on the reticent nose. Silky on entry, then penetrating and fresh in the middle palate. Gives the impression of superb cut, but more from firm tannic spine and minerality than from acidity, which is actually on the low side. A wine of wonderful ripeness and breadth. Slowly mounting, very long finish. Two-thirds of these vines were planted in 1912.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair described 2002 as an easy vintage: Like 1990:very ripe, no rot, little selection necessary, easy to vinify."Potential alcohols were typically in the 12% to 12.5% range, with most wines chaptalized about a half a degree.The wines had been assembled and racked a couple weeks prior to my visit; Clair noted that the colors were still a bit lightened by the recent sulfur additions.(Vineyard Brands, Birmingham AL
2001 Chambertin Clos De Beze
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Moderately saturated medium red. Sappy, perfumed aromas of cherry, stone and spice, with a hint of more exotic fruits. Dense and silky on the palate, conveying a strong impression of solidity and soil character. Sweetened by a hint of caramelly oak (40% of the wine was aged in new barrels) that is even stronger on the layered back end. Much easier to taste today than the Clos Saint-Jacques.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair described 2002 as an easy vintage: Like 1990:very ripe, no rot, little selection necessary, easy to vinify."Potential alcohols were typically in the 12% to 12.5% range, with most wines chaptalized about a half a degree.The wines had been assembled and racked a couple weeks prior to my visit; Clair noted that the colors were still a bit lightened by the recent sulfur additions.(Vineyard Brands, Birmingham AL
2009 Chambertin Clos De Beze
Color: Red

Score: 93.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red, a bit lighter than the Clos Saint-Jacques. Captivating raspberry, spice and wild herb aromas are accented by blood orange and an exotic whiff of white fruits. Wonderfully bright and intense for 2009, showing an almost saline impression of extract to the bitter cherry and mineral flavors. Much more imploded than it was from barrel, this very long, strongly mineral but slightly disjointed grand cru calls for eight to ten years of cellaring.

Producer Commentary:
2004 Chambertin Clos De Beze
Color: Red

Score: 91.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good full red. Complex, understated aromas of dark berries, bitter chocolate, smoke and minerals. Silky, suave and fine, with perfectly integrated acidity. This mounts slowly and impressively, finishing with excellent cut and very fine tannins. Shows a texture completely different from the samples that preceded it.

Producer Commentary:
2007 Chambertin Clos De Beze
Color: Red

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good deep red. Black fruits, violet and minerals on the rather aristocratic nose. At once silky, broad and fresh, with superb inner-mouth energy and definition and a dominant fla vor of black raspberry. Finishes very long, rich and sweet, with substantial smooth tannins that reach the incisors. Superb, and deserving of at least six years in the cellar.

Producer Commentary:
Clair delayed harvesting in 2008 until September 30, then picked until October 14, doing a sorting in the vines, especially to eliminate pink grapes. He told me that he lost 20% of his volume due to the wind during the second half of September and that the typical 2008 began with potential alcohol of 12.2% to 12.7%, although the range was actually quite extreme: from 10% to 13.5%. Following very late malos, the premier and grand crus-but not the village wines-had been racked and sulfited just a week or two prior to my visit. The 2008s are characterized by their strawberry and raspberry elements, said Clair, while the 2007s are more about black fruits. "But 2008 has great aging potential," he believes. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
1999 Chambertin Clos De Beze
Color: Red

Score: 93.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Saturated dark red. Sappy, vinous nose of red fruits and rose petal, with a medicinal austerity. Dense and subtly sweet but quite backward; silkier than the Clos Saint-Jacques, with more volume. Finishes very long and subtle, with sweet, fine tannins and lingering perfume. A wine of great finesse that may merit an even higher rating after seven or eight years of additional bottle aging.

Producer Commentary:
Cellarmaster Philippe Brun describes the domain 2000s as aromatic, supple wines, to drink early - a very good restaurant vintage. The fragile fruit, picked largely under very warm conditions, generally needed some acidification. In comparison, he noted, the 2001 harvest brought thicker skins, higher acidity and more concentration. Brun and Bruno Clair both consider 1999 to be their best vintage since 1990. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
1998 Chambertin Clos De Beze
Color: Red

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Deep ruby-red. Brilliant nose features tangy raspberry, minerals and spices. Creamy-sweet and silky in the mouth; stuffed with fruit but firmly structured and beautifully framed by spicy oak. A grand cru of great class and potential. Finishes with extremely fine tannins and subtle, endless fruit and mineral flavors.

Producer Commentary:
"The '98 vintage was completely heterogeneous," said Bruno Clair. "We picked Marsannay ten days before Savigny Dominode. Because of the intense heat in early August, which stressed the vines in some spots but not in others, there was no logic to the ripeness." Yields were very low, especially on hillside sites affected by the April frost. Following a trie in the vines and another selection in the cuverie, the domain, according to Clair, vinified perfectly clean fruit. Cellarmaster Philippe Brun compared the '98s to the estate's '93s, but said the new vintage has riper tannins and more gras. "And there's more to the wine in '98 than in '97, clearly more structure," he added. Just a few '98s had been racked in November following late malos; the rest were still on their lees. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
1996 Chambertin Clos De Beze
Color: Red

Score: 92.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Very good red-ruby. Rather unforthcoming nose hints at orange zest, licorice, spice, and a liqueur-like sappiness. Then quite full and flavorful on the middle palate; youthful, very concentrated and deep. Rather powerful for '96; spicy and persistent. Does not appear to have quite the stuffing of the '95 but this is a standout for the vintage. Also tasted: Chambolle-Musigny Veroilles.

Producer Commentary:
"The '95s have more color, more density, thicker skins," says cellarmaster Philippe Brun. "It will be necessary to put them in the cellar and forget them, like the '88s." He adds that the '96s, with their higher grape sugars and lower pHs, will be for drinking earlier. I was unimpressed by a couple of the lower-level '96s (though, following late malos, some wines had not yet been racked), but at the top levels there are several potentially outstanding wines at this address. The best '95s are superb. All the wines reviewed below were bottled without fining or filtration; Clair style makes few concessions to current tastes for sweet new oak and early appeal but have a history of developing well in bottle. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
1997 Chambertin Clos De Beze
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good bright red. Unforthcoming nose hints at red berries, flowers and game. The fattest, sweetest and most voluminous of these '97s; lush, mouthfilling, utterly silky red fruit flavors offer great appeal. But lacks the cut and inner-mouth perfume of the best years. Finishes very long and fine, with compellingly ripe fruit flavors. Not obviously superior to the Clos-Saint-Jacques, which is more focused if not quite as sweet on the back end.

Producer Commentary:
"The '98 vintage was completely heterogeneous," said Bruno Clair. "We picked Marsannay ten days before Savigny Dominode. Because of the intense heat in early August, which stressed the vines in some spots but not in others, there was no logic to the ripeness." Yields were very low, especially on hillside sites affected by the April frost. Following a trie in the vines and another selection in the cuverie, the domain, according to Clair, vinified perfectly clean fruit. Cellarmaster Philippe Brun compared the '98s to the estate's '93s, but said the new vintage has riper tannins and more gras. "And there's more to the wine in '98 than in '97, clearly more structure," he added. Just a few '98s had been racked in November following late malos; the rest were still on their lees. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2003 Chambertin Clos De Beze
Color: Red

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: (this was all in small barrels until the racking in October, after which it was transferred to a single large foudre and one barrique Medium red. ) Slightly diffuse aromas of smoky, nutty oak and roasted strawberry and raspberry. Fat and sweet but not yet currently displaying its adult shape. Flavors of red fruits, nuts and smoke. Finishes with sweet, supple tannins and subtle length, but I don't find real Clos de Beze character or sappiness today. 

Producer Commentary:
According to cellarmaster Philippe Brun, this estate started picking its white grapes on August 26, and then stopped until September 1.Because they couldn't cool all their tanks at once, they picked only in the mornings.The pinot noirs lack acidity and are rather fragile, says Brun, adding that he believes they are best suited for drinking in their fruity youth.But he maintained that the estate had no surmaturite, and that while the premier crus are virtually all 13% or more alcohol, none of them reached 14%.Incidentally, Clair will not offer a regular Marsannay in 2003, as the estate needed this fruit to make their rose, a wine that is very popular in the U.S. market.(Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2016 Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: (the estate made 34 hectoliters per hectare as its vines in Bonnes-Mares escaped frost damage): Healthy medium red. Powerfully aromatic nose combines a sexy medicinal note with an inviting musky, fleshy quality that I did not find in any other of the estate's '16s. Robust, chewy and deep on the palate, offering mouthfilling flavors of black raspberry, cherry liqueur, earth and spices. This very powerful, soil-driven wine spreads out horizontally on the very long back end, saturating the palate with serious but fine tannins. I suspect this will need at least a decade of bottle aging to approach its peak.

Producer Commentary:
“We were massacred by the frost in Chambolle, Savigny and the south side of Marsannay,” said Bruno Clair in January, adding that his estate produced just 35% of a normal crop in 2016. But he added that he had only half a crop in 2015, and roughly the same production in 2013, 2012 and 2010 as well. The estate began harvesting on September 23 with grape sugars around 12% and chaptalized about half a degree. In comparison, potential alcohol levels were at least 13% in 2015 (13.5% for the Bonnes-Mares) and no chaptalization was done.

Cellarmaster Philippe Brun vinified most of the ‘16s with 20% to 25% whole clusters. The malos were protracted, typically lasting until August, and the wines had been racked and assembled in November. Clair described 2016 as “a classic vintage with less excesses of heat and drought than 2015, and a set of wines that should age well. Only the frost was a problem, and the wines have good balance and structure.” Brun added that he prefers the more linear 2016s and that he finds the 2015s "a bit too rich, even if they avoided any cooked taste. But we'll see in ten years."
2014 Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 94.5

Drinking window: 2026 - 2038

Tasting notes: Medium red. Sexy scents of cranberry, dried flowers, dried herbs, pepper and spices. Wonderfully dense and sappy on the palate. In a cooler, more metallic style than the Clos de Bèze but with superb precision and energy. Harder to taste today but the wine's tactile palate-staining finish and uncanny energy suggest that it will be a real long-distance runner. Two-thirds of these vines were planted between 1965 and 1978 but the Clos de Bèze is older.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair’s 2014s stood out for their precision and transparency to terroir in December. Even if they don’t have the sheer thickness of the ‘15s, I had a hard time choosing between the two vintages. The '14s were bottled between late April and the end of May of 2016.
2018 Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 95.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2050

Tasting notes: The 2018 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru has closed down a touch on the nose, eventually revealing red fruit, violet petals and a light oyster shell note. Fine delineation and superb focus. The palate is detailed and precise, just a faint touch of dark chocolate in the background with the mineral-driven finish delivering the sapidity to tempt you back for another sip (in 4-5 years time...when it's ready.) 

Producer Commentary:
For the final time, I met Philippe Brun at the winery, as Brun is due to retire in the near future. It will be strange not seeing him flanking Bruno Clair next year. Marsannay’s ‘dynamic duo’ has produced some excellent visits in recent years. “We started the picking on 9 September,” Clair told me. “That was the Bonnes Mares because it was already very ripe. But the serious picking really began on 15 September. We finished on 24 and 25 September. The yields were half for the whites because of the dryness, for the reds it was 15-30% less than last year. Vines with deep roots that could penetrate the fissures performed best and did not show any stress. But overall, I am very pleased with the regularity of crop across the reds irrespective of vine age.” It was a wise decision to pick that Bonnes-Mares early because it may well turn out to be their star performer, closely followed by the Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze. Comparing them side-by-side, I might err for the 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques over the 2019, but we will see. Despite millerandage in the vineyard, the Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers displays superb mineralité. Though their 2019 Clos du Fonteny is very promising, the 2018 seemed out of sorts and I will endeavour to re-examine this. Overall, it was a superb set of 2019s from Bruno Clair that will age with style.
2014 Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: (Clair's vines are adjacent to Clos de Tart; half were planted in 1946 and half in 1978): Bright medium red. Captivating nose combines scents of red and black fruits, spices, herbs and minerals. Densely packed, large-scaled and powerful; still tightly wound yet seamless, conveying excellent inner-mouth energy to its flavors of dark fruits, licorice and minerals. This classic, juicy Bonnes-Mares finishes with substantial fine-grained tannins. I would never have guessed that the pH was a relatively high 3. 7.

Producer Commentary:
"The 2014s showcase their terroirs while the 2013s are more marked by the almost historically cool season," said Bruno Clair in December. He made between 70% and 80% of a normal crop in 2014 and finds these wines riper than the 2013s, which he says "ripened by concentration, not from sun. The 2014s have a bit of the finesse of the 2011s but they also have more depth."

This estate benefits from a high percentage of very old vines. In fact, thanks to the quality of the genetic material planted here, cuttings from Clair's vines, along with those of Domaine Ponsot, were used by the University of Dijon in the 1960s to create some of the clones that are most highly regarded today in Burgundy and elsewhere. I tasted the Marsannay cuvées from large casks, and all but one of the rest from barriques; all of the 2014s had been racked in October.
2013 Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2036

Tasting notes: Moderately saturated medium red. Highly nuanced scents of red cherry, raspberry, flowers and underbrush. At once silky and penetrating, showing a positive medicinal aspect to its flavors of red berries, flowers and spicy herbs. Very shapely wine with a rising finish featuring suave tannins and noteworthy finesse. A superb showing; this strikes me as more refined than the larger-scaled 2014.

Producer Commentary:
The team here did a lot of triage in the vines at the beginning of September, said Bruno Clair, to protect the fruit against rot and to speed up the ripening process, as the grapes were still green. In the end, he told me, "2013 did not reach the same ripeness as 2014 did, and ripeness came from loss of juice in the grapes rather than from photosynthesis." Two thousand fourteen conveys terroir character while 2013 is more marked by the "historic climate" of the year, he added. Clair began harvesting in 2013 on October 3.
2017 Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 95.0

Drinking window: 2024 - 2042

Tasting notes: The 2017 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru seemed to be going back into its shell after bottling, but one can still see its gorgeous, undergrowth-infused red fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins. A structured Bonnes-Mares that has "serious" written across its forehead; it will need several years in bottle. One for the patient. The 2018 may even drink before it. 

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair and Philippe Brun are the Batman and Robin of Marsannay that have really ratcheted up quality at this domaine. Both were on top form when I dropped in at their winery (though my God, whatever Bruno had just eaten for lunch, it was making his tummy rumble like Krakatoa!) “We had a lot of rain in the winter," he told me. "It was completely different to the 2019 growing season. In 2018 the maturity was quite strong. We started the picking on 27 August until the 8 or 9 September. I find that the tannins are very tender. Maybe you could say 2018 is a mixture of 1947 and 1959. There is more fruit than in 2003 and more phenolic maturity. The whole bunch in 2018 is between 30-40% as in 2017 and we did less pigeage after fermentation. The alcohol is between 13 and 14% but most are around 13.5%." I strongly recommend this domaine's wines, with some gems among the Premier Crus.
2009 Bonnes Mares – Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 96.0

Drinking window: 2024 - 2039

Tasting notes: The 2009 Bonnes-Mares is a dense, powerful wine imbued with massive structure and dazzling finesse. This is one of the more imposing, inward wines of the vintage, and it will require serious patience. That notwithstanding, the wine's balance and sense of harmony are impossible to miss. Clair's Bonnes-Mares is made from a portion of the vineyard on the Morey border, right next to Clos de Tart. The fruit was harvested on September 17, on the late side in 2009. 

Producer Commentary:
This is a beautiful set of wines from Bruno Clair. Every wine I tasted with Clair's longtime oenologist Philippe Brun was gorgeous from top to bottom. While the top 2009s are certainly superb, the real jewels here are the village level wines which appear to be among the great success stories of the 2009 vintage. I tasted all of the wines from barrel, except the Marsannay and Marsannay Les Vaudanelles, both of which were bottled before the 2010 harvest. In 2009 Clair began harvesting on September 15 and ended on the 23rd. I also tasted a handful of 2008s, from a much later harvest that stretched into October. The handful of wines I tasted from that vintage are equally impressive, and equally worth your time.
2007 Bonnes Mares
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: (aging in 50% new oak) Good deep red. Aromas of currant, brown spices, iron, menthol, licorice and pepper. Shows the classic medicinal flavors of young Bonnes-Mares but comes across as sweet, round and fat with fruit, with none of the hardness of this grand cru. Finishes with strong acids and an impression of rather low acidity. This sample was pulled prior to the racking a couple days before my visit. Another sample taken after the racking showed fresher black fruit and licorice aromas and more inner-palate life and spine. This was 12.8% potential alcohol, chaptalized to 13.2%. This vineyard is planted "on all white soil, next to Clos de Tart and Roumier's Bonnes-Mares holding," noted Bruno Clair.

Producer Commentary:
"The 2007 vintage is about fruit more than volume," said winemaker Philippe Brun, who did a soft extraction. "Still, the wines are a bit more sturdy than we thought at the beginning, and they didn't lose color during the racking, which is a good sign." Acidity levels were sound, and pHs were "not very high for here," he went on. He summed up: "The '07s are more pinot, but we find more personality and terroir in the '06s. But the '06s don't give pleasure yet and need cellaring." (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2008 Bonnes Mares
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good bright, deep red with ruby highlights. Wild, expressive nose melds dark raspberry, black cherry, violet, bitter chocolate and wild herbs. Sweet, round and fine-grained for young Bonnes-Mares, with an almost roasted quality to its dark berry and chocolate fla vors. Today I don't find quite the depth or nuance of the Clos de Beze but this is hard to view today, as its building tannins and rather clenched finish suggest it will need at least a decade of bottle aging.

Producer Commentary:
Clair delayed harvesting in 2008 until September 30, then picked until October 14, doing a sorting in the vines, especially to eliminate pink grapes. He told me that he lost 20% of his volume due to the wind during the second half of September and that the typical 2008 began with potential alcohol of 12.2% to 12.7%, although the range was actually quite extreme: from 10% to 13.5%. Following very late malos, the premier and grand crus-but not the village wines-had been racked and sulfited just a week or two prior to my visit. The 2008s are characterized by their strawberry and raspberry elements, said Clair, while the 2007s are more about black fruits. "But 2008 has great aging potential," he believes. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2009 Bonnes Mares
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Reticent but nuanced nose hints at strawberry, flint, menthol, brown spices and smoky herbs. Then lush, smooth and seamless in the mouth; quite dry and youthfully closed today but with terrific volume without weight. Really spreads out on the palate and vibrates on the aromatic aftertaste. This one will need at least three or four years of bottle aging.

Producer Commentary:
Clair, who started picking pinot noir on the late side (September 14), describes 2009 as "a very generous year, easy to vinify, with round, rich tannins." He ranks the vintage with past favorites like 2002 and 1990. Only the yields in Chambolle-Musigny, where his vines are not quite 20 years old, are particularly high, he told me-this despite the fact that he did a green harvest in these vines. Compared to the 2009s, the 2008s are vins de garde, he went on, and they will probably shut down in bottle. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL) Other wines tasted: Chambolle-Musigny Les Veroilles, Morey-Saint-Denis en La Rue de Vergy.
2011 Bonnes Mares
Color: Red

Score: 93.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Bright medium red. Vibrant aromas of blueberry, wild herbs and pepper. Intensely flavored, dense and light on its feet; at once smooth and energetic, offering an uncanny combination of black fruit lift and deeper-pitched soil tones. Remarkably seamless, even round, for a young Bonnes-Mares but with the structure and balance to reward eight to ten years of cellaring. Consistent from start to finish.

Producer Commentary:
2006 Bonnes Mares
Color: Red

Score: 92.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Bright medium red. Very pure aromas of wild red berries, red cherry, minerals and flowers, with smoked meat and underbrush nuances emerging with aeration. Smooth and sweet, but with a medicinal reserve to the flavors of cherry, flowers, menthol and fresh herbs. This boasts terrific energy and lift, not to mention a sappy, long, brown-spice-infused finish featuring chewy tannins that are not at all hard. Not particularly fleshy but explosive-and a lovely expression of this grand cru. Clair notes that this parcel is in the relatively tiny Morey-Saint-Denis portion of Bonnes-Mares, touching Clos de Tart.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair, who harvested quite late in 2006 (September 27 through October 7), says that this vintage now gives a great deal of pleasure, while 2005 is powerful but closed, with the constitution to age for a long time. The big news here is that the estate took back much of its Bonnes-Mares in early 2006, and has virtually doubled its quantities of Chambertin Clos de Beze, Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques and Vosne-Romanee Champs-Perdrix, following the expiration of long-term rental agreements (mostly with Jadot) that had been signed when Bruno's father Bernard left him 15 hectares of vineyards in 1988. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2012 Bonnes Mares
Color: Red

Score: 93.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: (another 22 ares of vines in Bonnes-Mares reverted back to the estate in 2013): Good full red. Complex, musky aromas of red berries, spices, clove and botanical herbs. Concentrated, bright and sweet, with lovely lift to the flavors of minerals, spices, botanical herbs and licorice. Conveys a real white soil character but with the roundness of the vintage's better examples. Finishes savory and serious, with big but fine-grained tannins and excellent verve.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair described his 2010s as austere but the 2012s as fatter and fleshier, and the richness of the new vintage is especially clear in the estate's top cuvees.The domain harvested from September 20 until October 2, bringing in fruit with potential alcohol levels between 12% and 12.5% and chaptalizing about a half degree.They used their vibrating sorting table to eliminate the grapes grilled by sun at the end of July.Winemaker Philippe Brun told me he did two pigeages per day at the beginning of the fermentation, relying mostly on remontages at that stage, then three or four punchdowns per day at the peak of fermentation.Most cuvees were vinified with about 20% whole clusters.The 2012s were racked before the harvest of 2013. (A Becky Wasserman selection; importers include Martin-Scott Wines, Ltd., www.martinscottwines.com; Fine Vines, www.finevines.com; Cordon Selections, www.cordonselections.com; The Source Imports, www.thesourceimports.com)
2012 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques
Color: Red

Score: 92.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Enticing raspberry and floral aromas. Broad, rich and sweet, with lovely delicacy to its flavors of spices, flowers and earth but not yet showing this cuvee's typical cut and thrust. Finishes rich and persistent--but not singing today. Am I underrating this?

