2012 Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru

Stunning purity and delineation are the signatures of the 2012 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru. Dark red and black cherries, menthol, licorice and cloves burst form the glass. The tannins are firm, yet they are also beautifully balanced by the sheer density of the fruit. Rich and voluptuous throughout, the 2012 is firing on all cylinders today. Like all of the wines in this range, the 1er Cru is going to require quite a bit of patience. The 1er Cru is a blend of fruit from Fontenys, Corbeaux and La Perrière.

Fonteny, Corbeaux, Perrière. 70% whole bunch. 100% new oak. More subdued nose – because of the new oak? Closed up a bit. Solid but needs time. (JR)

As usual, the 2012 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru is a blend of “Fonteny”, “Corbeaux” and “Perrieres”, raised entirely in new wood and includes 60-70% whole cluster. It has a tightly wound bouquet, the new oak prominent at the moment and masking the terroir expression. The palate has a core of sweet, ripe, citrus-fresh fruit that is very well delineated. The palate certainly carries the oak well, allowing opulent ripe cassis and blackcurrant fruit to flourish before retreating towards a welcome, quite linear finish. The final impression is that this premier cru is backward, despite the generosity of the nose, and deserves several years to show its best. Good potential though. Rapping the door at Domaine Dugat-Py, at first sight I thought that Bernard Dugat had aged a little…about thirty years to be exact. Now I know that his parents live in the conjoined house next door and that his son inherited his looks from his father, Pierre Dugat, as well as some of the most propitious vineyard holdings in Gevrey. Bernard’s wines have always had a modern sheen with relatively high use of new oak from his village crus upwards (100% for all his premier and grand crus.) These are not wines for those expecting subtlety or “transparency” – they are packed with intense flavors, bold structure and occasionally extravagant finishes. The 2012s are no exception, but for the most part these wines handles the new oak with aplomb, principally because a combination of grand crus and old vines give the solid foundation for that level of new oak, that culminate in a quite audacious Mazis-Chambertin. Of course, as Bernard mentioned, his preponderance of old vine material meant that he was hit hard by millerandage and as a consequence yields are miniscule: around 18 or 19hl/ha. The harvest commenced on 21 September with the premier crus and like many growers the malo-lactics were late, which meant that I was unable to taste two or three crus such as the Gevrey Petite Chapelle. If you like your Burgundy packed full of intensity but with finesse and do not mind cellaring for a decade a more, Dugat-Py is the place to come. Importer: The Sorting Table, LLC, 1700 Second Street Suite 380 Napa, CA 94559 ; tel: 707-603-1466 and also through Lea & Sandeman in the UK.