2009 Chambertin Clos de Beze

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.

The 2009 Chambertin-Clos de Beze literally explodes on the palate with an array of dark fruit, roses, sweet spices and minerals. This is a deep, beautifully articulated Beze 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. Anticipated maturity: 2019-2029. 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. A Becky Wasserman Selection, Le Serbet, various American importers, including: Martin Scott Wines, Little Neck, NY; tel. (516) 327-0808, Fine Vines, Melrose Park, IL; tel. (708) 343-6702, The Source, San Francisco, CA; tel. (415) 621-6151

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.