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair described his 2010s as austere but the 2012s as fatter and fleshier, and the richness of the new vintage is especially clear in the estate's top cuvees.The domain harvested from September 20 until October 2, bringing in fruit with potential alcohol levels between 12% and 12.5% and chaptalizing about a half degree.They used their vibrating sorting table to eliminate the grapes grilled by sun at the end of July.Winemaker Philippe Brun told me he did two pigeages per day at the beginning of the fermentation, relying mostly on remontages at that stage, then three or four punchdowns per day at the peak of fermentation.Most cuvees were vinified with about 20% whole clusters.The 2012s were racked before the harvest of 2013. (A Becky Wasserman selection; importers include Martin-Scott Wines, Ltd., www.martinscottwines.com; Fine Vines, www.finevines.com; Cordon Selections, www.cordonselections.com; The Source Imports, www.thesourceimports.com)
2006 Chambertin Clos De Beze
Color: Red

Score: 92.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Soil-driven nose hints at raspberry, dried rose and smoked meat. Suave, saline and tactile but quite youthfully shy and undeveloped. Offers highly complex flavors of wild dark berries, flowers, smoke and underbrush. There are substantial chewy tannins here, yet the wine is not at all brutal. Still, this grand cru is going to require a good seven or eight years of cellaring.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair, who harvested quite late in 2006 (September 27 through October 7), says that this vintage now gives a great deal of pleasure, while 2005 is powerful but closed, with the constitution to age for a long time. The big news here is that the estate took back much of its Bonnes-Mares in early 2006, and has virtually doubled its quantities of Chambertin Clos de Beze, Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques and Vosne-Romanee Champs-Perdrix, following the expiration of long-term rental agreements (mostly with Jadot) that had been signed when Bruno's father Bernard left him 15 hectares of vineyards in 1988. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2003 Chambertin Clos De Beze
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Sexy, complex nose combines red berries, smoked meat, minerals, underbrush, milk chocolate and truffle. Silky and suave but firm; a step up in concentration from the Clos Saint-Jacques. A very stylish wine with lovely inner-mouth lift and definition. Finishes quite broad, with a fine coating of tannins and excellent length. This wine shows a more normal balance than Clair's other 2003s.

Producer Commentary:
1996 Chambertin Clos De Beze
Color: Red

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Red-ruby. Deep, superripe aromas of redcurrant, minerals, humus and licorice, along with an intriguing vegetal/spicy aspect. Large-scaled, chewy and sweet, but not at all thick or overly sweet; a muscular, powerful wine with a multilayered texture and strong soil character. Finishes with substantial but thoroughly ripe tannins. Very youthfully unevolved. Also tasted: Chambolle-Musigny.

Producer Commentary:
"With the high sugars and great ripeness of the grapes, we expected to have wines with tough tannins," said Bruno Clair. "But the tannins in fact are quite fat, and there nothing hard about the wines at all; 1997 is certainly a vin de garde but it no monster." According to cellarmaster Philippe Brun, the cuvaison was shorter in '97, as there were a lot of yeasts on the grape skins and the fermentations started quickly (the estate does nothing to prevent the fermentation from starting). The malos were tumultuous, and early, but the wines remained on their lees through the winter and have taken on more complexity during elevage (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2011 Chambertin Clos De Bèze Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2045

Tasting notes: The 2011 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru has a perfumed bouquet with rose petal and bergamot tea scents complementing the red berry fruit, the oak neatly integrated. The palate is supple and lithe with a seam of orange rind infusing the redcurrant and cranberry fruit, a little salinité and black truffle towards the grainy-textured finish. This is a very assured and noble Clos-de-Bèze from the Domaine. Tasted at Flint Wines Burgundy 2011 tasting.

Producer Commentary:
2016 Chambertin Clos De Bèze Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: (30 hectoliters per hectare produced): Moderately saturated medium red. The most expressive and floral on the nose today of these young 2016s, offering alluring aromas of cherry, raspberry and rose petal. Not hugely fleshy in the early going, but delivers lovely juicy cut and an impression of firm acidity to its highly nuanced flavors of cherry, berries, smoke, spices and flowers. This deep, sappy, intensely flavored wine, made from a high percentage of tiny millerandé grapes (50% of these vines are more than 80 years old), is showing brilliantly today but should also age very well.

Producer Commentary:
“We were massacred by the frost in Chambolle, Savigny and the south side of Marsannay,” said Bruno Clair in January, adding that his estate produced just 35% of a normal crop in 2016. But he added that he had only half a crop in 2015, and roughly the same production in 2013, 2012 and 2010 as well. The estate began harvesting on September 23 with grape sugars around 12% and chaptalized about half a degree. In comparison, potential alcohol levels were at least 13% in 2015 (13.5% for the Bonnes-Mares) and no chaptalization was done.

Cellarmaster Philippe Brun vinified most of the ‘16s with 20% to 25% whole clusters. The malos were protracted, typically lasting until August, and the wines had been racked and assembled in November. Clair described 2016 as “a classic vintage with less excesses of heat and drought than 2015, and a set of wines that should age well. Only the frost was a problem, and the wines have good balance and structure.” Brun added that he prefers the more linear 2016s and that he finds the 2015s "a bit too rich, even if they avoided any cooked taste. But we'll see in ten years."
2017 Chambertin Clos De Bèze Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 95.0

Drinking window: 2022 - 2048

Tasting notes: The 2017 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze has a wonderful estuarine bouquet, cockle shells and mudflat aromas infusing the dark berry fruit. Undergrowth scents emerge with aeration, allied with a tang of dried blood. The palate, by comparison, is fleshy and generous, demonstrating some youthful hardness that will dissipate with time in bottle. A very capable Clos-de-Bèze. 

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair and Philippe Brun are the Batman and Robin of Marsannay that have really ratcheted up quality at this domaine. Both were on top form when I dropped in at their winery (though my God, whatever Bruno had just eaten for lunch, it was making his tummy rumble like Krakatoa!) “We had a lot of rain in the winter," he told me. "It was completely different to the 2019 growing season. In 2018 the maturity was quite strong. We started the picking on 27 August until the 8 or 9 September. I find that the tannins are very tender. Maybe you could say 2018 is a mixture of 1947 and 1959. There is more fruit than in 2003 and more phenolic maturity. The whole bunch in 2018 is between 30-40% as in 2017 and we did less pigeage after fermentation. The alcohol is between 13 and 14% but most are around 13.5%." I strongly recommend this domaine's wines, with some gems among the Premier Crus.
2005 Chambertin Clos De Beze
Color: Red

Score: 94.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red-ruby. High-pitched, perfumed aromas of raspberry, minerals, violet and blood orange. Then wonderfully silky yet at the same time taut, with terrific penetration and delineation of fruit and mineral flavors. Mounts inexorably toward the back, finishing with a tactile, dusty quality and coating the palate with fruit and stone. But this very backward wine shows less early sweetness than the Clos Saint-Jacques. The crop level of 35 hectoliters per hectare was normal for this parcel, noted Clair.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair told me that 1990 is the greatest vintage for this domain since he started here in 1969. "But the crop in 2005 was smaller than that of 1990, and the new vintage is richer and more palate-coating than other great years like 2002, 1999 and 1996," he added. "At harvest time, we had a festival of perfume in the cuverie." (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL) Also recommended: Marsannay Les Longeroies (85), Gevrey-Chambertin Clos du Fonteny (85?), Savigny-les-Beaune La Dominode (86+?).
2000 Chambertin Clos De Beze
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Bright red. Reduced nose shows strong game, leather, mineral, coffee and smoky notes. Very smooth but quite closed; offers lovely vinosity but shows less texture and dimension today than the Clos Saint-Jacques. Best today on the finish, which features sweet, fine tannins and very good grip.

Producer Commentary:
Cellarmaster Philippe Brun describes the domain 2000s as aromatic, supple wines, to drink early - a very good restaurant vintage. The fragile fruit, picked largely under very warm conditions, generally needed some acidification. In comparison, he noted, the 2001 harvest brought thicker skins, higher acidity and more concentration. Brun and Bruno Clair both consider 1999 to be their best vintage since 1990. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2007 Chambertin Clos De Beze
Color: Red

Score: 92.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Deep red-ruby. Deep aromas of dark berries and spices, with a whiff of resin. The mineral and spice flavors spread out to coat the palate without any impression of weight. Densely packed and a bit youthfully brooding but conveys a light touch for a wine with such underlying power. This comes across as tougher than the Bonnes-Mares and less showy today, perhaps because it finished its secondary fermentation later.

Producer Commentary:
"The 2007 vintage is about fruit more than volume," said winemaker Philippe Brun, who did a soft extraction. "Still, the wines are a bit more sturdy than we thought at the beginning, and they didn't lose color during the racking, which is a good sign." Acidity levels were sound, and pHs were "not very high for here," he went on. He summed up: "The '07s are more pinot, but we find more personality and terroir in the '06s. But the '06s don't give pleasure yet and need cellaring." (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2018 Chambertin Clos De Bèze Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 95.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2045

Tasting notes: The 2018 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru offers plenty of brambly red berry fruit on the nose, mixed with sous-bois, cedar and light mint aromas, the latter becoming more prominent with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, a fine bead of acidity and wonderful salinity on the finish, which is full of tension. Excellent. 

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair and Philippe Brun are the Batman and Robin of Marsannay that have really ratcheted up quality at this domaine. Both were on top form when I dropped in at their winery (though my God, whatever Bruno had just eaten for lunch, it was making his tummy rumble like Krakatoa!) “We had a lot of rain in the winter," he told me. "It was completely different to the 2019 growing season. In 2018 the maturity was quite strong. We started the picking on 27 August until the 8 or 9 September. I find that the tannins are very tender. Maybe you could say 2018 is a mixture of 1947 and 1959. There is more fruit than in 2003 and more phenolic maturity. The whole bunch in 2018 is between 30-40% as in 2017 and we did less pigeage after fermentation. The alcohol is between 13 and 14% but most are around 13.5%." I strongly recommend this domaine's wines, with some gems among the Premier Crus.
2013 Chambertin Clos De Béze Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2038

Tasting notes: The 2013 Chambertin Clos de Béze is a bit light in texture and body in this vintage, with attractive, floral aromatics and sculpted fruit but less of the intensity and power that is typical of this site. It will be interesting to see if the 2013 fleshes out a bit, or if perhaps I caught it on an off day.

Producer Commentary:
It's always a pleasure to sit down and taste with Bruno Clair and his longtime winemaker, Philippe Brun, both of whom are a treasure trove of experience and knowledge. Clair brought in his fruit beginning on October 7, which only has parallels in the estate's recent history with 1978 and 1980, where the harvests started on October 10 and 12. It's true that 2008 was almost as late as 2013, except that in 2013 the last few days of ripening did not add a meaningful amount of concentration as they did in 2008. Clair adds that sugars alone are not a measure of quality, as evidenced by the 1991s, many of which are more complete than their 1990 counterparts. Of course, the issue with any late-ripening year is that the days are shorter as the season progresses, so there are meaningful differences between the heat of August and that of September. As if the bad flowering and early start to the year was not enough, Clair's vineyards in Savigny-les-Beaune and Pernand-Vergelesses were all damaged by hail. According to Clair, the Charlemagne was more skin than juice, clearly a far from favorable situation. I tasted the 2013s from barrel, after they had been racked. Where the wines don't carry the signatures of hail they are quite pretty. Philippe Brun adds that while the terroirs are well marked in 2013, the wines should be enjoyed before the 2012s.
2008 Chambertin Clos De Beze
Color: Red

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Deep red. Very pure, laid-back aromas of dark berries, bitter chocolate, licorice, violet and spices. Densely packed and sweet, with highly complex, sharply delineated fla vors of licorice, graphite, violet and game. Extremely long but tight on the aftertaste, with tougher tannins that are going to require up to a decade of patience.

Producer Commentary:
Clair delayed harvesting in 2008 until September 30, then picked until October 14, doing a sorting in the vines, especially to eliminate pink grapes. He told me that he lost 20% of his volume due to the wind during the second half of September and that the typical 2008 began with potential alcohol of 12.2% to 12.7%, although the range was actually quite extreme: from 10% to 13.5%. Following very late malos, the premier and grand crus-but not the village wines-had been racked and sulfited just a week or two prior to my visit. The 2008s are characterized by their strawberry and raspberry elements, said Clair, while the 2007s are more about black fruits. "But 2008 has great aging potential," he believes. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2004 Chambertin Clos De Beze
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good full red. Dark cherry and flowers on the pure nose, lifted by a peppery nuance. The fullest and sweetest of these 2004s today, with rich, perfumed, mouthcoating flavors of redcurrant and rose petal. Finishes very long and aromatic, mostly avoiding the dryness shown by other '04s at this address. This is very easy to taste today.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair told me that 1990 is the greatest vintage for this domain since he started here in 1969. "But the crop in 2005 was smaller than that of 1990, and the new vintage is richer and more palate-coating than other great years like 2002, 1999 and 1996," he added. "At harvest time, we had a festival of perfume in the cuverie." (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL) Also recommended: Marsannay Les Longeroies (85), Gevrey-Chambertin Clos du Fonteny (85?), Savigny-les-Beaune La Dominode (86+?).
2005 Chambertin Clos De Beze
Color: Red

Score: 94.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good deep red. Austere but highly complex nose offers dark plum, smoked meat, minerals, spices and earth, along with a whiff of cinders. Then almost surprisingly fat and sweet, with outstanding volume and solidity to its highly complex flavors of black cherry, brown spices, mocha, dried flowers and minerals. A huge wine for this cellar yet it remains light on its feet. The finish brings a touch of minty medicinal austerity and building tannins, suggesting that this impressively powerful yet classy wine will require a good dozen years of cellaring.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair, who harvested quite late in 2006 (September 27 through October 7), says that this vintage now gives a great deal of pleasure, while 2005 is powerful but closed, with the constitution to age for a long time. The big news here is that the estate took back much of its Bonnes-Mares in early 2006, and has virtually doubled its quantities of Chambertin Clos de Beze, Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques and Vosne-Romanee Champs-Perdrix, following the expiration of long-term rental agreements (mostly with Jadot) that had been signed when Bruno's father Bernard left him 15 hectares of vineyards in 1988. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
1997 Chambertin Clos De Beze
Color: Red

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Deep red. Liqueur-like aromas of blueberry, flowers and spices. Sweet, lush and seamless, with very good intensity and more complex inner mouth flavors. Finishes fairly long and a bit austere, with a note of licorice and a faint suggestion of heat. But not in the class of the '96.

Producer Commentary:
"With the high sugars and great ripeness of the grapes, we expected to have wines with tough tannins," said Bruno Clair. "But the tannins in fact are quite fat, and there nothing hard about the wines at all; 1997 is certainly a vin de garde but it no monster." According to cellarmaster Philippe Brun, the cuvaison was shorter in '97, as there were a lot of yeasts on the grape skins and the fermentations started quickly (the estate does nothing to prevent the fermentation from starting). The malos were tumultuous, and early, but the wines remained on their lees through the winter and have taken on more complexity during elevage (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2008 Chambertin Clos De Beze – Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 95.0

Drinking window: 2018 - 2038

Tasting notes: The 2008 Chambertin-Clos de Bèze is an intensely floral, cool wine graced with exquisite finesse in its dark red berries, flowers, minerals and menthol. It is naturally less obvious than the 2009, but just as convincing. A textured, sweet and multi-dimensional finish rounds things out in style. The Bèze is quite a bit more open than the Bonnes-Mares, but it nevertheless needs time, and probably lots of it. 

Producer Commentary:
This is a beautiful set of wines from Bruno Clair. Every wine I tasted with Clair's longtime oenologist Philippe Brun was gorgeous from top to bottom. While the top 2009s are certainly superb, the real jewels here are the village level wines which appear to be among the great success stories of the 2009 vintage. I tasted all of the wines from barrel, except the Marsannay and Marsannay Les Vaudanelles, both of which were bottled before the 2010 harvest. In 2009 Clair began harvesting on September 15 and ended on the 23rd. I also tasted a handful of 2008s, from a much later harvest that stretched into October. The handful of wines I tasted from that vintage are equally impressive, and equally worth your time.
2015 Chambertin Clos De Bèze Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2055

Tasting notes: The 2015 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru has an initially slightly disjointed bouquet that comes together nicely with aeration. I like the purity here, and the oak is beautifully integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannin, judicious acidity and wonderful precision as it crescendoes in a detailed finish. Yes, there is a veneer of new oak to be absorbed, but there is enormous potential. Long-term and quite regal. Tasted blind at the annual Burgfest tasting. 

Producer Commentary:
2010 Chambertin Clos De Beze Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 95.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2045

Tasting notes: The2010 Chambertin-Clos de Bèze seems to hover on the palate. Dark red berries, freshly cut flowers, minerals and mint are all supported by the silkiest of tannins. The Bèze boasts striking inner perfume and fabulous overall balance. Though deceptively medium in body, there is plenty of stuffing and structure to support a long life in the cellar. This is a decidedly feminine Bèze that impresses for its sheer elegance and pure class. In sum, it is pure Bruno Clair. 

Producer Commentary:
This is a fabulous set of wines from Bruno Clair and his long-time oenologist Philippe Brun. The harvest started on September 25. Yields were 22-30 hectoliters per hectare, which is to say a good 10% less than 2003, a torrid vintage marked by tiny yields. Clair describes the fruit as healthy, with no botrytis and soft tannins from the late harvest. The 2010s were 100% destemmed. New oak ranged from 25% for the villages to 50% for the Grand Crus, except for the Marsannays, which saw very little new oak.
2000 Chambertin Clos De Beze
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Highly perfumed aromas of red cherry, raspberry, strawberry, rose petal, loam and smoky, spicy oak. Juicy, minerally and precise; tightly wound and youthful for the vintage, with an intriguing saline suggestion of soil. Finishes firmly tannic, subtle and long. 

Producer Commentary:
2006 Chambertin Clos De Beze
Color: Red

Score: 93.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Musky aromas of redcurrant, smoked meat, mocha and flinty minerality. Sweet and creamy but weightless, with fleshy but suave flavors of raspberry, minerals and underbrush. Finishes with noble tannins and lovely lingering perfume. A wonderfully soil-inflected wine that should be glorious by 2017 or so.

Producer Commentary:
"The 2007 vintage is about fruit more than volume," said winemaker Philippe Brun, who did a soft extraction. "Still, the wines are a bit more sturdy than we thought at the beginning, and they didn't lose color during the racking, which is a good sign." Acidity levels were sound, and pHs were "not very high for here," he went on. He summed up: "The '07s are more pinot, but we find more personality and terroir in the '06s. But the '06s don't give pleasure yet and need cellaring." (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
1999 Chambertin Clos De Beze
Color: Red

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Red-ruby. Sappy aromas of bitter cherry and nutmeg; like an essence of fruit. Voluminous and silky in the mouth, round and seamless. Intensely flavored but it might as well be weightless, thanks to its near-perfect harmony of components. Finishes with utterly suave tannins and superb subtle persistence. This leaves behind incredible perfume in the mouth and glass. Far and away the wine of the cave in '99, and a Clos de Beze of great nobility. The crop level was 37 hectoliters per hectare in '99, vs. 44 for the Clos Saint-Jacques, according to cellarmaster Philippe Brun.

Producer Commentary:
This is always a tricky cellar for barrel tasting, as the wines tend to show a firm tannic side early on and there relatively little sweetening influence of new oak. That said, I found a few of the lesser wines a bit wimpy and dilute, and lacking in flavor authority ("it was a very big harvest in Marsannay," Clair admits), but at the level of the estate's top crus these are scented, pure wines of subtlety and class. The '99s had been racked for the first time about two weeks prior to my visit. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
1998 Chambertin Clos De Beze
Color: Red

Score: 90.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium cherry-red. Black raspberry, violet, caramel and earth on the nose. Seems a bit dry and sullen following the Clos Saint-Jacques; right now this shows a distinct dip in the middle palate. Finishes with dusty, somewhat drying tannins. Showing rather awkwardly today, especially compared to the Clos Saint-Jacques. This will require another look in a year or so, but today it seems clearly less silky than the '99 example.

Producer Commentary:
This is always a tricky cellar for barrel tasting, as the wines tend to show a firm tannic side early on and there relatively little sweetening influence of new oak. That said, I found a few of the lesser wines a bit wimpy and dilute, and lacking in flavor authority ("it was a very big harvest in Marsannay," Clair admits), but at the level of the estate's top crus these are scented, pure wines of subtlety and class. The '99s had been racked for the first time about two weeks prior to my visit. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2016 Chambertin Clos De Bèze Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 96.0

Drinking window: 2024 - 2050

Tasting notes: The 2016 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru has a generous and pleasing nose with scents of strawberry preserve, crushed stone, rose petals and subtle orange-blossom. This is refined and transparent. The palate is medium-bodied with chalky tannins. Beautifully balanced, this has a symmetry that is beguiling and classic. A little austere finish suggests it will benefit from several years in bottle. Utterly beguiling with enormous ageing potential. Tasted blind at the 2016 Burgfest tasting. 

Producer Commentary:
2013 Gevrey Chambertin Cazetiers 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2018 - 2033

Tasting notes: A much more finessed, silky side of Gevrey emerges from the 2013 Gevrey-Chambertin Cazetiers. Ethereal yet wonderfully pliant on the palate, the 2013 is endowed with magnificent depth. As is typically the case with superb Cazetiers, Bruno Clair's 2013 is all about understatement and finesse, two signatures of this great Gevrey site.

Producer Commentary:
It's always a pleasure to sit down and taste with Bruno Clair and his longtime winemaker, Philippe Brun, both of whom are a treasure trove of experience and knowledge. Clair brought in his fruit beginning on October 7, which only has parallels in the estate's recent history with 1978 and 1980, where the harvests started on October 10 and 12. It's true that 2008 was almost as late as 2013, except that in 2013 the last few days of ripening did not add a meaningful amount of concentration as they did in 2008. Clair adds that sugars alone are not a measure of quality, as evidenced by the 1991s, many of which are more complete than their 1990 counterparts. Of course, the issue with any late-ripening year is that the days are shorter as the season progresses, so there are meaningful differences between the heat of August and that of September. As if the bad flowering and early start to the year was not enough, Clair's vineyards in Savigny-les-Beaune and Pernand-Vergelesses were all damaged by hail. According to Clair, the Charlemagne was more skin than juice, clearly a far from favorable situation. I tasted the 2013s from barrel, after they had been racked. Where the wines don't carry the signatures of hail they are quite pretty. Philippe Brun adds that while the terroirs are well marked in 2013, the wines should be enjoyed before the 2012s.
2012 Gevrey Chambertin Cazetiers 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 94.5

Drinking window: 2018 - 2037

Tasting notes: Energy and grace meld together in Clair's 2012 Gevrey-Chambertin Cazetiers. Floral and lifted on the outset, the 2012 shows remarkable energy through the mid-palate and finish, with gorgeous density and plenty of punch. In short, the 2012 has it all; gorgeous aromatics and enough density to develop for a good 25+ years. 

