2012 Vosne Romanee Les Beaux Monts

Tasted blind at the annual "Burgfest" tasting in Beaune. The 2012 Vosne Romanée 1er Cru les Beaumont from winemaker Maxime Chuerlin feels quite dumb on the nose, very reduced (again!) and consequently deprive of terroir expression. The palate is medium-bodied, chewy in the mouth with moderate acidity, but it is a wine that seems to be just going through the motion and never wakes up to its premier cru pedigree.

The 2012 Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru Les Beau Monts has another very pure fragrant bouquet that errs toward red rather than black fruit, unlike the Petit-Monts, but likewise it is extremely well-defined. The palate is very harmonious with Maxime Cheurlin’s trademark velvety texture: layer upon layer of ravishing red fruit wrapped up in creamy new oak that recalls the great Sylvain Cathiard’s wines. This exudes panache and deserves five years in bottle. “Noellat” might be a name synonymous with Vosne-Romanee for decades. However 22-year-old Maxime Cheurlin, Georges Noellat’s nephew, is a name to look for in the future. He grew up in Champagne rather than the Cote d’Or since his parents run a successful champagne house, but it seems that Maxime heard the calling and seems intent on reinstalling the family name in Burgundy. With some enviable parcels of vine scattered around the locale, Maxime works out of the family’s small cellars just behind his parents’ house whose conservatory offers a fantastic panorama across their holding of Les Chaumees. Stylistically, these wines reminded me of Sylvain Cathiard. Yes, there is a modern sheen lent by the new oak, although it only seemed to be slightly excessive with respect to the Echezeaux. Maxime seems to be a driven young vigneron whose tenets have been instilled from an early age, but wow – what potential! Importer: Becky Wasserman Selection (Le Serbet) and through various US importers (see www.leserbet.com for full list.)