2014 Beaune Clos des Mouches Blanc
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Tasting notes
Pale, bright, green-tinged yellow. Very pure, cooler aromas of lime zest, fresh flowers, white pepper and minerals, plus a hint of tropical fruits; wonderfully complex but youthfully subdued. Rich, silky and savory; chewy and salty in the way of the best 2014s but not at all thick or extreme despite the tiny yield. With its strong iodiney crushed-stone minerality, this sappy wine really dances on the palate and stains the mouth on the very long, floral, slowly building aftertaste. There's something almost Montrachet-like about this baby, and it should be long-lived. (8 h/h; 3.3 pH; 3.75 g/l acidity; the tiny yield was due to hail)
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Average Score
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Tasted blind at the annual Burgfest tasting, Drouhin's 2014 Beaune 1er Cru Blanc Clos des Mouches was showing strong hazelnut and smoke aromas, very Meursault-like in style with good intensity if not exuding the grace of its peers. The palate is fresh on the entry, quite rich and intense with well-judged acidity. There remains some oak to be integrated, but it is certainly in proportion with the fruit and it feels very persistent on the finish. This has just edged up a notch in quality since I last encountered it.
(the crop level was just nine hectoliters per hectare due to hail, which was actually a bit higher than production in 2013): Pale yellow. Deep aromas of lemon oil, clove, mint, white pepper and iodiney minerality, with a touch of noble reduction. Dense, sappy and deep, with a saline crushed-stone flavor dominating. Best today on the clean, slowly mounting, white-peppery finish. This fruit was harvested over ten days, which necessitated numerous micro-vinifications. Today I pick up no evidence of the damaging late-June hail.
About the producer
Joseph Drouhin is one of the largest and most famous producers in Burgundy, making both domaine and négociant wines. It remains family-owned and run, now in the hands of the fourth generation.