Producer Commentary:
Although I was only able to taste a handful of bottled 2012s, the wines I saw confirmed my very positive impressions from last year. Bruno Clair's 2012s are rich, fat and textured, but with more than enough structure to support many years of fine drinking.
2015 Gevrey Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2032

Tasting notes: Medium red. Very ripe but reticent scents of roasted red fruits, plum and damp earth. Fresher in the mouth than on the nose, conveying more energy than the Clos du Fonteny, with its medicinal cherry, wild berry and spice flavors complemented by a chocolatey nuance. Nicely balanced and not at all lacking in spine. Here, too, there's a firming touch of minerality. This wine will need several years in the cellar to unwind.

Producer Commentary:
“We were massacred by the frost in Chambolle, Savigny and the south side of Marsannay,” said Bruno Clair in January, adding that his estate produced just 35% of a normal crop in 2016. But he added that he had only half a crop in 2015, and roughly the same production in 2013, 2012 and 2010 as well. The estate began harvesting on September 23 with grape sugars around 12% and chaptalized about half a degree. In comparison, potential alcohol levels were at least 13% in 2015 (13.5% for the Bonnes-Mares) and no chaptalization was done.

Cellarmaster Philippe Brun vinified most of the ‘16s with 20% to 25% whole clusters. The malos were protracted, typically lasting until August, and the wines had been racked and assembled in November. Clair described 2016 as “a classic vintage with less excesses of heat and drought than 2015, and a set of wines that should age well. Only the frost was a problem, and the wines have good balance and structure.” Brun added that he prefers the more linear 2016s and that he finds the 2015s "a bit too rich, even if they avoided any cooked taste. But we'll see in ten years."
2009 Gevrey Chambertin Cazetiers
Color: Red

Score: 89.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Very ripe nose dominated by strawberry liqueur. Fat, creamy and sweet but with an edge of acidity giving shape to the middle palate. Shows distinct hints of surmaturite, but there's also excellent concentration from millerande grapes. Finishes with slightly dry tannins.

Producer Commentary:
Clair, who started picking pinot noir on the late side (September 14), describes 2009 as "a very generous year, easy to vinify, with round, rich tannins." He ranks the vintage with past favorites like 2002 and 1990. Only the yields in Chambolle-Musigny, where his vines are not quite 20 years old, are particularly high, he told me-this despite the fact that he did a green harvest in these vines. Compared to the 2009s, the 2008s are vins de garde, he went on, and they will probably shut down in bottle. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL) Other wines tasted: Chambolle-Musigny Les Veroilles, Morey-Saint-Denis en La Rue de Vergy.
2016 Gevrey Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: (24 hectoliters per hectare): Full bright red. A bit lower-toned and wilder on the nose than the Petite Chapelle, but with a hint of mineral lift to its aromas of raspberry, game and underbrush. Juicy and firmly built, conveying lovely acid balance to its black cherry and chocolate flavors. This firmly structured, minerally wine finishes with serious but fine-grained tannins. The pH here is 3.6, the highest among these '16s along with the Bonnes-Mares.

Producer Commentary:
“We were massacred by the frost in Chambolle, Savigny and the south side of Marsannay,” said Bruno Clair in January, adding that his estate produced just 35% of a normal crop in 2016. But he added that he had only half a crop in 2015, and roughly the same production in 2013, 2012 and 2010 as well. The estate began harvesting on September 23 with grape sugars around 12% and chaptalized about half a degree. In comparison, potential alcohol levels were at least 13% in 2015 (13.5% for the Bonnes-Mares) and no chaptalization was done.

Cellarmaster Philippe Brun vinified most of the ‘16s with 20% to 25% whole clusters. The malos were protracted, typically lasting until August, and the wines had been racked and assembled in November. Clair described 2016 as “a classic vintage with less excesses of heat and drought than 2015, and a set of wines that should age well. Only the frost was a problem, and the wines have good balance and structure.” Brun added that he prefers the more linear 2016s and that he finds the 2015s "a bit too rich, even if they avoided any cooked taste. But we'll see in ten years."
2002 Gevrey Chambertin Cazetiers
Color: Red

Score: 88.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Red cherry, flowers and licorice on the nose. Silky and layered but with good tangy fruit. Still, this could use a bit more precision. Comes across as rather oaky today, and a bit harder-edged than the Clos du Fontenys on the back.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair described 2002 as an easy vintage: Like 1990:very ripe, no rot, little selection necessary, easy to vinify."Potential alcohols were typically in the 12% to 12.5% range, with most wines chaptalized about a half a degree.The wines had been assembled and racked a couple weeks prior to my visit; Clair noted that the colors were still a bit lightened by the recent sulfur additions.(Vineyard Brands, Birmingham AL
2000 Gevrey Chambertin Cazetiers
Color: Red

Score: 88.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Moderately saturated medium red. Redcurrant, mace, clove and menthol on the nose. Intensely flavored and spicy, with an impression of salty extract. Chewy but rather tightly wound and not showing its sweetness today. Surprisingly firm considering the vintage and this parcel's tendency toward low acidity.

Producer Commentary:
1999 Gevrey Chambertin Cazetiers
Color: Red

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium ruby-red. Liqueur-like aromas of black cherry, raspberry, blueberry, cocoa and game. Rich, fat, dense and low in acidity, but the flavor of maraschino cherry is reasonably tangy and fresh. Finishes with tongue-dusting tannins and very good length.

Producer Commentary:
This is always a tricky cellar for barrel tasting, as the wines tend to show a firm tannic side early on and there relatively little sweetening influence of new oak. That said, I found a few of the lesser wines a bit wimpy and dilute, and lacking in flavor authority ("it was a very big harvest in Marsannay," Clair admits), but at the level of the estate's top crus these are scented, pure wines of subtlety and class. The '99s had been racked for the first time about two weeks prior to my visit. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
1996 Gevrey Chambertin Cazetiers
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Bright ruby-red. Superripe, floral aromas of red berries, mocha and mint. Creamy-sweet yet tangy and vibrant in the mouth; seamless and quite concentrated. Finishes firmly tannic but the tannins are supple and fine. Very subtle and very persistent on the aftertaste. The typically lower acidity of this holding has worked to advantage in this higher-acid year.

Producer Commentary:
"With the high sugars and great ripeness of the grapes, we expected to have wines with tough tannins," said Bruno Clair. "But the tannins in fact are quite fat, and there nothing hard about the wines at all; 1997 is certainly a vin de garde but it no monster." According to cellarmaster Philippe Brun, the cuvaison was shorter in '97, as there were a lot of yeasts on the grape skins and the fermentations started quickly (the estate does nothing to prevent the fermentation from starting). The malos were tumultuous, and early, but the wines remained on their lees through the winter and have taken on more complexity during elevage (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2010 Gevrey Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2030

Tasting notes: The 2010 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers is a deep, spherical wine endowed with tons of class and personality. Sweet floral notes meld into dark red and blue fruit in this seamless, beautifully textured Burgundy. Saline notes mark the long, polished finish. Despite a great showing, my sense is that the wine isn't quite ready to reveal the full breadth and class of its pedigree. That will come, but only over time. 

Producer Commentary:
This is a fabulous set of wines from Bruno Clair and his long-time oenologist Philippe Brun. The harvest started on September 25. Yields were 22-30 hectoliters per hectare, which is to say a good 10% less than 2003, a torrid vintage marked by tiny yields. Clair describes the fruit as healthy, with no botrytis and soft tannins from the late harvest. The 2010s were 100% destemmed. New oak ranged from 25% for the villages to 50% for the Grand Crus, except for the Marsannays, which saw very little new oak.
1999 Gevrey Chambertin Cazetiers
Color: Red

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Deep red. Ripe, spicy, slightly briary aromas of blueberry and pepper. Fat, sweet, full and pliant; a generous style owing to its lowish acidity. Finishes with lovely sweet tannins and very good length.

Producer Commentary:
Cellarmaster Philippe Brun describes the domain 2000s as aromatic, supple wines, to drink early - a very good restaurant vintage. The fragile fruit, picked largely under very warm conditions, generally needed some acidification. In comparison, he noted, the 2001 harvest brought thicker skins, higher acidity and more concentration. Brun and Bruno Clair both consider 1999 to be their best vintage since 1990. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2014 Gevrey Chambertin Cazetiers 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Bright medium red. Cool, slightly medicinal aromas of cherry, raspberry and menthol. Densely packed, suave and seamless, with distinctly darker flavors than the Petite Chapelle. Best today on the building, perfumed back end, which shows considerable class and an impression of weightlessness.

Producer Commentary:
"The 2014s showcase their terroirs while the 2013s are more marked by the almost historically cool season," said Bruno Clair in December. He made between 70% and 80% of a normal crop in 2014 and finds these wines riper than the 2013s, which he says "ripened by concentration, not from sun. The 2014s have a bit of the finesse of the 2011s but they also have more depth."

This estate benefits from a high percentage of very old vines. In fact, thanks to the quality of the genetic material planted here, cuttings from Clair's vines, along with those of Domaine Ponsot, were used by the University of Dijon in the 1960s to create some of the clones that are most highly regarded today in Burgundy and elsewhere. I tasted the Marsannay cuvées from large casks, and all but one of the rest from barriques; all of the 2014s had been racked in October.
2009 Gevrey Chambertin Cazetiers
Color: Red

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good bright medium red. Reticent aromas of cherry, minerals, coffee and mocha. Shows the creaminess of the year, with fleshy, round flavors of red berries, bitter cherry and spices. But this round, nicely concentrated wine can't match the Dominode for energy or structure. Finishes with dusty tannins.

Producer Commentary:
2010 Gevrey Chambertin Cazetiers
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good medium red. Rather wild aromas of cherry, spices, game and earth; reminded me of a Mazi-Chambertin! Supple and deeply spicy, if a bit foursquare in the early going. Finishes broad and ripe but a tad dry. The wine's juiciness suggests that it will improve in the bottle.

Producer Commentary:
1997 Gevrey Chambertin Cazetiers
Color: Red

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Fresh medium red. More perfumed aroma of cherry, spice and minerals. A silky, gentle wine without a lot of depth. Seems a bit low in acidity and likely to evolve quickly. This will be bottled early.

Producer Commentary:
"With the high sugars and great ripeness of the grapes, we expected to have wines with tough tannins," said Bruno Clair. "But the tannins in fact are quite fat, and there nothing hard about the wines at all; 1997 is certainly a vin de garde but it no monster." According to cellarmaster Philippe Brun, the cuvaison was shorter in '97, as there were a lot of yeasts on the grape skins and the fermentations started quickly (the estate does nothing to prevent the fermentation from starting). The malos were tumultuous, and early, but the wines remained on their lees through the winter and have taken on more complexity during elevage (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2019 Gevrey Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2042

Tasting notes: The 2019 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru, which apparently suffered a lot of millerandage, shows a little reduction on the nose, but it clearly possesses fine mineralité underneath with flinty/granitic aromas percolating through. The palate is very well balanced with succulent ripe tannins, fleshy and very elegant with black pepper towards the finish. Excellent. 

Producer Commentary:
For the final time, I met Philippe Brun at the winery, as Brun is due to retire in the near future. It will be strange not seeing him flanking Bruno Clair next year. Marsannay’s ‘dynamic duo’ has produced some excellent visits in recent years. “We started the picking on 9 September,” Clair told me. “That was the Bonnes Mares because it was already very ripe. But the serious picking really began on 15 September. We finished on 24 and 25 September. The yields were half for the whites because of the dryness, for the reds it was 15-30% less than last year. Vines with deep roots that could penetrate the fissures performed best and did not show any stress. But overall, I am very pleased with the regularity of crop across the reds irrespective of vine age.” It was a wise decision to pick that Bonnes-Mares early because it may well turn out to be their star performer, closely followed by the Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze. Comparing them side-by-side, I might err for the 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques over the 2019, but we will see. Despite millerandage in the vineyard, the Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers displays superb mineralité. Though their 2019 Clos du Fonteny is very promising, the 2018 seemed out of sorts and I will endeavour to re-examine this. Overall, it was a superb set of 2019s from Bruno Clair that will age with style.
2001 Gevrey Chambertin Cazetiers
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good dark red. Sweet aromas of cherry, raspberry, leather and coffee, lifted by a minty nuance. Big, rich and sweet; broad and horizontal. Quite silky and aromatic in the mouth, with an enticing floral perfume. I find this more concentrated than the '02 and seamless for its vintage. Has the richness that often comes from small, millerande grapes.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair described 2002 as an easy vintage: Like 1990:very ripe, no rot, little selection necessary, easy to vinify."Potential alcohols were typically in the 12% to 12.5% range, with most wines chaptalized about a half a degree.The wines had been assembled and racked a couple weeks prior to my visit; Clair noted that the colors were still a bit lightened by the recent sulfur additions.(Vineyard Brands, Birmingham AL
2003 Gevrey Chambertin Cazetiers
Color: Red

Score: 88.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Palish medium red. Spicy red cherry, raspberry and an exotic note of orange peel on the nose. Sweet, supple and silky, with subtle red fruit and spice flavors. Round and harmonious. Finishes with smooth, nicely integrated tannins and very good spicy persistence. Like virtually all of the preceding samples, this should drink well early.

Producer Commentary:
According to cellarmaster Philippe Brun, this estate started picking its white grapes on August 26, and then stopped until September 1.Because they couldn't cool all their tanks at once, they picked only in the mornings.The pinot noirs lack acidity and are rather fragile, says Brun, adding that he believes they are best suited for drinking in their fruity youth.But he maintained that the estate had no surmaturite, and that while the premier crus are virtually all 13% or more alcohol, none of them reached 14%.Incidentally, Clair will not offer a regular Marsannay in 2003, as the estate needed this fruit to make their rose, a wine that is very popular in the U.S. market.(Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
1999 Aloxe Corton
Color: Red

Score: 86.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Sauvage aromas of cherry, tar and leather. Fairly thick and intense on the front end, then distinctly tannic, even a bit hard, on the back. Has good weight, though.

Producer Commentary:
This is always a tricky cellar for barrel tasting, as the wines tend to show a firm tannic side early on and there relatively little sweetening influence of new oak. That said, I found a few of the lesser wines a bit wimpy and dilute, and lacking in flavor authority ("it was a very big harvest in Marsannay," Clair admits), but at the level of the estate's top crus these are scented, pure wines of subtlety and class. The '99s had been racked for the first time about two weeks prior to my visit. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2003 Aloxe Corton
Color: Red

Score: 84.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Nose dominated by nutty, resiny oak. Flavors of sweet, caramelly oak and diffuse red fruits are at once a bit dull and aggressive. Has good texture but ultimately comes across as hard and rustic, with some drying tannins.

Producer Commentary:
According to cellarmaster Philippe Brun, this estate started picking its white grapes on August 26, and then stopped until September 1.Because they couldn't cool all their tanks at once, they picked only in the mornings.The pinot noirs lack acidity and are rather fragile, says Brun, adding that he believes they are best suited for drinking in their fruity youth.But he maintained that the estate had no surmaturite, and that while the premier crus are virtually all 13% or more alcohol, none of them reached 14%.Incidentally, Clair will not offer a regular Marsannay in 2003, as the estate needed this fruit to make their rose, a wine that is very popular in the U.S. market.(Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2019 Blanc Marsannay
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2032

Tasting notes: The 2019 Marsannay Blanc has a rich and quite tropical bouquet with passion fruit and orange rind. The palate is lovely with pineapple and passion fruit, very svelte with slightly low acidity on the tropical tinged finish. 

Producer Commentary:
For the final time, I met Philippe Brun at the winery, as Brun is due to retire in the near future. It will be strange not seeing him flanking Bruno Clair next year. Marsannay’s ‘dynamic duo’ has produced some excellent visits in recent years. “We started the picking on 9 September,” Clair told me. “That was the Bonnes Mares because it was already very ripe. But the serious picking really began on 15 September. We finished on 24 and 25 September. The yields were half for the whites because of the dryness, for the reds it was 15-30% less than last year. Vines with deep roots that could penetrate the fissures performed best and did not show any stress. But overall, I am very pleased with the regularity of crop across the reds irrespective of vine age.” It was a wise decision to pick that Bonnes-Mares early because it may well turn out to be their star performer, closely followed by the Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze. Comparing them side-by-side, I might err for the 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques over the 2019, but we will see. Despite millerandage in the vineyard, the Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers displays superb mineralité. Though their 2019 Clos du Fonteny is very promising, the 2018 seemed out of sorts and I will endeavour to re-examine this. Overall, it was a superb set of 2019s from Bruno Clair that will age with style.
2018 Marsannay Blanc
Color: White

Score: 86.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2024

Tasting notes: Bottled in December, the 2018 Marsannay Blanc offers grapefruit and honeysuckle on the nose. The palate is slightly honeyed on the entry, delivering flavors of guava and passion fruit and a soft finish. 

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair and Philippe Brun are the Batman and Robin of Marsannay that have really ratcheted up quality at this domaine. Both were on top form when I dropped in at their winery (though my God, whatever Bruno had just eaten for lunch, it was making his tummy rumble like Krakatoa!) “We had a lot of rain in the winter," he told me. "It was completely different to the 2019 growing season. In 2018 the maturity was quite strong. We started the picking on 27 August until the 8 or 9 September. I find that the tannins are very tender. Maybe you could say 2018 is a mixture of 1947 and 1959. There is more fruit than in 2003 and more phenolic maturity. The whole bunch in 2018 is between 30-40% as in 2017 and we did less pigeage after fermentation. The alcohol is between 13 and 14% but most are around 13.5%." I strongly recommend this domaine's wines, with some gems among the Premier Crus.
2012 Marsannay Blanc
Color: White

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2014 - 2016

Tasting notes: The 2012 Marsannay Blanc is a pretty white to drink over the next few years. Apricot, pear, butter and slate all meld together in a supple, gracious wine that impresses for its lovely balance and class.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair and his longtime winemaker Philippe Brun do so many things well, as these 2012s amply show. Where to start with these wines? Well, the Marsannays are terrific, but frankly so are all the wines. The harvest started on September 20 and wrapped up on October 2. By comparison, the 2013 harvest started on October 3 and lasted until the 20th. Malos were quite late here, and the wines were only racked in early September. Over the last few years Clair has begun to age some of his wines partly or wholly in cask, where volumes allow for larger aging vessels. When all is said and done, Bruno Clair's wines have been among the most impressive for some time and are deserving of a much wider audience. I highly encourage readers to check them out.
2009 Marsannay Les Longeroies
Color: Red

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2013 - 2015

Tasting notes: The 2009 Marsannay Les Longeroies impresses for its energy and verve. Bright red berries, mint and spices are layered nicely in this attractive, radiant Marsannay. Insistent saline notes balance the generosity of the fruit. 

Producer Commentary:
2011 Marsannay Les Longeroies
Color: Red

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Bright medium red. High-pitched, slightly green aromas of dark berries, violet and licorice. Spicy, firm and on the lean side, with good intensity to its black fruit, herb and licorice flavors. Finishes with a note of chocolate and dusty tannins that turn a bit dry in the glass.

Producer Commentary:
2004 Marsannay Les Longeroies
Color: Red

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Spicy, pure aromas of red fruits, herbs and spices. Shows more texture and ripeness than the Grasses-Tetes, but there's still a slight greenness to the flavors. This boasts more volume, though. The dusty tannins are more supple too.

Producer Commentary:
2007 Marsannay Les Longeroies
Color: Red

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good bright medium red. Smoky, spicy red fruit aromas lifted by violet and minerals. Supple and juicy, with good density and sweetness to its black cherry and underbrush flavors. Finishes with dusty but ripe, building tannins.

Producer Commentary:
Clair delayed harvesting in 2008 until September 30, then picked until October 14, doing a sorting in the vines, especially to eliminate pink grapes. He told me that he lost 20% of his volume due to the wind during the second half of September and that the typical 2008 began with potential alcohol of 12.2% to 12.7%, although the range was actually quite extreme: from 10% to 13.5%. Following very late malos, the premier and grand crus-but not the village wines-had been racked and sulfited just a week or two prior to my visit. The 2008s are characterized by their strawberry and raspberry elements, said Clair, while the 2007s are more about black fruits. "But 2008 has great aging potential," he believes. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2002 Marsannay Les Longeroies
Color: Red

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Bright medium red. Rather Gevrey-like aromas of cherry, leather and licorice. The fleshiest and broadest of these Marsannays, with complicating notes of game and leather and sound framing acidity. Finishes with sweet, supple, broad tannins. Very full Marsannay in the making.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair described 2002 as an easy vintage: Like 1990:very ripe, no rot, little selection necessary, easy to vinify."Potential alcohols were typically in the 12% to 12.5% range, with most wines chaptalized about a half a degree.The wines had been assembled and racked a couple weeks prior to my visit; Clair noted that the colors were still a bit lightened by the recent sulfur additions.(Vineyard Brands, Birmingham AL
1996 Marsannay Les Longeroies
Color: Red

Score: 87.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Very good medium red. Liqueur-like black cherry, smoke and pepper aromas. Tighter and higher-pitched; an impression of higher acidity gives this a hard texture. But there's strong fruit and the tannins are fine. In contrast to the Grasses-Tetes, this will need four or five years of aging.

Producer Commentary:
"The '95s have more color, more density, thicker skins," says cellarmaster Philippe Brun. "It will be necessary to put them in the cellar and forget them, like the '88s." He adds that the '96s, with their higher grape sugars and lower pHs, will be for drinking earlier. I was unimpressed by a couple of the lower-level '96s (though, following late malos, some wines had not yet been racked), but at the top levels there are several potentially outstanding wines at this address. The best '95s are superb. All the wines reviewed below were bottled without fining or filtration; Clair style makes few concessions to current tastes for sweet new oak and early appeal but have a history of developing well in bottle. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
1997 Marsannay Les Longeroies
Color: Red

Score: 85.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good medium red. Pretty floral and strawberry aromas. Minerally, precise and leanish, but finishes with surprisingly supple tannins.

Producer Commentary:
"With the high sugars and great ripeness of the grapes, we expected to have wines with tough tannins," said Bruno Clair. "But the tannins in fact are quite fat, and there nothing hard about the wines at all; 1997 is certainly a vin de garde but it no monster." According to cellarmaster Philippe Brun, the cuvaison was shorter in '97, as there were a lot of yeasts on the grape skins and the fermentations started quickly (the estate does nothing to prevent the fermentation from starting). The malos were tumultuous, and early, but the wines remained on their lees through the winter and have taken on more complexity during elevage (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2012 Marsannay Les Longeroies
Color: Red

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Bright red. Sweet dark cherry and spices on the nose and palate. Juicy, chewy and nicely balanced, offering good cut and serious fruit intensity. Finishes with sweet tannins and very good length.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair described his 2010s as austere but the 2012s as fatter and fleshier, and the richness of the new vintage is especially clear in the estate's top cuvees.The domain harvested from September 20 until October 2, bringing in fruit with potential alcohol levels between 12% and 12.5% and chaptalizing about a half degree.They used their vibrating sorting table to eliminate the grapes grilled by sun at the end of July.Winemaker Philippe Brun told me he did two pigeages per day at the beginning of the fermentation, relying mostly on remontages at that stage, then three or four punchdowns per day at the peak of fermentation.Most cuvees were vinified with about 20% whole clusters.The 2012s were racked before the harvest of 2013. (A Becky Wasserman selection; importers include Martin-Scott Wines, Ltd., www.martinscottwines.com; Fine Vines, www.finevines.com; Cordon Selections, www.cordonselections.com; The Source Imports, www.thesourceimports.com)
2019 Marsannay Les Longeroies
Color: Red

Score: 86.0

Drinking window: 2022 - 2030

Tasting notes: The 2019 Marsannay Les Longeroies is one cuvée that shows a bit of sour maturity on the nose. The palate is sweet and ripe with black cherries and blueberry fruit, silky smooth but just missing a little delineation towards the finish. 

