2007 Gevrey Chambertin Clos St Jacques

Ripe, lightly-cooked plum and black raspberry; charred red meat; rose petal; and fungal forest floor render Esmonin’s 2007 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos St.-Jacques aromatically complex and its subtly silken palate similarly multifaceted and intriguing. A hint of salinity helps preserve a lip-smacking savor in the haunting finish, even given the slightly austere note of wet stone that emerges. This ought to be one of those few 2007s worth following for more than a decade. Sylvie Esmonin says she compromised in 2008 between the level of stems and whole clusters she considers ideal and what she though the precarious ripeness of her fruit could support, even after she had performed a drastic, late dropping in early September of clusters that were still swollen by rain. That said, she still ended up employing around 30% vendange entier for her Gevrey and twice that for her Gevrey Vieilles Vignes and Clos St.-Jacques. Esmonin’s September 5 commencement of the 2007 harvest was her earliest-ever, and at least at the upper-end of her roster, the results are richer than in 2008. Importer: Louis/Dressner Selections, New York, NY; tel. (212) 334-8191

Bright dark red. Sexy, deep nose combines black raspberry, smoked meat, bitter chocolate and minerals, with a slightly musky note of reduction. Large-scaled, sweet and rich, with lush black cherry and chocolate flavors accented by pepper and spice nuances. A very ripe wine that finishes with big but sweet tannins and a gamey element. But doesn't have quite the perfume and lift I look for in great Clos Saint-Jacques.

Bottled late April. Lovely perfume, round and gentle and very pretty. Round and gorgeous. With great purity. Neat and fine. (JR)