2023 Olivier Bernstein Assortment Grands Crus Case

This seven-bottle mixed case contains one bottle (75cl) of each of Olivier Bernstein's Grands Crus: Charmes-Chambertin, Clos de Vougeot, Clos de la Roche, Bonnes-Mares, Mazis-Chambertin, Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze and Chambertin. 2023 Charmes-Chambertin, Grand Cru, Olivier Bernstein As ever, this is a particularly delicate and perfumed wine. It’s dainty and pretty on the nose with lashings of florals and spice. That alluring nose is complemented by an impressively pure, elegant palate – linear and vibrant with chalky notes and impressively fine tannins, and acidity that drives the mouth-watering finish. 2023 Clos de Vougeot, Grand Cru, Olivier Bernstein After the Charmes-Chambertin, the Clos Vougeot is striking in its fruit-forward focus. The nose proffers sweet and dark fruit – black cherry and bramble richness, although it’s not yet revealing its full complexity. The palate is quite full, lush with dark cherry and plum fruit, yet elegant in style, with a refreshing crunchiness and velveteen tannins. The finish is long and scented with baking spice. 2023 Clos de la Roche, Grand Cru, Olivier Bernstein This is so aromatically enticing – an almost moody nose of dark cherry fruit, pepper and cloves, piquant with its spice. The palate, however, has amazing transparency, dominated at the moment by its chalky minerality that veils the sweet fruit behind. The tannins are quite firm, with a grainy grip that frames the palate, before the long finish, echoing the palate’s flinty tones. A serious wine that will need time. The vines here are around 50 years old. 2023 Bonnes-Mares, Grand Cru, Olivier Bernstein Bernstein’s Bonnes-Mares is charming in 2023 – the nose oozing sweet, perfectly ripe, archetypal cherry fruit, with white blossom (almost lily-like) and sweet spice behind. On the palate, the wine reveals its weight: concentrated and long, driven by fine but firm tannins that build in the mouth gradually. The fruit is surprisingly intense, yet the bright acidity makes for a wine of flawless balance. Long and very, very impressive. 2023 Mazis-Chambertin, Grand Cru, Olivier Bernstein The vines in Bernestein’s Mazis-Chambertin parcel are almost 90 years in age, always producing a wine of great concentration. Sweet-spice perfume lifts the nose, with vibrant cherry fruit, grilled toast and clove. The palate is lush and silken, long and mouth-watering, but with a pleasing grip on the gums from the tannins. The wine lingers on the finish, with more minerality and sweet crushed florals. 2023 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze, Grand Cru, Olivier Bernstein These are some of the oldest vines Olivier Bernstein works with, over 90 years old – and they have produced a wine of incredible balance and complexity in 2023. The nose offers delicate sweet spice (cinnamon) with plump red-cherry fruit, grilled brioche and a savoury earthiness. In the mouth, the wine is supple, with a lovely texture and transparent density – concentrated yet light in mouth-feel, with fresh acidity, a slight chew of tannins and more of that savoury quality on the long finish. 2023 Chambertin, Grand Cru, Olivier Bernstein What a wine this is in 2023 – a grand finale to our tasting at Olivier Bernstein. The nose is intense and dark-fruited, but it’s exotic in its perfume, voluptuous and all-enveloping. Similarly, you sink into the palate, which offers a bed of cherry and raspberry fruit, all framed by beautifully long-lined, fine tannins. There’s a chalkiness that complements the lush fruit, with a tightness to the structure here that promises a long future. The wien lingers long on the tongue, with saline, mineral and earthy notes. Vivid, vibrant and very memorable – this should evolve beautifully.