Producer Commentary:
For the final time, I met Philippe Brun at the winery, as Brun is due to retire in the near future. It will be strange not seeing him flanking Bruno Clair next year. Marsannay’s ‘dynamic duo’ has produced some excellent visits in recent years. “We started the picking on 9 September,” Clair told me. “That was the Bonnes Mares because it was already very ripe. But the serious picking really began on 15 September. We finished on 24 and 25 September. The yields were half for the whites because of the dryness, for the reds it was 15-30% less than last year. Vines with deep roots that could penetrate the fissures performed best and did not show any stress. But overall, I am very pleased with the regularity of crop across the reds irrespective of vine age.” It was a wise decision to pick that Bonnes-Mares early because it may well turn out to be their star performer, closely followed by the Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze. Comparing them side-by-side, I might err for the 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques over the 2019, but we will see. Despite millerandage in the vineyard, the Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers displays superb mineralité. Though their 2019 Clos du Fonteny is very promising, the 2018 seemed out of sorts and I will endeavour to re-examine this. Overall, it was a superb set of 2019s from Bruno Clair that will age with style.
2001 Marsannay Les Longeroies
Color: Red

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Palish medium red. Riper red fruit aromas seem less green than the Grasses-Tete but still show a trace of old wood. Juicy, fresh and precise, with firm flavors of red fruits and flowers. Longer and less dry than the previous sample; there's more material here.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair described 2002 as an easy vintage: Like 1990:very ripe, no rot, little selection necessary, easy to vinify."Potential alcohols were typically in the 12% to 12.5% range, with most wines chaptalized about a half a degree.The wines had been assembled and racked a couple weeks prior to my visit; Clair noted that the colors were still a bit lightened by the recent sulfur additions.(Vineyard Brands, Birmingham AL
2018 Marsannay Les Longeroies
Color: Red

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2022 - 2030

Tasting notes: The 2018 Marsannay Les Longeroies is very expressive on the nose with vibrant red berry fruit, crushed stone and violet. The palate is medium-bodied succulent ripe tannins, a little oak to be absorbed but fresh and persistent on the creamy textured finish. 

Producer Commentary:
For the final time, I met Philippe Brun at the winery, as Brun is due to retire in the near future. It will be strange not seeing him flanking Bruno Clair next year. Marsannay’s ‘dynamic duo’ has produced some excellent visits in recent years. “We started the picking on 9 September,” Clair told me. “That was the Bonnes Mares because it was already very ripe. But the serious picking really began on 15 September. We finished on 24 and 25 September. The yields were half for the whites because of the dryness, for the reds it was 15-30% less than last year. Vines with deep roots that could penetrate the fissures performed best and did not show any stress. But overall, I am very pleased with the regularity of crop across the reds irrespective of vine age.” It was a wise decision to pick that Bonnes-Mares early because it may well turn out to be their star performer, closely followed by the Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze. Comparing them side-by-side, I might err for the 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques over the 2019, but we will see. Despite millerandage in the vineyard, the Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers displays superb mineralité. Though their 2019 Clos du Fonteny is very promising, the 2018 seemed out of sorts and I will endeavour to re-examine this. Overall, it was a superb set of 2019s from Bruno Clair that will age with style.
2014 Marsannay Les Longeroies
Color: Red

Score: 89.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Bright medium red. Cool aromas of black cherry and menthol. Nicely dense and suave, showing lovely inner-mouth lift and finesse to the sappy flavors of dark berries and soil. Well-integrated acidity and smooth tannins give this Marsannay noteworthy energy and length. Seven of the eight parcels that go into this wine were planted between 1924 and 1932, according to Bruno Clair.

Producer Commentary:
"The 2014s showcase their terroirs while the 2013s are more marked by the almost historically cool season," said Bruno Clair in December. He made between 70% and 80% of a normal crop in 2014 and finds these wines riper than the 2013s, which he says "ripened by concentration, not from sun. The 2014s have a bit of the finesse of the 2011s but they also have more depth."

This estate benefits from a high percentage of very old vines. In fact, thanks to the quality of the genetic material planted here, cuttings from Clair's vines, along with those of Domaine Ponsot, were used by the University of Dijon in the 1960s to create some of the clones that are most highly regarded today in Burgundy and elsewhere. I tasted the Marsannay cuvées from large casks, and all but one of the rest from barriques; all of the 2014s had been racked in October.
2015 Marsannay Les Longeroies
Color: Red

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: (from three parcels of vines, some as old as 90 years of age): Medium red. Ripe, subtly complex aromas of raspberry, strawberry and chocolate, plus a note of red licorice. Suave, fresh and minerally, conveying an impression of thickness leavened by lively acidity. Very good calcaire energy and inner-mouth tension here. FInishes with rather suave tannins, an earthy touch and very good length.

Producer Commentary:
The rain on August 6 brought the grapes back to a state of equilibrium following the drought conditions in July and saved the 2015 harvest, said Bruno Clair, who added that there were two subsequent “key” rains in August. “But we didn’t have a lot of grapes and they never got large,” he noted, and the estate ultimately produced the equivalent of half a normal crop.

Clair started harvesting with his Bonnes-Mares on September 5 and needed two weeks to pick. Grape sugars were mostly between 12.5% and 13%, with some even higher. The harvest was “perfectly clean” and the estate vinified with a higher percentage of whole clusters than normally. The malolactic fermentations finished relatively quickly, during the winter, and Clair expected to bottle the bulk of his 2015s in April of 2017. “The wines have complexity, charm and drive,” Clair summarized, “and they are not austere.”

Incidentally, Clair took back the remainder of his Bonnes-Mares in 2016 and now works 1.45 hectares of vines in this grand cru. All of his land is in Chambolle-Musigny, except for a small band of vines next to Clos de Tart.
2005 Marsannay Les Longeroies
Color: Red

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good deep red. Perfumed aromas of black and red cherry and licorice. Dense and sweet but juicy, with lovely purity and definition to the dark cherry and chocolate flavors. Substantial tannins are more successfully buffered than those of the Marsannay Les Grasses-Tetes that preceded it. Finishes with good length.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair told me that 1990 is the greatest vintage for this domain since he started here in 1969. "But the crop in 2005 was smaller than that of 1990, and the new vintage is richer and more palate-coating than other great years like 2002, 1999 and 1996," he added. "At harvest time, we had a festival of perfume in the cuverie." (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL) Also recommended: Marsannay Les Longeroies (85), Gevrey-Chambertin Clos du Fonteny (85?), Savigny-les-Beaune La Dominode (86+?).
2000 Marsannay Les Longeroies
Color: Red

Score: 86.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium cherry-red. Aromas of red cherry, licorice and leather. Offers good cut and spine, thanks to a mineral pungency, but this too could use more flesh and seems a bit dry on the finish.

Producer Commentary:
Cellarmaster Philippe Brun describes the domain 2000s as aromatic, supple wines, to drink early - a very good restaurant vintage. The fragile fruit, picked largely under very warm conditions, generally needed some acidification. In comparison, he noted, the 2001 harvest brought thicker skins, higher acidity and more concentration. Brun and Bruno Clair both consider 1999 to be their best vintage since 1990. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2003 Marsannay Les Longeroies
Color: Red

Score: 86.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Aromas of cherry, truffle and earth. Palate offers decent supple texture and sweetness but the flavors come across as a tad roasted, with a mineral component but also a suggestion of old barrel. These 2003s were bottled a bit earlier than usual, noted Brun, and a number of the wines were moved into larger foudres toward the end of their elevage Tannins are fairly fine.

Producer Commentary:
2003 Marsannay Les Longeroies
Color: Red

Score: 86.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Palish red. Nuanced aromas of raspberry, cherry and mint. Juicy and tangy but a bit youthfully tough. Not exactly fat, but rather stylish, with the material to support its fairly light tannins.

Producer Commentary:
According to cellarmaster Philippe Brun, this estate started picking its white grapes on August 26, and then stopped until September 1.Because they couldn't cool all their tanks at once, they picked only in the mornings.The pinot noirs lack acidity and are rather fragile, says Brun, adding that he believes they are best suited for drinking in their fruity youth.But he maintained that the estate had no surmaturite, and that while the premier crus are virtually all 13% or more alcohol, none of them reached 14%.Incidentally, Clair will not offer a regular Marsannay in 2003, as the estate needed this fruit to make their rose, a wine that is very popular in the U.S. market.(Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2008 Marsannay Les Longeroies
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2013 - 2022

Tasting notes: The 2008 Marsannay Les Longeroies is drop-dead gorgeous. Dark wild cherries, mint and sweet spices dance on the palate in this classy, totally beautiful wine. This still needs time in bottle, but it is hugely promising. 

Producer Commentary:
This is a beautiful set of wines from Bruno Clair. Every wine I tasted with Clair's longtime oenologist Philippe Brun was gorgeous from top to bottom. While the top 2009s are certainly superb, the real jewels here are the village level wines which appear to be among the great success stories of the 2009 vintage. I tasted all of the wines from barrel, except the Marsannay and Marsannay Les Vaudanelles, both of which were bottled before the 2010 harvest. In 2009 Clair began harvesting on September 15 and ended on the 23rd. I also tasted a handful of 2008s, from a much later harvest that stretched into October. The handful of wines I tasted from that vintage are equally impressive, and equally worth your time.
2018 Chambolles Musigny Les Veroilles
Color: Red

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2022 - 2032

Tasting notes: The 2018 Chambolles-Musigny Les Veroilles comes across a little gawky on the nose, just missing the cohesion of Bruno Clair’s Marsannays. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins, crisp red berry fruit, a touch of white pepper and a slightly short finish at the moment. It just needs to gain more flesh. 

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair and Philippe Brun are the Batman and Robin of Marsannay that have really ratcheted up quality at this domaine. Both were on top form when I dropped in at their winery (though my God, whatever Bruno had just eaten for lunch, it was making his tummy rumble like Krakatoa!) “We had a lot of rain in the winter," he told me. "It was completely different to the 2019 growing season. In 2018 the maturity was quite strong. We started the picking on 27 August until the 8 or 9 September. I find that the tannins are very tender. Maybe you could say 2018 is a mixture of 1947 and 1959. There is more fruit than in 2003 and more phenolic maturity. The whole bunch in 2018 is between 30-40% as in 2017 and we did less pigeage after fermentation. The alcohol is between 13 and 14% but most are around 13.5%." I strongly recommend this domaine's wines, with some gems among the Premier Crus.
2012 Chambolle Musigny Les Veroilles
Color: Red

Score: 87.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: (just 15 hectoliters per hectare produced; aging in foudre): Deep red-ruby. Musky blackberry and violet on the slightly high-toned nose. Supple on the palate, with a gamey nuance to go with the dark berry fruit. A bit liqueur-like on the end, but more saline than sweet. Good intensity here.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair described his 2010s as austere but the 2012s as fatter and fleshier, and the richness of the new vintage is especially clear in the estate's top cuvees. The domain harvested from September 20 until October 2, bringing in fruit with potential alcohol levels between 12% and 12.5% and chaptalizing about a half degree. They used their vibrating sorting table to eliminate the grapes grilled by sun at the end of July. Winemaker Philippe Brun told me he did two pigeages per day at the beginning of the fermentation, relying mostly on remontages at that stage, then three or four punchdowns per day at the peak of fermentation. Most cuvees were vinified with about 20% whole clusters. The 2012s were racked before the harvest of 2013. (A Becky Wasserman selection; importers include Martin-Scott Wines, Ltd., www.martinscottwines.com; Fine Vines, www.finevines.com; Cordon Selections, www.cordonselections.com; The Source Imports, www.thesourceimports.com)
2015 Chambolle Musigny Les Veroilles
Color: Red

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: (this wine from very poor soil is vinified for finesse, according to winemaker Philippe Brun): Moderately saturated medium red. Higher-pitched on the nose than the Marsannay samples, offering scents of cranberry and pomegranate. Juicy and on the lean side, offering a restrained sweetness to the flavors of strawberry, cranberry, spices and earth. Less thick than the Marsannay cuvées but with nicely integrated acidity and good energy.

Producer Commentary:
The rain on August 6 brought the grapes back to a state of equilibrium following the drought conditions in July and saved the 2015 harvest, said Bruno Clair, who added that there were two subsequent “key” rains in August. “But we didn’t have a lot of grapes and they never got large,” he noted, and the estate ultimately produced the equivalent of half a normal crop.

Clair started harvesting with his Bonnes-Mares on September 5 and needed two weeks to pick. Grape sugars were mostly between 12.5% and 13%, with some even higher. The harvest was “perfectly clean” and the estate vinified with a higher percentage of whole clusters than normally. The malolactic fermentations finished relatively quickly, during the winter, and Clair expected to bottle the bulk of his 2015s in April of 2017. “The wines have complexity, charm and drive,” Clair summarized, “and they are not austere.”

Incidentally, Clair took back the remainder of his Bonnes-Mares in 2016 and now works 1.45 hectares of vines in this grand cru. All of his land is in Chambolle-Musigny, except for a small band of vines next to Clos de Tart.
2008 Chambolle Musigny Les Veroilles
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2018 - 2018

Tasting notes: The2008 Chambolle-Musigny Les Veroilles is another marvelous 2008 from Bruno Clair. All of the elements are there in the glass, they just need time to emerge. This is a precise, cool Chambolle laced with the most exquisite of aromatics and a precise, clean finish. A wine of almost painful beauty, the 2008 Veroilles will require patience. Those lucky enough to keep a few bottles in the cellar won't be disappointed. 

Producer Commentary:
This is a beautiful set of wines from Bruno Clair. Every wine I tasted with Clair's longtime oenologist Philippe Brun was gorgeous from top to bottom. While the top 2009s are certainly superb, the real jewels here are the village level wines which appear to be among the great success stories of the 2009 vintage. I tasted all of the wines from barrel, except the Marsannay and Marsannay Les Vaudanelles, both of which were bottled before the 2010 harvest. In 2009 Clair began harvesting on September 15 and ended on the 23rd. I also tasted a handful of 2008s, from a much later harvest that stretched into October. The handful of wines I tasted from that vintage are equally impressive, and equally worth your time.
1999 Gevrey Chambertin Petite Chapelle
Color: Red

Score: 85.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium-deep red. Spicy oak dominates the nose. Rather tough and unforthcoming in the mouth; I don't find a lot of sweetness or flesh here. In a distinctly dryer style, and rather oaky on the back end.

Producer Commentary:
This is always a tricky cellar for barrel tasting, as the wines tend to show a firm tannic side early on and there relatively little sweetening influence of new oak. That said, I found a few of the lesser wines a bit wimpy and dilute, and lacking in flavor authority ("it was a very big harvest in Marsannay," Clair admits), but at the level of the estate's top crus these are scented, pure wines of subtlety and class. The '99s had been racked for the first time about two weeks prior to my visit. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2016 Gevrey Chambertin Petite Chapelle 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: (36 hectoliters per hectare produced): Bright medium red. Darker on the nose than the Clos du Fontenys, offering scents of black cherry, blackberry and licorice. Then juicier, more minerally and higher-pitched in the mouth; a step up in energy from the Clos du Fontenys, despite the fact that this vineyard is situated lower on the hillside. "Not geologically logical," noted Bruno Clair--in much the same way that frost damage was often worse on the hillsides than on flat land and bewilderingly haphazard in general. Finishes with a positive medicinal reserve and firm but ripe tannins.

Producer Commentary:
“We were massacred by the frost in Chambolle, Savigny and the south side of Marsannay,” said Bruno Clair in January, adding that his estate produced just 35% of a normal crop in 2016. But he added that he had only half a crop in 2015, and roughly the same production in 2013, 2012 and 2010 as well. The estate began harvesting on September 23 with grape sugars around 12% and chaptalized about half a degree. In comparison, potential alcohol levels were at least 13% in 2015 (13.5% for the Bonnes-Mares) and no chaptalization was done.

Cellarmaster Philippe Brun vinified most of the ‘16s with 20% to 25% whole clusters. The malos were protracted, typically lasting until August, and the wines had been racked and assembled in November. Clair described 2016 as “a classic vintage with less excesses of heat and drought than 2015, and a set of wines that should age well. Only the frost was a problem, and the wines have good balance and structure.” Brun added that he prefers the more linear 2016s and that he finds the 2015s "a bit too rich, even if they avoided any cooked taste. But we'll see in ten years."
2011 Gevrey Chambertin Petite Chapelle
Color: Red

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Raspberry, spices and licorice on the open-knit nose. Then juicy and spicy but fairly tight in the mouth, with a liqueur-like raspberry sweetness buffered by salty minerality. I like the wine's crunchy fruit character. Finishes with fine-grained tannins and good lingering sweetness.

Producer Commentary:
2012 Gevrey Chambertin Petite Chapelle
Color: Red

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good bright red. More roasted on the nose than the Clos du Fonteny, offering redcurrant and leather scents. Very sweet and supple on the palate, conveying an impression of overripeness to the roasted redcurrant flavor. For all its mid-palate sweetness, this betrays a slight dry edge on the end. Does this wine have enough energy to harmonize in bottle?

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair described his 2010s as austere but the 2012s as fatter and fleshier, and the richness of the new vintage is especially clear in the estate's top cuvees. The domain harvested from September 20 until October 2, bringing in fruit with potential alcohol levels between 12% and 12.5% and chaptalizing about a half degree. They used their vibrating sorting table to eliminate the grapes grilled by sun at the end of July. Winemaker Philippe Brun told me he did two pigeages per day at the beginning of the fermentation, relying mostly on remontages at that stage, then three or four punchdowns per day at the peak of fermentation. Most cuvees were vinified with about 20% whole clusters. The 2012s were racked before the harvest of 2013. (A Becky Wasserman selection; importers include Martin-Scott Wines, Ltd., www.martinscottwines.com; Fine Vines, www.finevines.com; Cordon Selections, www.cordonselections.com; The Source Imports, www.thesourceimports.com)
1997 Morey Saint Denis en La Rue De Vergy
Color: Red

Score: 86.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Expressive briary aromas of licorice, mocha and tobacco. Good sweet red fruit and spice flavors. Supple and rather gentle. Finishes with even, fine tannins and modest length.

Producer Commentary:
"With the high sugars and great ripeness of the grapes, we expected to have wines with tough tannins," said Bruno Clair. "But the tannins in fact are quite fat, and there nothing hard about the wines at all; 1997 is certainly a vin de garde but it no monster." According to cellarmaster Philippe Brun, the cuvaison was shorter in '97, as there were a lot of yeasts on the grape skins and the fermentations started quickly (the estate does nothing to prevent the fermentation from starting). The malos were tumultuous, and early, but the wines remained on their lees through the winter and have taken on more complexity during elevage (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2014 Morey Saint Denis en La Rue De Vergy
Color: Red

Score: 86.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Rather muted aromas of red berries, musky underbrush and stone. Shows more stuffing than the village Chambolle, with a touch of chocolate, but in a soft style as well. Finishes with a light dusting of tannins.

Producer Commentary:
"The 2014s showcase their terroirs while the 2013s are more marked by the almost historically cool season," said Bruno Clair in December. He made between 70% and 80% of a normal crop in 2014 and finds these wines riper than the 2013s, which he says "ripened by concentration, not from sun. The 2014s have a bit of the finesse of the 2011s but they also have more depth."

This estate benefits from a high percentage of very old vines. In fact, thanks to the quality of the genetic material planted here, cuttings from Clair's vines, along with those of Domaine Ponsot, were used by the University of Dijon in the 1960s to create some of the clones that are most highly regarded today in Burgundy and elsewhere. I tasted the Marsannay cuvées from large casks, and all but one of the rest from barriques; all of the 2014s had been racked in October.
2012 Morey Saint Denis en La Rue De Vergy
Color: Red

Score: 89.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good medium red. Sexy aromas of game, iron, animal fur and fresh blood. Sweet, pliant and fine-grained, with musky strawberry and iron flavors offering immediate appeal. Finishes with smooth tannins and nice length.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair described his 2010s as austere but the 2012s as fatter and fleshier, and the richness of the new vintage is especially clear in the estate's top cuvees.The domain harvested from September 20 until October 2, bringing in fruit with potential alcohol levels between 12% and 12.5% and chaptalizing about a half degree.They used their vibrating sorting table to eliminate the grapes grilled by sun at the end of July.Winemaker Philippe Brun told me he did two pigeages per day at the beginning of the fermentation, relying mostly on remontages at that stage, then three or four punchdowns per day at the peak of fermentation.Most cuvees were vinified with about 20% whole clusters.The 2012s were racked before the harvest of 2013. (A Becky Wasserman selection; importers include Martin-Scott Wines, Ltd., www.martinscottwines.com; Fine Vines, www.finevines.com; Cordon Selections, www.cordonselections.com; The Source Imports, www.thesourceimports.com)
1998 Morey Saint Denis en La Rue De Vergy
Color: Red

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Dark red-ruby. Less precise aromas of blackberry, black cherry and coffee. Sweet, soft and fat, with attractive fruit flavors but only modest structure. Very ripe but rather loosely knit, with low acidity and elevated pH. Finishes with slightly dry tannins.

Producer Commentary:
"The '98 vintage was completely heterogeneous," said Bruno Clair. "We picked Marsannay ten days before Savigny Dominode. Because of the intense heat in early August, which stressed the vines in some spots but not in others, there was no logic to the ripeness." Yields were very low, especially on hillside sites affected by the April frost. Following a trie in the vines and another selection in the cuverie, the domain, according to Clair, vinified perfectly clean fruit. Cellarmaster Philippe Brun compared the '98s to the estate's '93s, but said the new vintage has riper tannins and more gras. "And there's more to the wine in '98 than in '97, clearly more structure," he added. Just a few '98s had been racked in November following late malos; the rest were still on their lees. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
1996 Morey Saint Denis en La Rue De Vergy
Color: Red

Score: 85.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Cherry-red. Rather diffuse aromas of red fruits, coffee and smoke. Sweet strawberry and raspberry fruit offers decent delineation but lacks real thrust. Still, this seemed sweeter and fresher than a rather wishy-washy Chambolle-Musigny Veroilles from young vines. Finishes with dusty tannins. Seems more Chambolle in style than Morey.

