2011 Gevrey Chambertin Clos du Fonteny Monopole

The 2011 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos de Fonteny has an understated, fragrant bouquet with scents of orange blossom infusing the clear, red berry fruit that blossom with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with a lovely fleshy, tense opening. This is a vivacious, poised Gevrey that is quite Vosne-like in style, with beautifully assimilated oak toward the finish. Very fine. I have tasted the wines of this Marsannay-based producer, born from the original Clair-Dau estate in 1979, since tasting my first Pinot Noir, and yet somehow I had never visited their cellars until now. Bruno Clair was on hand himself to guide me through the wines in his blur of French that at times can be difficult to understand, as if every word is joined together. As usual, at his side was cellar-master Philippe Brun. His is a relatively large portfolio spread over their 23 hectares of vineyard, which has expanded in recent years when leasehold contracts with Fougeray de Beauclair and Louis Jadot came to an end. While I found the white 2011s needing a little more precision and complexity, his reds are evolving into fine examples of the vintage and often exhibit a degree of finesse that I could not discern a decade ago. In particular, at the top end there is much to admire from wines that I feel belong within the top tier of producers. The domaine’s Corton-Charlemagne vines lie on the limit of Pernand-Vergelesses and Aloxe-Corton. Though they lie on the side of the latter, their orientation means that the wines tend to evolve more like those located on the Pernand side. Importer: Becky Wasserman Selection (various importers), Le Serbet, Beaune; fax 011-33-3-80-24-29-70. Also available in UK through Berry Brothers & Rudd and Justerini & Brooks.