2011 Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru

Deep, intense and beautifully layered, the 2011 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru wraps around the palate with dark stone fruits and tons of pure texture. The generous, resonant style is sure to deliver considerable pleasure for a number of years. Here, too, the wine's balance is simply impeccable. The 1er Cru is a blend of fruit from Craipillot and La Perrière.

A blend of two lieux-dits, namely Crepilot and Perrieres, the 2011 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru sees 50% new oak. It offers a perfumed, floral bouquet with small dark cherries, bergamot and vanilla pod that opens with aeration. The palate clearly boasts more body and backbone compared with the Village Cru. But it remains quite languid, nonchalant even, underpinned with fine tannins that are neatly folded into a sedate, sensual finish with wild strawberry and a touch of dark plum. This is very fine. Drink 2014-2020. Claude Dugat guided me through his 2011s on a blissful July morning, the flowers in such bloom that at one point he questioned whether I was wearing any scent. For the record, I have never worn aftershave in my life. Claude’s wines are deftly made, occasionally lifted by the new oak to the extent where I feel less would be more, but still highly enjoyable. Importer: Robert Kracher Selections, New York, NY; tel. (212) 239-1275

Good deep, bright red. Pure aromas of black cherry, spices and licorice lifted by a floral topnote. Tightly wound on the palate and blacker in its fruit character than the village wine. Reticent today but finishes precise, pure and minerally, with ripe tannins nicely supported by the wine's extract. These wines were all racked in June, and Dugat believes that they "lack oxygen today," which is giving them a dryness on the finish.