Producer Commentary:
"The '95s have more color, more density, thicker skins," says cellarmaster Philippe Brun. "It will be necessary to put them in the cellar and forget them, like the '88s." He adds that the '96s, with their higher grape sugars and lower pHs, will be for drinking earlier. I was unimpressed by a couple of the lower-level '96s (though, following late malos, some wines had not yet been racked), but at the top levels there are several potentially outstanding wines at this address. The best '95s are superb. All the wines reviewed below were bottled without fining or filtration; Clair style makes few concessions to current tastes for sweet new oak and early appeal but have a history of developing well in bottle. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2019 Morey Saint Denis en La Rue Vergy
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2035

Tasting notes: The 2019 Morey Saint-Denis En La Rue Vergy offers a mixture of red/black fruit on the nose, touches of singed earth and sous-bois developing with time. The palate is very harmonious and smooth with beautifully integrated oak. Sumptuous dark cherry fruit mixed with orange zest and blueberry, very silky towards the elegant finish. Superb. 

Producer Commentary:
For the final time, I met Philippe Brun at the winery, as Brun is due to retire in the near future. It will be strange not seeing him flanking Bruno Clair next year. Marsannay’s ‘dynamic duo’ has produced some excellent visits in recent years. “We started the picking on 9 September,” Clair told me. “That was the Bonnes Mares because it was already very ripe. But the serious picking really began on 15 September. We finished on 24 and 25 September. The yields were half for the whites because of the dryness, for the reds it was 15-30% less than last year. Vines with deep roots that could penetrate the fissures performed best and did not show any stress. But overall, I am very pleased with the regularity of crop across the reds irrespective of vine age.” It was a wise decision to pick that Bonnes-Mares early because it may well turn out to be their star performer, closely followed by the Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze. Comparing them side-by-side, I might err for the 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques over the 2019, but we will see. Despite millerandage in the vineyard, the Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers displays superb mineralité. Though their 2019 Clos du Fonteny is very promising, the 2018 seemed out of sorts and I will endeavour to re-examine this. Overall, it was a superb set of 2019s from Bruno Clair that will age with style.
2018 Morey Saint Denis en La Rue Vergy
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2022 - 2032

Tasting notes: The 2018 Morey Saint-Denis En la Rue Vergy has a well-defined, slightly earthy bouquet, the whole-bunch fruit imparting distinct peppery notes, but it becomes leafier with aeration. The harmonious palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, a fine bead of acidity and seamlessly integrated oak toward the finish. This should evolve into an exquisite En la Rue Vergy. 

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair and Philippe Brun are the Batman and Robin of Marsannay that have really ratcheted up quality at this domaine. Both were on top form when I dropped in at their winery (though my God, whatever Bruno had just eaten for lunch, it was making his tummy rumble like Krakatoa!) “We had a lot of rain in the winter," he told me. "It was completely different to the 2019 growing season. In 2018 the maturity was quite strong. We started the picking on 27 August until the 8 or 9 September. I find that the tannins are very tender. Maybe you could say 2018 is a mixture of 1947 and 1959. There is more fruit than in 2003 and more phenolic maturity. The whole bunch in 2018 is between 30-40% as in 2017 and we did less pigeage after fermentation. The alcohol is between 13 and 14% but most are around 13.5%." I strongly recommend this domaine's wines, with some gems among the Premier Crus.
2013 Morey Saint Denis Blanc en La Rue De Vergy
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2015 - 2020

Tasting notes: The 2013 Morey-Saint-Denis Blanc En La Rue de Vergy is laced with pear, white orchard fruit, almonds and a hint of spice. Inviting and beautifully resonant in the glass, the 2013 should drink well pretty much right out of the gate. This is another impeccable wine from Bruno Clair.

Producer Commentary:
It's always a pleasure to sit down and taste with Bruno Clair and his longtime winemaker, Philippe Brun, both of whom are a treasure trove of experience and knowledge. Clair brought in his fruit beginning on October 7, which only has parallels in the estate's recent history with 1978 and 1980, where the harvests started on October 10 and 12. It's true that 2008 was almost as late as 2013, except that in 2013 the last few days of ripening did not add a meaningful amount of concentration as they did in 2008. Clair adds that sugars alone are not a measure of quality, as evidenced by the 1991s, many of which are more complete than their 1990 counterparts. Of course, the issue with any late-ripening year is that the days are shorter as the season progresses, so there are meaningful differences between the heat of August and that of September. As if the bad flowering and early start to the year was not enough, Clair's vineyards in Savigny-les-Beaune and Pernand-Vergelesses were all damaged by hail. According to Clair, the Charlemagne was more skin than juice, clearly a far from favorable situation. I tasted the 2013s from barrel, after they had been racked. Where the wines don't carry the signatures of hail they are quite pretty. Philippe Brun adds that while the terroirs are well marked in 2013, the wines should be enjoyed before the 2012s.
2012 Morey Saint Denis Blanc en La Rue De Vergy
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2014 - 2016

Tasting notes: The 2012 Morey-Saint-Denis Blanc en la rue de Vergy brings together some of the juiciness of the Marsannay with the greater tension of the Pernand, a combination that is highly appealing. Lemon peel, citrus, white flowers and crisp green pears jump from the glass. The expressive, textured finish rounds things out nicely.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair and his longtime winemaker Philippe Brun do so many things well, as these 2012s amply show. Where to start with these wines? Well, the Marsannays are terrific, but frankly so are all the wines. The harvest started on September 20 and wrapped up on October 2. By comparison, the 2013 harvest started on October 3 and lasted until the 20th. Malos were quite late here, and the wines were only racked in early September. Over the last few years Clair has begun to age some of his wines partly or wholly in cask, where volumes allow for larger aging vessels. When all is said and done, Bruno Clair's wines have been among the most impressive for some time and are deserving of a much wider audience. I highly encourage readers to check them out.
2018 Marsannay Source Des Roches Blanc
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2021 - 2030

Tasting notes: The 2018 Marsannay "Source des Roches" Blanc has an attractive bouquet of white flowers, honeysuckle and light rosewater aromas. The pretty palate offers fine acidity, fresh citric fruit and a lightly spicy finish. 

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair and Philippe Brun are the Batman and Robin of Marsannay that have really ratcheted up quality at this domaine. Both were on top form when I dropped in at their winery (though my God, whatever Bruno had just eaten for lunch, it was making his tummy rumble like Krakatoa!) “We had a lot of rain in the winter," he told me. "It was completely different to the 2019 growing season. In 2018 the maturity was quite strong. We started the picking on 27 August until the 8 or 9 September. I find that the tannins are very tender. Maybe you could say 2018 is a mixture of 1947 and 1959. There is more fruit than in 2003 and more phenolic maturity. The whole bunch in 2018 is between 30-40% as in 2017 and we did less pigeage after fermentation. The alcohol is between 13 and 14% but most are around 13.5%." I strongly recommend this domaine's wines, with some gems among the Premier Crus.
2009 Marsannay Les Vaudenelles
Color: Red

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Bright palish red. Sexy aromas of red raspberry, flowers and underbrush. Suave and silky on the palate, with very good energy to the wild strawberry flavors. Delivers noteworthy sweetness without any roasted qualities.

Producer Commentary:
2019 Marsannay Les Vaudenelles
Color: Red

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2022 - 2030

Tasting notes: The 2019 Marsannay Les Vaudenelles has a more floral bouquet compared to the Marsannay Village, a mixture of red/blue fruit with a touch of iris. The palate is nicely structured with grainy tannins, slightly saline with a touch of white pepper. Fine. 

Producer Commentary:
For the final time, I met Philippe Brun at the winery, as Brun is due to retire in the near future. It will be strange not seeing him flanking Bruno Clair next year. Marsannay’s ‘dynamic duo’ has produced some excellent visits in recent years. “We started the picking on 9 September,” Clair told me. “That was the Bonnes Mares because it was already very ripe. But the serious picking really began on 15 September. We finished on 24 and 25 September. The yields were half for the whites because of the dryness, for the reds it was 15-30% less than last year. Vines with deep roots that could penetrate the fissures performed best and did not show any stress. But overall, I am very pleased with the regularity of crop across the reds irrespective of vine age.” It was a wise decision to pick that Bonnes-Mares early because it may well turn out to be their star performer, closely followed by the Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze. Comparing them side-by-side, I might err for the 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques over the 2019, but we will see. Despite millerandage in the vineyard, the Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers displays superb mineralité. Though their 2019 Clos du Fonteny is very promising, the 2018 seemed out of sorts and I will endeavour to re-examine this. Overall, it was a superb set of 2019s from Bruno Clair that will age with style.
2014 Marsannay Les Vaudenelles
Color: Red

Score: 86.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Slightly diffuse aromas of red berries and cherry. Juicy, spicy and easygoing, showing an essentially supple texture to its flavors of red fruits and underbrush.

Producer Commentary:
"The 2014s showcase their terroirs while the 2013s are more marked by the almost historically cool season," said Bruno Clair in December. He made between 70% and 80% of a normal crop in 2014 and finds these wines riper than the 2013s, which he says "ripened by concentration, not from sun. The 2014s have a bit of the finesse of the 2011s but they also have more depth."

This estate benefits from a high percentage of very old vines. In fact, thanks to the quality of the genetic material planted here, cuttings from Clair's vines, along with those of Domaine Ponsot, were used by the University of Dijon in the 1960s to create some of the clones that are most highly regarded today in Burgundy and elsewhere. I tasted the Marsannay cuvées from large casks, and all but one of the rest from barriques; all of the 2014s had been racked in October.
1996 Marsannay Les Vaudenelles
Color: Red

Score: 85.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium cherry-red. Aromas of framboise, licorice, brown spices and herbs. Juicy raspberry flavor given delineation by strong acids. Then rather dry on the back half, due to the combination of acids and tannins. Rather awkward today, with a hole in the middle.

Producer Commentary:
"With the high sugars and great ripeness of the grapes, we expected to have wines with tough tannins," said Bruno Clair. "But the tannins in fact are quite fat, and there nothing hard about the wines at all; 1997 is certainly a vin de garde but it no monster." According to cellarmaster Philippe Brun, the cuvaison was shorter in '97, as there were a lot of yeasts on the grape skins and the fermentations started quickly (the estate does nothing to prevent the fermentation from starting). The malos were tumultuous, and early, but the wines remained on their lees through the winter and have taken on more complexity during elevage (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2015 Marsannay Les Vaudenelles
Color: Red

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: (20% new oak: Medium red. Aromas of red raspberry, strawberry, brown spices, game and chocolate. Juicy, slightly rustic flavors of strawberry and earth. Finishes with dusty, slightly drying tannins. There's good material here but in a rather unrefined package. This wine will not be made in 2016 owing to the damaging hailstorm.

Producer Commentary:
The rain on August 6 brought the grapes back to a state of equilibrium following the drought conditions in July and saved the 2015 harvest, said Bruno Clair, who added that there were two subsequent “key” rains in August. “But we didn’t have a lot of grapes and they never got large,” he noted, and the estate ultimately produced the equivalent of half a normal crop.

Clair started harvesting with his Bonnes-Mares on September 5 and needed two weeks to pick. Grape sugars were mostly between 12.5% and 13%, with some even higher. The harvest was “perfectly clean” and the estate vinified with a higher percentage of whole clusters than normally. The malolactic fermentations finished relatively quickly, during the winter, and Clair expected to bottle the bulk of his 2015s in April of 2017. “The wines have complexity, charm and drive,” Clair summarized, “and they are not austere.”

Incidentally, Clair took back the remainder of his Bonnes-Mares in 2016 and now works 1.45 hectares of vines in this grand cru. All of his land is in Chambolle-Musigny, except for a small band of vines next to Clos de Tart.
2010 Marsannay Les Vaudenelles
Color: Red

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Bright, pale medium red. Candied strawberry and a hint of menthol on the perfumed nose. Supple, juicy and nicely delineated, with bright acidity giving lift to the red fruit, spice and soil flavors. Concentrated, pliant Marsannay with an attractive light touch. Finishes with fine-grained tannins and captivating high notes of rose petal and blood orange. I can't recall a better vintage for this cuvee.

Producer Commentary:
2018 Marsannay Les Vaudenelles
Color: Red

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2021 - 2032

Tasting notes: The 2018 Marsannay Les Vaudenelles was one of the earliest picked at the domaine. It comes across quite reduced on the nose, but the palate is well balanced, with oodles of Pinoté - so transparent and lively that you could almost drink this now. Beautiful, albeit not long-term!

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair and Philippe Brun are the Batman and Robin of Marsannay that have really ratcheted up quality at this domaine. Both were on top form when I dropped in at their winery (though my God, whatever Bruno had just eaten for lunch, it was making his tummy rumble like Krakatoa!) “We had a lot of rain in the winter," he told me. "It was completely different to the 2019 growing season. In 2018 the maturity was quite strong. We started the picking on 27 August until the 8 or 9 September. I find that the tannins are very tender. Maybe you could say 2018 is a mixture of 1947 and 1959. There is more fruit than in 2003 and more phenolic maturity. The whole bunch in 2018 is between 30-40% as in 2017 and we did less pigeage after fermentation. The alcohol is between 13 and 14% but most are around 13.5%." I strongly recommend this domaine's wines, with some gems among the Premier Crus.
2002 Marsannay Les Vaudenelles
Color: Red

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Liqueur-like aroma of maraschino cherry. Juicy and stylish, with spicy red fruit flavors. Not particularly fleshy or structured but bright and tasty.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair described 2002 as an easy vintage: Like 1990:very ripe, no rot, little selection necessary, easy to vinify."Potential alcohols were typically in the 12% to 12.5% range, with most wines chaptalized about a half a degree.The wines had been assembled and racked a couple weeks prior to my visit; Clair noted that the colors were still a bit lightened by the recent sulfur additions.(Vineyard Brands, Birmingham AL
2008 Marsannay Les Vaudenelles
Color: Red

Score: 86.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: (not yet racked) Deep red. Dark fruits on the nose. Juicy flavors of blackberry, licorice and bitter chocolate, along with a whiff of leather. Intense for this cuvee, if slightly rustic.

Producer Commentary:
Clair delayed harvesting in 2008 until September 30, then picked until October 14, doing a sorting in the vines, especially to eliminate pink grapes. He told me that he lost 20% of his volume due to the wind during the second half of September and that the typical 2008 began with potential alcohol of 12.2% to 12.7%, although the range was actually quite extreme: from 10% to 13.5%. Following very late malos, the premier and grand crus-but not the village wines-had been racked and sulfited just a week or two prior to my visit. The 2008s are characterized by their strawberry and raspberry elements, said Clair, while the 2007s are more about black fruits. "But 2008 has great aging potential," he believes. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2007 Gevrey Chambertin Petite Chapelle
Color: Red

Score: 89.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good dark red. Nicely ripe aromas of cassis, blackberry, licorice and spices. Silky-sweet and pliant on the palate, with more stuffing and breadth than the Clos du Fonteny. The flavors of purple fruits and smoked meat are perked up by good vinosity. Finishes with fine-grained tannins and noteworthy persistence.

Producer Commentary:
"The 2007 vintage is about fruit more than volume," said winemaker Philippe Brun, who did a soft extraction. "Still, the wines are a bit more sturdy than we thought at the beginning, and they didn't lose color during the racking, which is a good sign." Acidity levels were sound, and pHs were "not very high for here," he went on. He summed up: "The '07s are more pinot, but we find more personality and terroir in the '06s. But the '06s don't give pleasure yet and need cellaring." (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2013 Gevrey Chambertin Petite Chapelle 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2018 - 2033

Tasting notes: Imposing and structured today, the 2013 Gevrey-Chambertin Petite Chapelle 1er Cru is built on spine of serious tannin that gives the wine much of its personality. The 2013 finishes with substantial weight and a burst of dark fruit. This burly, powerful Burgundy is going to need time to come together. 

Producer Commentary:
It's always a pleasure to sit down and taste with Bruno Clair and his longtime winemaker, Philippe Brun, both of whom are a treasure trove of experience and knowledge. Clair brought in his fruit beginning on October 7, which only has parallels in the estate's recent history with 1978 and 1980, where the harvests started on October 10 and 12. It's true that 2008 was almost as late as 2013, except that in 2013 the last few days of ripening did not add a meaningful amount of concentration as they did in 2008. Clair adds that sugars alone are not a measure of quality, as evidenced by the 1991s, many of which are more complete than their 1990 counterparts. Of course, the issue with any late-ripening year is that the days are shorter as the season progresses, so there are meaningful differences between the heat of August and that of September. As if the bad flowering and early start to the year was not enough, Clair's vineyards in Savigny-les-Beaune and Pernand-Vergelesses were all damaged by hail. According to Clair, the Charlemagne was more skin than juice, clearly a far from favorable situation. I tasted the 2013s from barrel, after they had been racked. Where the wines don't carry the signatures of hail they are quite pretty. Philippe Brun adds that while the terroirs are well marked in 2013, the wines should be enjoyed before the 2012s.
1999 Gevrey Chambertin Petite Chapelle
Color: Red

Score: 86.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Full red. Spicy redcurrant and a metallic hint on the nose; I get a suggestion of old barrel. Offers reasonably sweet, dense redcurrant fruit but finishes with a dry edge.

Producer Commentary:
Cellarmaster Philippe Brun describes the domain 2000s as aromatic, supple wines, to drink early - a very good restaurant vintage. The fragile fruit, picked largely under very warm conditions, generally needed some acidification. In comparison, he noted, the 2001 harvest brought thicker skins, higher acidity and more concentration. Brun and Bruno Clair both consider 1999 to be their best vintage since 1990. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2003 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Du Fonteny
Color: Red

Score: 87.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Musky, smoky aromas of raspberry, cherry, chocolate, coffee and underbrush. Fat, round and rich but not overly sweet. Nicely plump in the mouth but could use a bit more lift. Finishes with sweet tannins and some noticeable oakiness (Brun took this out of 20% new barriques at the racking in late spring).

Producer Commentary:
According to cellarmaster Philippe Brun, this estate started picking its white grapes on August 26, and then stopped until September 1.Because they couldn't cool all their tanks at once, they picked only in the mornings.The pinot noirs lack acidity and are rather fragile, says Brun, adding that he believes they are best suited for drinking in their fruity youth.But he maintained that the estate had no surmaturite, and that while the premier crus are virtually all 13% or more alcohol, none of them reached 14%.Incidentally, Clair will not offer a regular Marsannay in 2003, as the estate needed this fruit to make their rose, a wine that is very popular in the U.S. market.(Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2013 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Du Fonteny 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2018 - 2033

Tasting notes: Another highlight in this range, the 2013 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos du Fonteny is beautifully succulent and expressive. Dark red and blue-toned fruit open into spice, new leather, anise, violets and licorice, all balanced with impeccable grace. The Clos du Fonteny looks like it will provide a fairly wide drinking window. 

Producer Commentary:
It's always a pleasure to sit down and taste with Bruno Clair and his longtime winemaker, Philippe Brun, both of whom are a treasure trove of experience and knowledge. Clair brought in his fruit beginning on October 7, which only has parallels in the estate's recent history with 1978 and 1980, where the harvests started on October 10 and 12. It's true that 2008 was almost as late as 2013, except that in 2013 the last few days of ripening did not add a meaningful amount of concentration as they did in 2008. Clair adds that sugars alone are not a measure of quality, as evidenced by the 1991s, many of which are more complete than their 1990 counterparts. Of course, the issue with any late-ripening year is that the days are shorter as the season progresses, so there are meaningful differences between the heat of August and that of September. As if the bad flowering and early start to the year was not enough, Clair's vineyards in Savigny-les-Beaune and Pernand-Vergelesses were all damaged by hail. According to Clair, the Charlemagne was more skin than juice, clearly a far from favorable situation. I tasted the 2013s from barrel, after they had been racked. Where the wines don't carry the signatures of hail they are quite pretty. Philippe Brun adds that while the terroirs are well marked in 2013, the wines should be enjoyed before the 2012s.
2002 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Du Fonteny
Color: Red

Score: 89.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Deep aromas of red fruits, minerals, smoke and game. Broad, supple, rich and sweet; this has more flesh for its tannins than the Petite Chapelle. Finishes with good length. This cuvee is steadily improving as the substantial portion of the vines planted in 1986 mature.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair described 2002 as an easy vintage: Like 1990:very ripe, no rot, little selection necessary, easy to vinify."Potential alcohols were typically in the 12% to 12.5% range, with most wines chaptalized about a half a degree.The wines had been assembled and racked a couple weeks prior to my visit; Clair noted that the colors were still a bit lightened by the recent sulfur additions.(Vineyard Brands, Birmingham AL
2009 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Du Fonteny 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2014 - 2024

Tasting notes: The 2009 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos de Fonteny is pure seduction. Black cherries, plums, spices, menthol and licorice are some of the notes that are woven throughout this undeniably sexy, supple Burgundy. A long, classy finish rounds things out in style. 

Producer Commentary:
2017 Marsannay Source Des Roches Blanc
Color: White

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 2019 - 2022

Tasting notes: The 2017 Marsannay Les Sources des Roches Blanc, matured in foudres, offers a pineapple and lime bouquet, tropical notes becoming stronger with time. The palate is medium-bodied with a pleasant fatness on the entry, quite gras in style, and a waxy, resinous finish. Fine. 

Producer Commentary:
This year, Philippe Brun escorted me through the domaine’s 2017s. Once known for its intermittently rustic wines, there is a sense of newfound refinement and elegance that has seen Bruno Clair gain a wider and well-deserved following. This is partly because they have eased off the extraction and picked just a little earlier. They oversee a strong portfolio of cuvées, not just their Grand Crus and prized rows within Clos Saint-Jacques, but a cluster of excellent Village and Premier Crus that can offer great value. Brun told me that they commenced the picking on September 5 and picked over the following five days - quite a short harvest given their range of holdings. None of the wines had been racked when I visited, and they plan to blend the cuvées in January.

This was a very fine set of wines from Bruno Clair, though one or two, such as the Gevrey-Chambertin Petite Chapelle and perhaps the Cazetiers and Clos Saint-Jacques, left me wondering if they could have given more. It was another Gevrey-Chambertin – the 0.68-hectare monopole of Clos du Fonteny, which rises on a geological ledge a few meters above the rest of Fonteny – that really caught my eye, alongside a very impressive Marsannay Les Grasses-Têtes and a superb Bonnes-Mares that crowns their range. Generally, I found assiduous use of whole bunches here and a collection of wines that range from the easygoing to others that boast long-term potential.
2008 Marsannay Les Grasses Tetes
Color: Red

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Moderately saturated medium red. Spicy red cherry, raspberry and a rocky note on the high-pitched nose and palate, with a suggestion of blood orange adding further piquancy. Pure, intense and very nicely delineated, with persistent dry, lingering flavors of raspberry and cherry.

