2009 Gevrey Chambertin Cazetiers

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.

The 2009 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers 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 Cazetiers may be accessible relatively early. Sweet, ripe tannins round out the inviting finish. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2029. 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. 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.