Producer Commentary:
2012 Marsannay Les Grasses Tetes
Color: Red

Score: 87.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good dark red. Aromas of blueberry, blackberry, licorice and violet. Sweet crushed cherry and violet on entry, then a bit tougher in the middle than the Longeroies, finishing with serious chocolatey tannins. Larger-scaled than the Longeroies but less charming and a bit monolithic.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair described his 2010s as austere but the 2012s as fatter and fleshier, and the richness of the new vintage is especially clear in the estate's top cuvees. The domain harvested from September 20 until October 2, bringing in fruit with potential alcohol levels between 12% and 12.5% and chaptalizing about a half degree. They used their vibrating sorting table to eliminate the grapes grilled by sun at the end of July. Winemaker Philippe Brun told me he did two pigeages per day at the beginning of the fermentation, relying mostly on remontages at that stage, then three or four punchdowns per day at the peak of fermentation. Most cuvees were vinified with about 20% whole clusters. The 2012s were racked before the harvest of 2013. (A Becky Wasserman selection; importers include Martin-Scott Wines, Ltd., www.martinscottwines.com; Fine Vines, www.finevines.com; Cordon Selections, www.cordonselections.com; The Source Imports, www.thesourceimports.com)
2001 Marsannay Les Grasses Tetes
Color: Red

Score: 85.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Palish red. Black cherry and licorice on the nose, along with hints of flowers, herbs and old oak. Supple on entry, then a bit dry-edged in the middle; comes across as somewhat green and hard after the 2002s.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair described 2002 as an easy vintage: Like 1990:very ripe, no rot, little selection necessary, easy to vinify."Potential alcohols were typically in the 12% to 12.5% range, with most wines chaptalized about a half a degree.The wines had been assembled and racked a couple weeks prior to my visit; Clair noted that the colors were still a bit lightened by the recent sulfur additions.(Vineyard Brands, Birmingham AL
2017 Marsannay Village
Color: Red

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2029

Tasting notes: The 2017 Marsannay Village has a pretty, discreet bouquet of blueberry and light violet aromas. The palate is well balanced with candied red fruit on the entry. There is pleasant brightness here, and a citrus-fresh finish. This is already delicious.

Producer Commentary:
This year, Philippe Brun escorted me through the domaine’s 2017s. Once known for its intermittently rustic wines, there is a sense of newfound refinement and elegance that has seen Bruno Clair gain a wider and well-deserved following. This is partly because they have eased off the extraction and picked just a little earlier. They oversee a strong portfolio of cuvées, not just their Grand Crus and prized rows within Clos Saint-Jacques, but a cluster of excellent Village and Premier Crus that can offer great value. Brun told me that they commenced the picking on September 5 and picked over the following five days - quite a short harvest given their range of holdings. None of the wines had been racked when I visited, and they plan to blend the cuvées in January.

This was a very fine set of wines from Bruno Clair, though one or two, such as the Gevrey-Chambertin Petite Chapelle and perhaps the Cazetiers and Clos Saint-Jacques, left me wondering if they could have given more. It was another Gevrey-Chambertin – the 0.68-hectare monopole of Clos du Fonteny, which rises on a geological ledge a few meters above the rest of Fonteny – that really caught my eye, alongside a very impressive Marsannay Les Grasses-Têtes and a superb Bonnes-Mares that crowns their range. Generally, I found assiduous use of whole bunches here and a collection of wines that range from the easygoing to others that boast long-term potential.
1996 Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 86.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Black cherry, smoke, menthol and a vaguely animal nuance. Sweet and fat, with decent texture for the vintage but only modest precision. Firm on the finish, with harmonious tannins.

Producer Commentary:
"The '95s have more color, more density, thicker skins," says cellarmaster Philippe Brun. "It will be necessary to put them in the cellar and forget them, like the '88s." He adds that the '96s, with their higher grape sugars and lower pHs, will be for drinking earlier. I was unimpressed by a couple of the lower-level '96s (though, following late malos, some wines had not yet been racked), but at the top levels there are several potentially outstanding wines at this address. The best '95s are superb. All the wines reviewed below were bottled without fining or filtration; Clair style makes few concessions to current tastes for sweet new oak and early appeal but have a history of developing well in bottle. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2018 Gevrey Chambertin Village
Color: Red

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2030

Tasting notes: The 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Village has a crisp and focused nose, a touch of brine develops with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with crunchy, tarry black fruit, good grip with a fresh, slightly oaky finish. Give it two or three years in bottle. 

Producer Commentary:
For the final time, I met Philippe Brun at the winery, as Brun is due to retire in the near future. It will be strange not seeing him flanking Bruno Clair next year. Marsannay’s ‘dynamic duo’ has produced some excellent visits in recent years. “We started the picking on 9 September,” Clair told me. “That was the Bonnes Mares because it was already very ripe. But the serious picking really began on 15 September. We finished on 24 and 25 September. The yields were half for the whites because of the dryness, for the reds it was 15-30% less than last year. Vines with deep roots that could penetrate the fissures performed best and did not show any stress. But overall, I am very pleased with the regularity of crop across the reds irrespective of vine age.” It was a wise decision to pick that Bonnes-Mares early because it may well turn out to be their star performer, closely followed by the Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze. Comparing them side-by-side, I might err for the 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques over the 2019, but we will see. Despite millerandage in the vineyard, the Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers displays superb mineralité. Though their 2019 Clos du Fonteny is very promising, the 2018 seemed out of sorts and I will endeavour to re-examine this. Overall, it was a superb set of 2019s from Bruno Clair that will age with style.
2002 Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: (from Bel-Air and that portion of Fontenys lying outside the clos Medium red. Cherry, earth, mocha, smoke and a whiff of leather on the nose. Silky and supple in the mouth; sweeter than the village wine, with notes of red cherry, coffee and chocolate. Finishes with fine, dusty tannins.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair described 2002 as an easy vintage: Like 1990:very ripe, no rot, little selection necessary, easy to vinify."Potential alcohols were typically in the 12% to 12.5% range, with most wines chaptalized about a half a degree.The wines had been assembled and racked a couple weeks prior to my visit; Clair noted that the colors were still a bit lightened by the recent sulfur additions.(Vineyard Brands, Birmingham AL
1997 Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 86.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Less saturated medium red. Vinous aromas of cherry, redcurrant and exotic spices. Fat and easy in the mouth, with good sweetness and a minty note. A wine of modest depth.

Producer Commentary:
"With the high sugars and great ripeness of the grapes, we expected to have wines with tough tannins," said Bruno Clair. "But the tannins in fact are quite fat, and there nothing hard about the wines at all; 1997 is certainly a vin de garde but it no monster." According to cellarmaster Philippe Brun, the cuvaison was shorter in '97, as there were a lot of yeasts on the grape skins and the fermentations started quickly (the estate does nothing to prevent the fermentation from starting). The malos were tumultuous, and early, but the wines remained on their lees through the winter and have taken on more complexity during elevage (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
1999 Morey Saint Denis en La Rue De Vergy
Color: Red

Score: 85.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Musky aromas of briary black cherry and dark berries, roast coffee and animal fur. Supple and rather soft, with modest clarity and cut. Boasts only modest intensity, but the supple, fine tannins will not get in the way of early consumption.

Producer Commentary:
This is always a tricky cellar for barrel tasting, as the wines tend to show a firm tannic side early on and there relatively little sweetening influence of new oak. That said, I found a few of the lesser wines a bit wimpy and dilute, and lacking in flavor authority ("it was a very big harvest in Marsannay," Clair admits), but at the level of the estate's top crus these are scented, pure wines of subtlety and class. The '99s had been racked for the first time about two weeks prior to my visit. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2017 Morey Saint Denis en La Rue Vergy
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2030

Tasting notes: The 2017 Morey-Saint-Denis En La Rue Vergy offers tightly wound red cherry and crushed strawberry fruit; hints of blueberry come through with aeration. The finely balanced palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin and good substance toward the earthy finish. Hints of tobacco linger on the aftertaste. Excellent. 

Producer Commentary:
This year, Philippe Brun escorted me through the domaine’s 2017s. Once known for its intermittently rustic wines, there is a sense of newfound refinement and elegance that has seen Bruno Clair gain a wider and well-deserved following. This is partly because they have eased off the extraction and picked just a little earlier. They oversee a strong portfolio of cuvées, not just their Grand Crus and prized rows within Clos Saint-Jacques, but a cluster of excellent Village and Premier Crus that can offer great value. Brun told me that they commenced the picking on September 5 and picked over the following five days - quite a short harvest given their range of holdings. None of the wines had been racked when I visited, and they plan to blend the cuvées in January.

This was a very fine set of wines from Bruno Clair, though one or two, such as the Gevrey-Chambertin Petite Chapelle and perhaps the Cazetiers and Clos Saint-Jacques, left me wondering if they could have given more. It was another Gevrey-Chambertin – the 0.68-hectare monopole of Clos du Fonteny, which rises on a geological ledge a few meters above the rest of Fonteny – that really caught my eye, alongside a very impressive Marsannay Les Grasses-Têtes and a superb Bonnes-Mares that crowns their range. Generally, I found assiduous use of whole bunches here and a collection of wines that range from the easygoing to others that boast long-term potential.
2018 Morey Saint Denis en La Rue Vergy
Color: Red

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2033

Tasting notes: The 2018 Morey-Saint-Denis En La Rue Vergy has a fresh and well defined bouquet with perfumed red berry fruit laced with crushed stone. The palate is beautifully balanced with supple tannins and a very suave and vivacious finish. Excellent. 

Producer Commentary:
For the final time, I met Philippe Brun at the winery, as Brun is due to retire in the near future. It will be strange not seeing him flanking Bruno Clair next year. Marsannay’s ‘dynamic duo’ has produced some excellent visits in recent years. “We started the picking on 9 September,” Clair told me. “That was the Bonnes Mares because it was already very ripe. But the serious picking really began on 15 September. We finished on 24 and 25 September. The yields were half for the whites because of the dryness, for the reds it was 15-30% less than last year. Vines with deep roots that could penetrate the fissures performed best and did not show any stress. But overall, I am very pleased with the regularity of crop across the reds irrespective of vine age.” It was a wise decision to pick that Bonnes-Mares early because it may well turn out to be their star performer, closely followed by the Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze. Comparing them side-by-side, I might err for the 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques over the 2019, but we will see. Despite millerandage in the vineyard, the Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers displays superb mineralité. Though their 2019 Clos du Fonteny is very promising, the 2018 seemed out of sorts and I will endeavour to re-examine this. Overall, it was a superb set of 2019s from Bruno Clair that will age with style.
2012 Morey Saint Denis en La Rue De Vergy
Color: Red

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2019 - 2028

Tasting notes: The 2012 Morey-Saint-Denis En La Rue de Vergy is quite reticent and inward, especially after the much more open, generous Chambolle Veroilles. There is no shortage of drive in this powerful, resonant Morey that should provide a good decade-plus of fine drinking. I expect the 2012 will always show the more virile side of the year, but there is little doubt all the elements are in the right place.

Producer Commentary:
Although I was only able to taste a handful of bottled 2012s, the wines I saw confirmed my very positive impressions from last year. Bruno Clair's 2012s are rich, fat and textured, but with more than enough structure to support many years of fine drinking.
2017 Pernand Vergelesses Village Blanc
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2019 - 2023

Tasting notes: The 2017 Pernand-Vergelesses Blanc offers passion fruit and dried honey on the nose, which is quite intense though not complex. The palate is well balanced with an effervescent entry, a crisp line of acidity and orange pith, kumquat and white peach notes toward the generous, open finish. Delicious, though one for early drinking.

Producer Commentary:
This year, Philippe Brun escorted me through the domaine’s 2017s. Once known for its intermittently rustic wines, there is a sense of newfound refinement and elegance that has seen Bruno Clair gain a wider and well-deserved following. This is partly because they have eased off the extraction and picked just a little earlier. They oversee a strong portfolio of cuvées, not just their Grand Crus and prized rows within Clos Saint-Jacques, but a cluster of excellent Village and Premier Crus that can offer great value. Brun told me that they commenced the picking on September 5 and picked over the following five days - quite a short harvest given their range of holdings. None of the wines had been racked when I visited, and they plan to blend the cuvées in January.

This was a very fine set of wines from Bruno Clair, though one or two, such as the Gevrey-Chambertin Petite Chapelle and perhaps the Cazetiers and Clos Saint-Jacques, left me wondering if they could have given more. It was another Gevrey-Chambertin – the 0.68-hectare monopole of Clos du Fonteny, which rises on a geological ledge a few meters above the rest of Fonteny – that really caught my eye, alongside a very impressive Marsannay Les Grasses-Têtes and a superb Bonnes-Mares that crowns their range. Generally, I found assiduous use of whole bunches here and a collection of wines that range from the easygoing to others that boast long-term potential.
2017 Marsannay Les Vaudenelles
Color: Red

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2019 - 2022

Tasting notes: The 2017 Marsannay Les Vaudenelles is matured in barrel and foudres with 20% new oak and 30% whole bunches. It has a well defined, crisp and slightly leafy bouquet. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin, quite gentle in the mouth, and an herbaceous, open finish. Just a delight, though not long-term.

Producer Commentary:
This year, Philippe Brun escorted me through the domaine’s 2017s. Once known for its intermittently rustic wines, there is a sense of newfound refinement and elegance that has seen Bruno Clair gain a wider and well-deserved following. This is partly because they have eased off the extraction and picked just a little earlier. They oversee a strong portfolio of cuvées, not just their Grand Crus and prized rows within Clos Saint-Jacques, but a cluster of excellent Village and Premier Crus that can offer great value. Brun told me that they commenced the picking on September 5 and picked over the following five days - quite a short harvest given their range of holdings. None of the wines had been racked when I visited, and they plan to blend the cuvées in January.

This was a very fine set of wines from Bruno Clair, though one or two, such as the Gevrey-Chambertin Petite Chapelle and perhaps the Cazetiers and Clos Saint-Jacques, left me wondering if they could have given more. It was another Gevrey-Chambertin – the 0.68-hectare monopole of Clos du Fonteny, which rises on a geological ledge a few meters above the rest of Fonteny – that really caught my eye, alongside a very impressive Marsannay Les Grasses-Têtes and a superb Bonnes-Mares that crowns their range. Generally, I found assiduous use of whole bunches here and a collection of wines that range from the easygoing to others that boast long-term potential.
2017 Morey Saint Denis en La Rue Vergy Blanc
Color: White

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2020 - 2025

Tasting notes: The 2017 Morey-Saint-Denis En La Rue Vergy Blanc has a perfumed orange blossom and canned apricot bouquet that manages to retain impressive precision and focus. The palate is well balanced with a lively opening, almost spritzy in the mouth, and features passion fruit and Williams pear on the finish. Very fine. 

Producer Commentary:
This year, Philippe Brun escorted me through the domaine’s 2017s. Once known for its intermittently rustic wines, there is a sense of newfound refinement and elegance that has seen Bruno Clair gain a wider and well-deserved following. This is partly because they have eased off the extraction and picked just a little earlier. They oversee a strong portfolio of cuvées, not just their Grand Crus and prized rows within Clos Saint-Jacques, but a cluster of excellent Village and Premier Crus that can offer great value. Brun told me that they commenced the picking on September 5 and picked over the following five days - quite a short harvest given their range of holdings. None of the wines had been racked when I visited, and they plan to blend the cuvées in January.

This was a very fine set of wines from Bruno Clair, though one or two, such as the Gevrey-Chambertin Petite Chapelle and perhaps the Cazetiers and Clos Saint-Jacques, left me wondering if they could have given more. It was another Gevrey-Chambertin – the 0.68-hectare monopole of Clos du Fonteny, which rises on a geological ledge a few meters above the rest of Fonteny – that really caught my eye, alongside a very impressive Marsannay Les Grasses-Têtes and a superb Bonnes-Mares that crowns their range. Generally, I found assiduous use of whole bunches here and a collection of wines that range from the easygoing to others that boast long-term potential.
2018 Blanc Morey Saint Denis en La Rue Vergy
Color: White

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2029

Tasting notes: The 2019 Morey Saint-Denis En La Rue Vergy Blanc has a well defined nose of honeysuckle and peach skin. Well balanced on the palate, it has a fine bead of acidity, fresh and long, with a detailed finish. Delightful, if not long-term. 

Producer Commentary:
For the final time, I met Philippe Brun at the winery, as Brun is due to retire in the near future. It will be strange not seeing him flanking Bruno Clair next year. Marsannay’s ‘dynamic duo’ has produced some excellent visits in recent years. “We started the picking on 9 September,” Clair told me. “That was the Bonnes Mares because it was already very ripe. But the serious picking really began on 15 September. We finished on 24 and 25 September. The yields were half for the whites because of the dryness, for the reds it was 15-30% less than last year. Vines with deep roots that could penetrate the fissures performed best and did not show any stress. But overall, I am very pleased with the regularity of crop across the reds irrespective of vine age.” It was a wise decision to pick that Bonnes-Mares early because it may well turn out to be their star performer, closely followed by the Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze. Comparing them side-by-side, I might err for the 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques over the 2019, but we will see. Despite millerandage in the vineyard, the Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers displays superb mineralité. Though their 2019 Clos du Fonteny is very promising, the 2018 seemed out of sorts and I will endeavour to re-examine this. Overall, it was a superb set of 2019s from Bruno Clair that will age with style.
2013 Morey Saint Denis Blanc en La Rue De Vergy
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2017 - 2028

Tasting notes: A wine of tension and energy, the 2013 Morey-Saint-Denis Blanc en la Rue de Vergy is highly expressive today. Dark red stone fruits, spice, mint, licorice and new leather abound in a tense, chiseled Burgundy that should drink beautifully in a few years, once all of the elements fuse together a bit more. This is a very pretty village-level Morey from Bruno Clair.

Producer Commentary:
It's always a pleasure to sit down and taste with Bruno Clair and his longtime winemaker, Philippe Brun, both of whom are a treasure trove of experience and knowledge. Clair brought in his fruit beginning on October 7, which only has parallels in the estate's recent history with 1978 and 1980, where the harvests started on October 10 and 12. It's true that 2008 was almost as late as 2013, except that in 2013 the last few days of ripening did not add a meaningful amount of concentration as they did in 2008. Clair adds that sugars alone are not a measure of quality, as evidenced by the 1991s, many of which are more complete than their 1990 counterparts. Of course, the issue with any late-ripening year is that the days are shorter as the season progresses, so there are meaningful differences between the heat of August and that of September. As if the bad flowering and early start to the year was not enough, Clair's vineyards in Savigny-les-Beaune and Pernand-Vergelesses were all damaged by hail. According to Clair, the Charlemagne was more skin than juice, clearly a far from favorable situation. I tasted the 2013s from barrel, after they had been racked. Where the wines don't carry the signatures of hail they are quite pretty. Philippe Brun adds that while the terroirs are well marked in 2013, the wines should be enjoyed before the 2012s.
2008 Vosne Romanee Les Champs Perdrix
Color: Red

Score: 88.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good bright, full red. Subdued but nicely delineated aromas of redcurrant, cherry, coffee and flowers. Supple in the middle, with lovely racy acidity framing the flavors of raspberry, menthol, spices and flowers. Very firm minerality contributes to the wine's clarity. Really vibrates on the back end, leaving hints of spices and smoked meat in the empty glass.

Producer Commentary:
2016 Vosne Romanée Les Champs Perdrix
Color: Red

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: (the estate made 80% of a normal crop here, or about 30 hectoliters per hectare): Good medium red. Inviting scents of raspberry, chocolate and mocha. Suppler and sweeter than the last couple of village wines and a step up in flesh and texture. A touch reduced but still nicely perfumed. Like a few other of these '16s, this wine appears to have been softened by the racking in November and should give early pleasure. Tannins are dusty and fine-grained.

Producer Commentary:
“We were massacred by the frost in Chambolle, Savigny and the south side of Marsannay,” said Bruno Clair in January, adding that his estate produced just 35% of a normal crop in 2016. But he added that he had only half a crop in 2015, and roughly the same production in 2013, 2012 and 2010 as well. The estate began harvesting on September 23 with grape sugars around 12% and chaptalized about half a degree. In comparison, potential alcohol levels were at least 13% in 2015 (13.5% for the Bonnes-Mares) and no chaptalization was done.

Cellarmaster Philippe Brun vinified most of the ‘16s with 20% to 25% whole clusters. The malos were protracted, typically lasting until August, and the wines had been racked and assembled in November. Clair described 2016 as “a classic vintage with less excesses of heat and drought than 2015, and a set of wines that should age well. Only the frost was a problem, and the wines have good balance and structure.” Brun added that he prefers the more linear 2016s and that he finds the 2015s "a bit too rich, even if they avoided any cooked taste. But we'll see in ten years."
2018 Vosne Romanée Champs Perdrix
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2033

Tasting notes: The 2018 Vosne-Romanée Champs Perdrix is backward on the nose, sultry compared to the 2019. The palate is medium-bodied with crunchy black fruit, graphite and cedar, quite stern on the finish but very well balanced. This should not be overlooked. 

Producer Commentary:
For the final time, I met Philippe Brun at the winery, as Brun is due to retire in the near future. It will be strange not seeing him flanking Bruno Clair next year. Marsannay’s ‘dynamic duo’ has produced some excellent visits in recent years. “We started the picking on 9 September,” Clair told me. “That was the Bonnes Mares because it was already very ripe. But the serious picking really began on 15 September. We finished on 24 and 25 September. The yields were half for the whites because of the dryness, for the reds it was 15-30% less than last year. Vines with deep roots that could penetrate the fissures performed best and did not show any stress. But overall, I am very pleased with the regularity of crop across the reds irrespective of vine age.” It was a wise decision to pick that Bonnes-Mares early because it may well turn out to be their star performer, closely followed by the Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze. Comparing them side-by-side, I might err for the 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques over the 2019, but we will see. Despite millerandage in the vineyard, the Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers displays superb mineralité. Though their 2019 Clos du Fonteny is very promising, the 2018 seemed out of sorts and I will endeavour to re-examine this. Overall, it was a superb set of 2019s from Bruno Clair that will age with style.
2004 Vosne Romanee Les Champs Perdrix
Color: Red

Score: 86.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Tangy, slightly high-toned aromas of redcurrant and dark raspberry. Offers good breadth but could use a bit more concentration; mineral and floral notes, along with minty and herbal nuances. Finishes with decent length and a slight dryness.

Producer Commentary:
2012 Vosne Romanee Les Champs Perdrix
Color: Red

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: (the production here was 35 hectoliters per hectares--"our best crop," according to Bruno Clair, who believes that Vosne-Romanee and Nuits-Saint-Georges were favored appellations in 2012): Good bright, dark red. Pure aromas and flavors of cassis, blackberry, licorice and bitter chocolate. Dense and silky in the mouth, but with very good energy and sappy sweetness. Seriously chewy wine with good stuffing.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair described his 2010s as austere but the 2012s as fatter and fleshier, and the richness of the new vintage is especially clear in the estate's top cuvees.The domain harvested from September 20 until October 2, bringing in fruit with potential alcohol levels between 12% and 12.5% and chaptalizing about a half degree.They used their vibrating sorting table to eliminate the grapes grilled by sun at the end of July.Winemaker Philippe Brun told me he did two pigeages per day at the beginning of the fermentation, relying mostly on remontages at that stage, then three or four punchdowns per day at the peak of fermentation.Most cuvees were vinified with about 20% whole clusters.The 2012s were racked before the harvest of 2013. (A Becky Wasserman selection; importers include Martin-Scott Wines, Ltd., www.martinscottwines.com; Fine Vines, www.finevines.com; Cordon Selections, www.cordonselections.com; The Source Imports, www.thesourceimports.com)
2004 Savigny Les Beaune La Dominode
Color: Red

Score: 88.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good deep red. Riper, more complex aromas of wild raspberry, chocolate and herbs. The richest and supplest 2004 to this point, with enticing, slightly cool flavors of cherry, raspberry, licorice, mint, chocolate and wild herbs. This has the concentration to support its broad, dusty tannins.

Producer Commentary:
2005 Savigny Les Beaune La Dominode
Color: Red

Score: 90.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good deep red. Spicy, primary black fruit, mocha and truffle aromas show a slightly roasted character but gained in freshness as the wine opened in the glass. Big, lush, sweet and voluminous, with so much baby fat that it appears to be less tightly wound than usual. But there's plenty of structure underneath. Finishes with powerful, dusty tannins and some very ripe suggestions of mocha, maple syrup and truffle. Today this wine seems very marked by the vintage. This will need a good six or seven years of cellaring and will probably be perfect alongside game dishes.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair, who harvested quite late in 2006 (September 27 through October 7), says that this vintage now gives a great deal of pleasure, while 2005 is powerful but closed, with the constitution to age for a long time. The big news here is that the estate took back much of its Bonnes-Mares in early 2006, and has virtually doubled its quantities of Chambertin Clos de Beze, Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques and Vosne-Romanee Champs-Perdrix, following the expiration of long-term rental agreements (mostly with Jadot) that had been signed when Bruno's father Bernard left him 15 hectares of vineyards in 1988. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2012 Savigny Les Beaune La Dominode
Color: Red

Score: 88.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: ("our smallest crop ever here," due to June hail and poor flowering, which especially affected the old vines, said Bruno Clair): Good dark red. Dark berries, dark chocolate and menthol on the nose and palate. Densely packed, concentrated and solid but a bit monolithic today. Finishes youthfully tight, with a continuing chocolatey character but not the same sweetness of tannins I normally find in this wine. Is this going through a sullen stage?

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair described his 2010s as austere but the 2012s as fatter and fleshier, and the richness of the new vintage is especially clear in the estate's top cuvees.The domain harvested from September 20 until October 2, bringing in fruit with potential alcohol levels between 12% and 12.5% and chaptalizing about a half degree.They used their vibrating sorting table to eliminate the grapes grilled by sun at the end of July.Winemaker Philippe Brun told me he did two pigeages per day at the beginning of the fermentation, relying mostly on remontages at that stage, then three or four punchdowns per day at the peak of fermentation.Most cuvees were vinified with about 20% whole clusters.The 2012s were racked before the harvest of 2013. (A Becky Wasserman selection; importers include Martin-Scott Wines, Ltd., www.martinscottwines.com; Fine Vines, www.finevines.com; Cordon Selections, www.cordonselections.com; The Source Imports, www.thesourceimports.com)
2017 Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 95.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2045

Tasting notes: The 2017 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru has a seriously compelling bouquet: beautifully defined, effortless and refined, featuring black rather than red fruit, crushed stone and discreet undergrowth aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin. There is a stern backbone to this Bonnes-Mares, which is stricter than many of its peers, the blue fruit clearly rationed, but with impressive persistence on the finish. Impressive and intellectual to boot.

Producer Commentary:
This year, Philippe Brun escorted me through the domaine’s 2017s. Once known for its intermittently rustic wines, there is a sense of newfound refinement and elegance that has seen Bruno Clair gain a wider and well-deserved following. This is partly because they have eased off the extraction and picked just a little earlier. They oversee a strong portfolio of cuvées, not just their Grand Crus and prized rows within Clos Saint-Jacques, but a cluster of excellent Village and Premier Crus that can offer great value. Brun told me that they commenced the picking on September 5 and picked over the following five days - quite a short harvest given their range of holdings. None of the wines had been racked when I visited, and they plan to blend the cuvées in January.

This was a very fine set of wines from Bruno Clair, though one or two, such as the Gevrey-Chambertin Petite Chapelle and perhaps the Cazetiers and Clos Saint-Jacques, left me wondering if they could have given more. It was another Gevrey-Chambertin – the 0.68-hectare monopole of Clos du Fonteny, which rises on a geological ledge a few meters above the rest of Fonteny – that really caught my eye, alongside a very impressive Marsannay Les Grasses-Têtes and a superb Bonnes-Mares that crowns their range. Generally, I found assiduous use of whole bunches here and a collection of wines that range from the easygoing to others that boast long-term potential.
2016 Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 96.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2060

Tasting notes: The 2016 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru has an intense bouquet with blackberry, redcurrant and cranberry scents laced with tobacco and woodland aromas. Lovely definition and focus here. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red fruit, enormous depth and great concentration, perhaps the most Musigny-esque of the Bonnes-Mares. Great length but it needs some serious cellaring. Enormous potential here. Tasted blind at the 2016 Burgfest tasting.

Producer Commentary:
2019 Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 95.0

Drinking window: 2024 - 2045

Tasting notes: The 2019 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru has a rich and generous bouquet with blueberry and black cherry aromas, the most extravagant of Bruno Clair’s wines this year. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannins, very poised and focused with a mineral-driven finish that lingers in the mouth. Lovely strictness on the finish counterbalances the precocity on the nose. 

Producer Commentary:
For the final time, I met Philippe Brun at the winery, as Brun is due to retire in the near future. It will be strange not seeing him flanking Bruno Clair next year. Marsannay’s ‘dynamic duo’ has produced some excellent visits in recent years. “We started the picking on 9 September,” Clair told me. “That was the Bonnes Mares because it was already very ripe. But the serious picking really began on 15 September. We finished on 24 and 25 September. The yields were half for the whites because of the dryness, for the reds it was 15-30% less than last year. Vines with deep roots that could penetrate the fissures performed best and did not show any stress. But overall, I am very pleased with the regularity of crop across the reds irrespective of vine age.” It was a wise decision to pick that Bonnes-Mares early because it may well turn out to be their star performer, closely followed by the Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze. Comparing them side-by-side, I might err for the 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques over the 2019, but we will see. Despite millerandage in the vineyard, the Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers displays superb mineralité. Though their 2019 Clos du Fonteny is very promising, the 2018 seemed out of sorts and I will endeavour to re-examine this. Overall, it was a superb set of 2019s from Bruno Clair that will age with style.
1995 Chambertin Clos De Beze
Color: Red

Score: 93.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Red-ruby color. Deep aromas of blackberry, white pepper, menthol and spicy oak. The sweetest of these '96s but kept under wraps by its firm, minerally structure. Juicy and very intensely flavored; pungent and urgent yet reined in. Finishes with great thrust and explosive fruit. Really stains the palate. Tannins are firm but even.

Producer Commentary:
"The '95s have more color, more density, thicker skins," says cellarmaster Philippe Brun. "It will be necessary to put them in the cellar and forget them, like the '88s." He adds that the '96s, with their higher grape sugars and lower pHs, will be for drinking earlier. I was unimpressed by a couple of the lower-level '96s (though, following late malos, some wines had not yet been racked), but at the top levels there are several potentially outstanding wines at this address. The best '95s are superb. All the wines reviewed below were bottled without fining or filtration; Clair style makes few concessions to current tastes for sweet new oak and early appeal but have a history of developing well in bottle. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2002 Chambertin Clos De Beze
Color: Red

Score: 91.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium bright red. Cool aromas of black fruits, red licorice and bitter chocolate. Very suave on entry, then quite closed in the middle palate; sweet, delicate and perfumed but very young today and in need of eight to ten years of aging. The ripely tannic finishing flavors build slowly and linger long. Offers considerable potential, but will it equal the Clos Saint-Jacques?

Producer Commentary:
According to cellarmaster Philippe Brun, this estate started picking its white grapes on August 26, and then stopped until September 1.Because they couldn't cool all their tanks at once, they picked only in the mornings.The pinot noirs lack acidity and are rather fragile, says Brun, adding that he believes they are best suited for drinking in their fruity youth.But he maintained that the estate had no surmaturite, and that while the premier crus are virtually all 13% or more alcohol, none of them reached 14%.Incidentally, Clair will not offer a regular Marsannay in 2003, as the estate needed this fruit to make their rose, a wine that is very popular in the U.S. market.(Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2009 Chambertin Clos De Beze
Color: Red

Score: 92.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Subtly complex aromas of wild red berries, mocha, spices, truffle and wild herbs. Sweet, sappy and slightly high-toned, with a musky soil-inflected complexity to the berry fruit. Faintly liqueur-like in the style of the year but with excellent grip. The very long, chewy finish displays a savory saline character and compelling sweetness of tannins.

Producer Commentary:
Clair, who started picking pinot noir on the late side (September 14), describes 2009 as "a very generous year, easy to vinify, with round, rich tannins." He ranks the vintage with past favorites like 2002 and 1990. Only the yields in Chambolle-Musigny, where his vines are not quite 20 years old, are particularly high, he told me-this despite the fact that he did a green harvest in these vines. Compared to the 2009s, the 2008s are vins de garde, he went on, and they will probably shut down in bottle. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL) Other wines tasted: Chambolle-Musigny Les Veroilles, Morey-Saint-Denis en La Rue de Vergy.
2012 Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 96.0

Drinking window: 2024 - 2042

Tasting notes: An exuberant, no holds-barred Burgundy, the 2012 Bonnes-Mares is utterly captivating. The tannins are fierce so, readers are going to have to be very patient. Still, there is plenty to look forward to. The 2012 is a classic, vertical Bonnes-Mare built in verticality and intensity. Lavender, mint, violets and white pepper meld into the super-expressive finish.

Producer Commentary:
Although I was only able to taste a handful of bottled 2012s, the wines I saw confirmed my very positive impressions from last year. Bruno Clair's 2012s are rich, fat and textured, but with more than enough structure to support many years of fine drinking.
2013 Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2038

Tasting notes: The 2013 Bonnes Mares is a wine of amplitude, power and depth, all supported by serious tannins that suggest it is going to enjoy a very long life. Hints of lavender, pine and rose petal grace the exquisite finish. There is plenty to admire in this statuesque, pedigreed Burgundy. Clair's Bonnes Mares emerges from a parcel on the Morey side of the vineyard adjacent to Clos de Tart.

Producer Commentary:
It's always a pleasure to sit down and taste with Bruno Clair and his longtime winemaker, Philippe Brun, both of whom are a treasure trove of experience and knowledge. Clair brought in his fruit beginning on October 7, which only has parallels in the estate's recent history with 1978 and 1980, where the harvests started on October 10 and 12. It's true that 2008 was almost as late as 2013, except that in 2013 the last few days of ripening did not add a meaningful amount of concentration as they did in 2008. Clair adds that sugars alone are not a measure of quality, as evidenced by the 1991s, many of which are more complete than their 1990 counterparts. Of course, the issue with any late-ripening year is that the days are shorter as the season progresses, so there are meaningful differences between the heat of August and that of September. As if the bad flowering and early start to the year was not enough, Clair's vineyards in Savigny-les-Beaune and Pernand-Vergelesses were all damaged by hail. According to Clair, the Charlemagne was more skin than juice, clearly a far from favorable situation. I tasted the 2013s from barrel, after they had been racked. Where the wines don't carry the signatures of hail they are quite pretty. Philippe Brun adds that while the terroirs are well marked in 2013, the wines should be enjoyed before the 2012s.
2012 Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 95.0

Drinking window: 2022 - 2042

Tasting notes: The 2012 Bonnes Mares is rich, deep and explosive. Sweet tobacco, wild flowers and blue/purplish fruit meld together in the glass. The 2012 is complex and marvelously complete from the very first taste. Expressive floral notes become more prominent in the glass, lending an air of sensuality that balances some of the more virile aspects of the wine's personality. Bruno Clair's Bonnes Mares emerges from parcels on the Morey side, next to Clos de Tart.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair and his longtime winemaker Philippe Brun do so many things well, as these 2012s amply show. Where to start with these wines? Well, the Marsannays are terrific, but frankly so are all the wines. The harvest started on September 20 and wrapped up on October 2. By comparison, the 2013 harvest started on October 3 and lasted until the 20th. Malos were quite late here, and the wines were only racked in early September. Over the last few years Clair has begun to age some of his wines partly or wholly in cask, where volumes allow for larger aging vessels. When all is said and done, Bruno Clair's wines have been among the most impressive for some time and are deserving of a much wider audience. I highly encourage readers to check them out.
2008 Bonnes Mares – Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 95.0

Drinking window: 2018 - 2038

Tasting notes: The 2008 Bonnes-Mares is dark, reticent and tightly wound. Still, with time in the glass, the tannins begin to soften just enough to get a glimpse of the wine's fruit. This is a powerful Bonnes-Mares, but there is more than enough quality and sheer pedigree to make me think the wine will develop fabulously over the coming years. The balance and sense of harmony are first-rate. Crushed rocks, red berries and sweet spices linger on the long, pointed finish. 

Producer Commentary:
This is a beautiful set of wines from Bruno Clair. Every wine I tasted with Clair's longtime oenologist Philippe Brun was gorgeous from top to bottom. While the top 2009s are certainly superb, the real jewels here are the village level wines which appear to be among the great success stories of the 2009 vintage. I tasted all of the wines from barrel, except the Marsannay and Marsannay Les Vaudanelles, both of which were bottled before the 2010 harvest. In 2009 Clair began harvesting on September 15 and ended on the 23rd. I also tasted a handful of 2008s, from a much later harvest that stretched into October. The handful of wines I tasted from that vintage are equally impressive, and equally worth your time.
2009 Bourgogne
Color: White

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 2013 - 2013

Tasting notes: The 2009 Bourgogne is a super elegant, classy wine layered with white peaches and spices. Sweet floral notes develop in the glass, adding volume and brightness. This is a terrific wine in its category. 

Producer Commentary:
Is there anything Bruno Clair doesn't do well?
2015 Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 97.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2055

Tasting notes: The 2015 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru has another very pure, elegant bouquet, firmly in red rather than black fruit territory and quite lush and sensual - one of the most seductive you will find this year. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannin and perfectly pitched acidity; it feels supple at first, though the second half has a more chalky texture and the red fruit merges with more black fruit. Gaining structure toward the oaky finish, it exerts firm grip and sports stupendous length. Wonderful. Tasted blind at the annual Burgfest tasting. 

Producer Commentary:
2015 Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Bright medium red. Like a wine from another planet following the Clos Saint-Jacques and Clos de Bèze, offering aromas of black raspberry, wild herbs, tar and chocolate. Mouthfilling and solid but less expressive in the mouth than the top Gevreys, with saline minerality, spices and a suggestion of chocolatey ripeness dominating in the early going. This tactile, chewy wine boasts serious but well-integrated tannins and terrific savory persistence. All of the top 2015 Bruno Clair clearly showcase their distinctive terroirs.

Producer Commentary:
The rain on August 6 brought the grapes back to a state of equilibrium following the drought conditions in July and saved the 2015 harvest, said Bruno Clair, who added that there were two subsequent “key” rains in August. “But we didn’t have a lot of grapes and they never got large,” he noted, and the estate ultimately produced the equivalent of half a normal crop.

Clair started harvesting with his Bonnes-Mares on September 5 and needed two weeks to pick. Grape sugars were mostly between 12.5% and 13%, with some even higher. The harvest was “perfectly clean” and the estate vinified with a higher percentage of whole clusters than normally. The malolactic fermentations finished relatively quickly, during the winter, and Clair expected to bottle the bulk of his 2015s in April of 2017. “The wines have complexity, charm and drive,” Clair summarized, “and they are not austere.”

Incidentally, Clair took back the remainder of his Bonnes-Mares in 2016 and now works 1.45 hectares of vines in this grand cru. All of his land is in Chambolle-Musigny, except for a small band of vines next to Clos de Tart.
2018 Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 96.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2045

Tasting notes: The 2018 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru has an expressive bouquet of red berry and cassis fruit infused with iris and violet petals, gently unfolding with each swirl of the glass; oyster shell emerges with time. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red fruit and fine body and depth. The very mineral-driven, almost citric finish lingers in the mouth. Excellent. 

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair and Philippe Brun are the Batman and Robin of Marsannay that have really ratcheted up quality at this domaine. Both were on top form when I dropped in at their winery (though my God, whatever Bruno had just eaten for lunch, it was making his tummy rumble like Krakatoa!) “We had a lot of rain in the winter," he told me. "It was completely different to the 2019 growing season. In 2018 the maturity was quite strong. We started the picking on 27 August until the 8 or 9 September. I find that the tannins are very tender. Maybe you could say 2018 is a mixture of 1947 and 1959. There is more fruit than in 2003 and more phenolic maturity. The whole bunch in 2018 is between 30-40% as in 2017 and we did less pigeage after fermentation. The alcohol is between 13 and 14% but most are around 13.5%." I strongly recommend this domaine's wines, with some gems among the Premier Crus.
2015 Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 94.5

Drinking window: 2028 - 2043

Tasting notes: Bright medium red. Deep, complex, soil-driven aromas of raspberry, smoke, underbrush and spices, not a blueberry style of Bonnes-Mares. Juicy on entry, then penetrating, powerful and structured, conveying serious middle-palate richness to its flavors of currant, red fruits, spics and earth. Finishes with huge tannic mass but a bit less refinement than the Clos de Bèze. Bruno Clair finds this wine hard today; it certainly will require patience.

Producer Commentary:
“We were massacred by the frost in Chambolle, Savigny and the south side of Marsannay,” said Bruno Clair in January, adding that his estate produced just 35% of a normal crop in 2016. But he added that he had only half a crop in 2015, and roughly the same production in 2013, 2012 and 2010 as well. The estate began harvesting on September 23 with grape sugars around 12% and chaptalized about half a degree. In comparison, potential alcohol levels were at least 13% in 2015 (13.5% for the Bonnes-Mares) and no chaptalization was done.

Cellarmaster Philippe Brun vinified most of the ‘16s with 20% to 25% whole clusters. The malos were protracted, typically lasting until August, and the wines had been racked and assembled in November. Clair described 2016 as “a classic vintage with less excesses of heat and drought than 2015, and a set of wines that should age well. Only the frost was a problem, and the wines have good balance and structure.” Brun added that he prefers the more linear 2016s and that he finds the 2015s "a bit too rich, even if they avoided any cooked taste. But we'll see in ten years."
2010 Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
Color: Red

Score: 96.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2045

Tasting notes: The 2010 Bonnes-Mares is a towering, statuesque wine. Layers of fruit burst from the glass in this multi-dimensional, kaleidoscopic wine. It's hard to fully capture the wine in words. Let me just say, all of the elements are in the right place. In 2010 the Bonnes-Mares captures a striking marriage of power and sensuality. This is a marvelously complete wine from Bruno Clair. 

Producer Commentary:
This is a fabulous set of wines from Bruno Clair and his long-time oenologist Philippe Brun. The harvest started on September 25. Yields were 22-30 hectoliters per hectare, which is to say a good 10% less than 2003, a torrid vintage marked by tiny yields. Clair describes the fruit as healthy, with no botrytis and soft tannins from the late harvest. The 2010s were 100% destemmed. New oak ranged from 25% for the villages to 50% for the Grand Crus, except for the Marsannays, which saw very little new oak.
2009 Gevrey Chambertin Clos St. Jacques – 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2014 - 2029

Tasting notes: The 2009 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos St. Jacques is a wine of notable equilibrium. All of the elements come together beautifully in the glass as this chiseled , beautifully articulated wine conquers the palate and intellect. Sweet balsamic notes and floral overtones add dimension and complexity to the intense finish. 

Producer Commentary:
This is a beautiful set of wines from Bruno Clair. Every wine I tasted with Clair's longtime oenologist Philippe Brun was gorgeous from top to bottom. While the top 2009s are certainly superb, the real jewels here are the village level wines which appear to be among the great success stories of the 2009 vintage. I tasted all of the wines from barrel, except the Marsannay and Marsannay Les Vaudanelles, both of which were bottled before the 2010 harvest. In 2009 Clair began harvesting on September 15 and ended on the 23rd. I also tasted a handful of 2008s, from a much later harvest that stretched into October. The handful of wines I tasted from that vintage are equally impressive, and equally worth your time.
2018 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 95.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2045

Tasting notes: The 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques 1er Cru is beautifully defined on the nose, although it does demand coaxing: brambly red fruit, sous-bois , dried rose petals and a touch of cigar box. The palate is framed by crisp tannins. This feels so fresh and crunchy in texture. Very good depth, tangy sour cherries mixed with orange rind on the long and tender finish. This is an superb Clos Saint-Jacques. 

Producer Commentary:
For the final time, I met Philippe Brun at the winery, as Brun is due to retire in the near future. It will be strange not seeing him flanking Bruno Clair next year. Marsannay’s ‘dynamic duo’ has produced some excellent visits in recent years. “We started the picking on 9 September,” Clair told me. “That was the Bonnes Mares because it was already very ripe. But the serious picking really began on 15 September. We finished on 24 and 25 September. The yields were half for the whites because of the dryness, for the reds it was 15-30% less than last year. Vines with deep roots that could penetrate the fissures performed best and did not show any stress. But overall, I am very pleased with the regularity of crop across the reds irrespective of vine age.” It was a wise decision to pick that Bonnes-Mares early because it may well turn out to be their star performer, closely followed by the Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze. Comparing them side-by-side, I might err for the 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques over the 2019, but we will see. Despite millerandage in the vineyard, the Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers displays superb mineralité. Though their 2019 Clos du Fonteny is very promising, the 2018 seemed out of sorts and I will endeavour to re-examine this. Overall, it was a superb set of 2019s from Bruno Clair that will age with style.
2001 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques
Color: Red

Score: 90.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red, a bit less deep than the Cazetiers. Reticent aromas of red fruits and smoke. Juicy, firm and tightly wound; shows a more typical 2001 texture than the atypically round Cazetiers. Fresh mineral and floral notes. A very firm, slightly dry-edged wine in need of six or seven years of aging.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair described 2002 as an easy vintage: Like 1990:very ripe, no rot, little selection necessary, easy to vinify."Potential alcohols were typically in the 12% to 12.5% range, with most wines chaptalized about a half a degree.The wines had been assembled and racked a couple weeks prior to my visit; Clair noted that the colors were still a bit lightened by the recent sulfur additions.(Vineyard Brands, Birmingham AL
2004 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques
Color: Red

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: (the yield here was a moderate 35 hectoliters per hectare, says Clair) Very good bright red with ruby highlights. Brooding aromas of musky black fruits; less expressive today than the Cazetiers. Dense, rich and chewy if not particularly sweet; rather backward, with a distinctly medicinal character. Best today on the subtle, persistent finish, which features a late note of pepper.

Producer Commentary:
2015 Gevrey Chambertin Clos St. Jacques 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 96.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2050

Tasting notes: The 2015 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos St.-Jacques 1er Cru has the most backward bouquet of the five Clos St.-Jacques at the moment, displaying a marine-like tincture of shucked oyster shells and a hint of estuary marshes that actually complement the red fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin and slightly lactic in style. A hint of dark chocolate emanates from the oak infusing the red and black fruit toward the finish, and touches of marmalade and blood orange linger on the aftertaste. Tasted blind at the annual Burgfest tasting. 

Producer Commentary:
2018 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 95.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2045

Tasting notes: The 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques 1er Cru, as Bruno Clair advised, was the most closed on the nose of all his Gevrey wines, despite coaxing. The harmonious, silky-smooth palate is very well balanced with filigreed tannins and blood orange seeping into the pixelated finish. The quality is here - it just needs bottle age. Superb.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair and Philippe Brun are the Batman and Robin of Marsannay that have really ratcheted up quality at this domaine. Both were on top form when I dropped in at their winery (though my God, whatever Bruno had just eaten for lunch, it was making his tummy rumble like Krakatoa!) “We had a lot of rain in the winter," he told me. "It was completely different to the 2019 growing season. In 2018 the maturity was quite strong. We started the picking on 27 August until the 8 or 9 September. I find that the tannins are very tender. Maybe you could say 2018 is a mixture of 1947 and 1959. There is more fruit than in 2003 and more phenolic maturity. The whole bunch in 2018 is between 30-40% as in 2017 and we did less pigeage after fermentation. The alcohol is between 13 and 14% but most are around 13.5%." I strongly recommend this domaine's wines, with some gems among the Premier Crus.
1998 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques
Color: Red

Score: 91.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Full deep red. Superripe, liqueur-like aromas of raspberry and game; boasts a compelling wild perfume and noteworthy complexity. Fat, sappy red fruit and game flavors offer wonderful sweetness without any heaviness. Finishes with extremely fine, suave tannins and terrific persistence. Classy and very concentrated.

Producer Commentary:
"The '98 vintage was completely heterogeneous," said Bruno Clair. "We picked Marsannay ten days before Savigny Dominode. Because of the intense heat in early August, which stressed the vines in some spots but not in others, there was no logic to the ripeness." Yields were very low, especially on hillside sites affected by the April frost. Following a trie in the vines and another selection in the cuverie, the domain, according to Clair, vinified perfectly clean fruit. Cellarmaster Philippe Brun compared the '98s to the estate's '93s, but said the new vintage has riper tannins and more gras. "And there's more to the wine in '98 than in '97, clearly more structure," he added. Just a few '98s had been racked in November following late malos; the rest were still on their lees. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2006 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques
Color: Red

Score: 91.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good dark red. Cool, more mineral-driven aromas of blueberry, blackberry, dark raspberry and licorice. Juicy and tightly wound, with lovely inner-mouth perfume and energy to its complex flavors of black cherry, raspberry, licorice and mint. Strong soil tones and minerality add interest here. Finishes with a fine dusting of tannins and excellent thrust and length. The crop level was just 32 hectoliters per hectare, according to Clair.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair, who harvested quite late in 2006 (September 27 through October 7), says that this vintage now gives a great deal of pleasure, while 2005 is powerful but closed, with the constitution to age for a long time. The big news here is that the estate took back much of its Bonnes-Mares in early 2006, and has virtually doubled its quantities of Chambertin Clos de Beze, Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques and Vosne-Romanee Champs-Perdrix, following the expiration of long-term rental agreements (mostly with Jadot) that had been signed when Bruno's father Bernard left him 15 hectares of vineyards in 1988. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
1999 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2019 - 2032

Tasting notes: Moderately saturated medium red. Sexy, evolving scents of black raspberry and animal fur. Boasts good spicy, earthy intensity and surprising mineral-driven energy in the mouth, but this juicy, fine-grained, firmly built wine may still become more yielding with a few more years of cellaring. Finishes with a solid tannic spine and excellent length. Bruno Clair noted that the yield for his Clos de Bèze in 1999 was at least 45 hectoliters per hectare and that the Clos Saint-Jacques was also very high, as in 2009. And he noted that the aromas of his 2002s are less evolved than his 1999s.

Producer Commentary:
The 20th century went out with a bang for red Burgundy lovers, with the 1999 vintage producing copious quantities of excellent to outstanding wine.

From the outset, the 1999 red Burgundies offered a rare combination of charm and power. Most of the better wines were balanced and alluring from the start, but they are evolving very slowly and still have plenty of life ahead of them. While many of the ‘99s I sampled with the producers this winter have gone through sullen stages in bottle, most of them have launched into their periods of peak drinkability. If you own these wines – and especially if you chose wisely at the outset – you will be amply rewarded.
2003 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques
Color: Red

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Red cherry and orange peel on the nose. Sweeter and denser than the Cazetiers, with more sap and spice. The most sharply delineated of these 2003s today. A supple, stylish wine with lovely inner-mouth perfume and suave tannins.

Producer Commentary:
According to cellarmaster Philippe Brun, this estate started picking its white grapes on August 26, and then stopped until September 1.Because they couldn't cool all their tanks at once, they picked only in the mornings.The pinot noirs lack acidity and are rather fragile, says Brun, adding that he believes they are best suited for drinking in their fruity youth.But he maintained that the estate had no surmaturite, and that while the premier crus are virtually all 13% or more alcohol, none of them reached 14%.Incidentally, Clair will not offer a regular Marsannay in 2003, as the estate needed this fruit to make their rose, a wine that is very popular in the U.S. market.(Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2008 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques
Color: Red

Score: 92.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Deep red. Compelling nose combines purple fruits, violet, red licorice, wild herbs and mint. Dense, strong and minerally but with a light touch. Quite ripe for 2008 but displays lovely finesse. Boasts almost grand cru volume and texture. Finishes with substantial ripe tannins and lovely lingering perfume.

Producer Commentary:
2019 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2050

Tasting notes: The 2019 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques 1er Cru is very complex on the nose with mostly red fruit intermingling with crushed stone, black truffle and light cedar aromas. It feels very assured. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain but quite firm tannins, complex with fine acidity and hints of marmalade and clove tincturing the red fruit towards the finish. Superb - but will it surpass the 2018? 

Producer Commentary:
For the final time, I met Philippe Brun at the winery, as Brun is due to retire in the near future. It will be strange not seeing him flanking Bruno Clair next year. Marsannay’s ‘dynamic duo’ has produced some excellent visits in recent years. “We started the picking on 9 September,” Clair told me. “That was the Bonnes Mares because it was already very ripe. But the serious picking really began on 15 September. We finished on 24 and 25 September. The yields were half for the whites because of the dryness, for the reds it was 15-30% less than last year. Vines with deep roots that could penetrate the fissures performed best and did not show any stress. But overall, I am very pleased with the regularity of crop across the reds irrespective of vine age.” It was a wise decision to pick that Bonnes-Mares early because it may well turn out to be their star performer, closely followed by the Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze. Comparing them side-by-side, I might err for the 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques over the 2019, but we will see. Despite millerandage in the vineyard, the Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers displays superb mineralité. Though their 2019 Clos du Fonteny is very promising, the 2018 seemed out of sorts and I will endeavour to re-examine this. Overall, it was a superb set of 2019s from Bruno Clair that will age with style.
2011 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques
Color: Red

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. A real essence of Burgundy on the nose, combining musky red berries, dried flowers and underbrush. Silky and perfumed, with a lovely light touch and subtle intensity to the berry, cherry and violet flavors. This wonderfully pure, understated wine saturates the palate and glistens on the very long, scented finish, which is accented by a peppery nuance. Will this close up in bottle?

Producer Commentary:
1996 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques
Color: Red

Score: 90.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Fresh dark red, not quite as dark as the Cazetiers. More minerally, more reserved red berry aromas nonetheless exude an enticing perfume. Bright, delineated and stronger in acidity than the above; not as sweet or forthcoming as the Cazetiers, but quite fine. Finishes with some youthful austerity.

Producer Commentary:
"With the high sugars and great ripeness of the grapes, we expected to have wines with tough tannins," said Bruno Clair. "But the tannins in fact are quite fat, and there nothing hard about the wines at all; 1997 is certainly a vin de garde but it no monster." According to cellarmaster Philippe Brun, the cuvaison was shorter in '97, as there were a lot of yeasts on the grape skins and the fermentations started quickly (the estate does nothing to prevent the fermentation from starting). The malos were tumultuous, and early, but the wines remained on their lees through the winter and have taken on more complexity during elevage (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2009 Gevrey Chambertin Clos St. Jacques 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 94.0

Drinking window: 2014 - 2024

Tasting notes: The 2009 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos St. Jacques is showing just a fraction of its true personality. Dark red fruit, minerals, and flowers come together in this textured, highly expressive Burgundy. There is an element of elusiveness that slowly gains clarity in the glass. The flavors build beautifully to the round, inviting finish. This is truly gorgeous juice. 

Producer Commentary:
2003 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques
Color: Red

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red, a bit pale at the rim. Fairly evolved aromas of red fruits, musky coffee, chocolate and humus. Silky, round and rich but light on its feet. This is quite suave and persistent, even if it doesn't show the typical primary fruit character or grip of this superb premier cru chez Clair. Incidentally, Clair says he would start drinking this now, while Brun says he would wait. Clair compared the 2003s to the 1997s-"but less pruney."

Producer Commentary:
2000 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques
Color: Red

Score: 90.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Deep cherry-red. Pure, nuanced, highly aromatic nose combines red cherry, raspberry and licorice. The sweetest yet of these 2000s, with subtly complex red fruit, leather, game and mineral flavors supported by firm backbone. This has lovely fruit and noteworthy chewy persistence.

Producer Commentary:
Cellarmaster Philippe Brun describes the domain 2000s as aromatic, supple wines, to drink early - a very good restaurant vintage. The fragile fruit, picked largely under very warm conditions, generally needed some acidification. In comparison, he noted, the 2001 harvest brought thicker skins, higher acidity and more concentration. Brun and Bruno Clair both consider 1999 to be their best vintage since 1990. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2009 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques
Color: Red

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good full red. Complex, soil-driven aromas of raspberry, rose petal and spicecake. Silky, seamless and youthful, with lovely sweetness to the black raspberry and floral flavors. Builds subtly on the tactile, savory, vibrant aftertaste. Beautifully balanced wine, expressive today but built to reward aging.

Producer Commentary:
2011 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 93.0

Drinking window: 2019 - 2033

Tasting notes: The 2011 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques 1er Cru from Bruno Clair has a splendid bouquet that appears to be evolving with style: wonderful delineation, seamlessly integrated oak and commendable fruit intensity. This just unfolds with panache. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannin, crisp acidity, sensual and pure with a precise, caressing finish brimming over with tart red cherries and strawberry, the essence of Pinoté! Superb. Tasted at Flint Wines Burgundy 2011 tasting.

Producer Commentary:
1995 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques
Color: Red

Score: 91.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Very good deep red-ruby color. Pungent, deep aromas of raspberry, blackberry and mocha. Supple and dense, with excellent concentration. Fresh and fruity, with lovely inner-mouth flavor. Stylish and pure, but also less evolved than the Cazetiers. This may well shut down over the coming months. Quite long; tannins are more evenly distributed than those of the Cazetiers.

Producer Commentary:
"The '95s have more color, more density, thicker skins," says cellarmaster Philippe Brun. "It will be necessary to put them in the cellar and forget them, like the '88s." He adds that the '96s, with their higher grape sugars and lower pHs, will be for drinking earlier. I was unimpressed by a couple of the lower-level '96s (though, following late malos, some wines had not yet been racked), but at the top levels there are several potentially outstanding wines at this address. The best '95s are superb. All the wines reviewed below were bottled without fining or filtration; Clair style makes few concessions to current tastes for sweet new oak and early appeal but have a history of developing well in bottle. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2015 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2025 - 2035

Tasting notes: Bright medium red. Very ripe, smoky aromas of raspberry, strawberry and underbrush. Full, plush and sweet; at once fleshier and more complex than the preceding Gevrey premier crus. This very ripe wine boasts atypical early volume for Clos Saint-Jacques without coming across as heavy. Finishes with serious but refined tannins and excellent length. I found a bit more inner-mouth tension and floral lift when I sampled this wine from barrel but today the wine's mineral core is hidden by a layer of baby fat.

Producer Commentary:
“We were massacred by the frost in Chambolle, Savigny and the south side of Marsannay,” said Bruno Clair in January, adding that his estate produced just 35% of a normal crop in 2016. But he added that he had only half a crop in 2015, and roughly the same production in 2013, 2012 and 2010 as well. The estate began harvesting on September 23 with grape sugars around 12% and chaptalized about half a degree. In comparison, potential alcohol levels were at least 13% in 2015 (13.5% for the Bonnes-Mares) and no chaptalization was done.

Cellarmaster Philippe Brun vinified most of the ‘16s with 20% to 25% whole clusters. The malos were protracted, typically lasting until August, and the wines had been racked and assembled in November. Clair described 2016 as “a classic vintage with less excesses of heat and drought than 2015, and a set of wines that should age well. Only the frost was a problem, and the wines have good balance and structure.” Brun added that he prefers the more linear 2016s and that he finds the 2015s "a bit too rich, even if they avoided any cooked taste. But we'll see in ten years."
2002 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Knockout perfumed aromas of cherry, smoke, game and flowers. Fat, rich and sweet, with wonderful breadth and depth. Nicely framed but not overwhelmed by its new oak component. Very rich, suave wine, fleshy and sweet but light on its feet and long on the aftertaste.

Producer Commentary:
Bruno Clair described 2002 as an easy vintage: Like 1990:very ripe, no rot, little selection necessary, easy to vinify."Potential alcohols were typically in the 12% to 12.5% range, with most wines chaptalized about a half a degree.The wines had been assembled and racked a couple weeks prior to my visit; Clair noted that the colors were still a bit lightened by the recent sulfur additions.(Vineyard Brands, Birmingham AL
2002 Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques
Color: Red

Score: 92.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Bright medium red. Reticent, perfumed aromas of red cherry, raspberry, minerals and spices; an essence of this great premier cru. Juicy, minerally and taut; vibrant and sharply delineated. Wonderfully sappy, almost youthfully painful today. Finishes with impressive building length. A superb year for this vineyard, notes Brun.

Producer Commentary:
According to cellarmaster Philippe Brun, this estate started picking its white grapes on August 26, and then stopped until September 1.Because they couldn't cool all their tanks at once, they picked only in the mornings.The pinot noirs lack acidity and are rather fragile, says Brun, adding that he believes they are best suited for drinking in their fruity youth.But he maintained that the estate had no surmaturite, and that while the premier crus are virtually all 13% or more alcohol, none of them reached 14%.Incidentally, Clair will not offer a regular Marsannay in 2003, as the estate needed this fruit to make their rose, a wine that is very popular in the U.S. market.(Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2017 Savigny Lès Beaune La Dominode 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 91.0

Drinking window: 2023 - 2035

Tasting notes: The 2017 Savigny-lès-Beaune La Dominode 1er Cru has a much more backward, sulky bouquet compared to Les Jarrons, offering dark berry fruit and just a touch of flint that emerges with aeration. The medium-bodied palate displays a saline, almost briny opening. There is good density here, with tarry black fruit and that strong saline influence dominating the finish. A more cerebral Savigny. 

Producer Commentary:
This year, Philippe Brun escorted me through the domaine’s 2017s. Once known for its intermittently rustic wines, there is a sense of newfound refinement and elegance that has seen Bruno Clair gain a wider and well-deserved following. This is partly because they have eased off the extraction and picked just a little earlier. They oversee a strong portfolio of cuvées, not just their Grand Crus and prized rows within Clos Saint-Jacques, but a cluster of excellent Village and Premier Crus that can offer great value. Brun told me that they commenced the picking on September 5 and picked over the following five days - quite a short harvest given their range of holdings. None of the wines had been racked when I visited, and they plan to blend the cuvées in January.

This was a very fine set of wines from Bruno Clair, though one or two, such as the Gevrey-Chambertin Petite Chapelle and perhaps the Cazetiers and Clos Saint-Jacques, left me wondering if they could have given more. It was another Gevrey-Chambertin – the 0.68-hectare monopole of Clos du Fonteny, which rises on a geological ledge a few meters above the rest of Fonteny – that really caught my eye, alongside a very impressive Marsannay Les Grasses-Têtes and a superb Bonnes-Mares that crowns their range. Generally, I found assiduous use of whole bunches here and a collection of wines that range from the easygoing to others that boast long-term potential.
2019 Savigny Lès Beaune La Dominode 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 90.0

Drinking window: 2022 - 2032

Tasting notes: The 2019 Savigny-lès-Beaune La Dominode 1er Cru is earthy but nicely focused on the nose. The palate is sweet on the entry with blood orange tincturing the red fruit, well balanced with a touch of orange zest and marmalade towards the finish. Very fine. 

Producer Commentary:
For the final time, I met Philippe Brun at the winery, as Brun is due to retire in the near future. It will be strange not seeing him flanking Bruno Clair next year. Marsannay’s ‘dynamic duo’ has produced some excellent visits in recent years. “We started the picking on 9 September,” Clair told me. “That was the Bonnes Mares because it was already very ripe. But the serious picking really began on 15 September. We finished on 24 and 25 September. The yields were half for the whites because of the dryness, for the reds it was 15-30% less than last year. Vines with deep roots that could penetrate the fissures performed best and did not show any stress. But overall, I am very pleased with the regularity of crop across the reds irrespective of vine age.” It was a wise decision to pick that Bonnes-Mares early because it may well turn out to be their star performer, closely followed by the Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze. Comparing them side-by-side, I might err for the 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques over the 2019, but we will see. Despite millerandage in the vineyard, the Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers displays superb mineralité. Though their 2019 Clos du Fonteny is very promising, the 2018 seemed out of sorts and I will endeavour to re-examine this. Overall, it was a superb set of 2019s from Bruno Clair that will age with style.
2007 Savigny Les Beaune La Dominode
Color: Red

Score: 89.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good bright, dark red. Blackberry, musky minerality and chocolate on the nose. The palate offers good stuffing and volume, with supple black fruit flavors nicely framed by underlying minerality and ripe, dusty tannins. Finishes with sneaky length.

Producer Commentary:
"The 2007 vintage is about fruit more than volume," said winemaker Philippe Brun, who did a soft extraction. "Still, the wines are a bit more sturdy than we thought at the beginning, and they didn't lose color during the racking, which is a good sign." Acidity levels were sound, and pHs were "not very high for here," he went on. He summed up: "The '07s are more pinot, but we find more personality and terroir in the '06s. But the '06s don't give pleasure yet and need cellaring." (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2003 Savigny Les Beaune La Dominode
Color: Red

Score: 88.0

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Medium red. Aromas of cherry, raspberry, licorice, chocolate and earth. A bit clenched in the mouth but the juicy red berry flavors show some incipient complexity and firm underlying structure. Not at all sweet, particularly in the context of the year. Finishes with good persistence.

Producer Commentary:
According to cellarmaster Philippe Brun, this estate started picking its white grapes on August 26, and then stopped until September 1.Because they couldn't cool all their tanks at once, they picked only in the mornings.The pinot noirs lack acidity and are rather fragile, says Brun, adding that he believes they are best suited for drinking in their fruity youth.But he maintained that the estate had no surmaturite, and that while the premier crus are virtually all 13% or more alcohol, none of them reached 14%.Incidentally, Clair will not offer a regular Marsannay in 2003, as the estate needed this fruit to make their rose, a wine that is very popular in the U.S. market.(Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)
2002 Savigny Lès Beaune La Dominode 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 92.0

Drinking window: 2016 - 2027

Tasting notes: Good medium red. Aromas of raspberry and musky underbrush plus a hint of cinders. Strong red berry flavors display a lovely balance of energy and sweetness, not to mention superb mid-palate breadth. Finishes sweet, fresh and long, with thoroughly ripe tannins. A superb vintage for this bottling.

Producer Commentary:
2010 Savigny Les Beaune La Dominode
Color: Red

Score: 90.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: Good bright, dark red. Subtle scents of strawberry, raspberry and earth. Broad and fairly powerful, offering more breadth and flesh (this parcel dates back more than a century) but less early sweetness than the Vosne-Romanee Champs-Perdrix. Finishes with substantial dusty tannins that call for a few years of patience.

Producer Commentary:
2015 Savigny Lès Beaune La Dominode 1er Cru
Color: Red

Score: 90.5

Drinking window: 0 - 0

Tasting notes: (no hail or frost here in 2015, according to Clair): Medium red. Musky, deeply pitched aromas of raspberry, strawberry and smoky, flinty minerality. Quite taut in the early going, even a bit tough, and not showing the vintage's fleshy side today. But this firmly structured wine finishes with palate-stimulating salinity and subtle length. I would not be surprised if this eventually merited a rating at the top end of my projected range.

Producer Commentary:
The rain on August 6 brought the grapes back to a state of equilibrium following the drought conditions in July and saved the 2015 harvest, said Bruno Clair, who added that there were two subsequent “key” rains in August. “But we didn’t have a lot of grapes and they never got large,” he noted, and the estate ultimately produced the equivalent of half a normal crop.

Clair started harvesting with his Bonnes-Mares on September 5 and needed two weeks to pick. Grape sugars were mostly between 12.5% and 13%, with some even higher. The harvest was “perfectly clean” and the estate vinified with a higher percentage of whole clusters than normally. The malolactic fermentations finished relatively quickly, during the winter, and Clair expected to bottle the bulk of his 2015s in April of 2017. “The wines have complexity, charm and drive,” Clair summarized, “and they are not austere.”

Incidentally, Clair took back the remainder of his Bonnes-Mares in 2016 and now works 1.45 hectares of vines in this grand cru. All of his land is in Chambolle-Musigny, except for a small band of vines next to Clos de Tart.

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