Tasted with Claudie Jobard and Bernard Repolt in Beaune, 08 Jan, 2014.
The work to make a new (grape) reception area is now completed, and they even have parking now! In addition to parking spaces, they have taken-on a new fermage arrangement which, from the 2013 vintage, will contribute wines from Puligny, Meursault and some Beaune Desirée blanc.
Claudie on 2012: She noted that they’d already bottled quite a lot of 2012s, and many others are already assembled – to ‘keep the freshness.’
Bernard 2012 prices: A simple answer, +15%
First the whites:
2012 Chablis 1er Fourchaume
Raised in demi-muids, and to be bottled at the end of the month.
The nose shows green and yellow fruits on the nose. This has a lovely energy and really holds onto a great fresh-apple flavour that flows through the wine.
2012 Santenay 1er, Beaurepaires
A more obvious and powerful nose. The palate has beautifully balanced flavour, that seems more flinty. Very nice!
2012 Meursault-Blagny 1er Cru
The nose is tight – very faint, almost mineral. The flavours are fuller and have more impact – very lovely flavour, I must say. The acidity is just as good as the Santenay. So tastes great, but smells a bit anonymous today.
2012 Meursault 1er Le Cras
This is also aromatically a little modest. The palate is fuller and much more mineral, yet still rounder. Nice style – lithe and tasty.
2012 Meursault 1er Les Genevrières
The nose is sweeter and wide – though not a bit heavy. The palate has lovely width, is mouth-watering and intense. Good power here. Lovely.
Clichéd Meursault nose – and lovely it is too. There is power, but balance too on your tongue. Lovely acidity that helps the flavours flow into the finish. A really lovely Charmes.
2012 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Morgeots
I assume that Bernard was making jokes at this point – my only note is “lovely minerality”!
2012 Montrachet
The aromas are panoramic, but not particularly deep. The palate is like the nose, but the width and mineral complexity is impressive to behold. Yum!
The reds:
2012 Beaune 1er Les Bressandes
Assembled, to be bottled next week.
The nose is fresh, with very dark red fruits and plenty of energy. After the Montrachet it’s less sweet (no shit Sherlock…) but has really engaging mid-palate complexity.
The nose is similar to the Bressandes with a stronger oak accent. Lots of flavour dimension – really! Some salt, a little licorice – something interesting at every turn!
2012 Beaune 1er Les Teurons
The ex-Germain vines.
Lighter in colour after the last two, but impressive aromatics; higher toned and with a fine floral note too. More tannin, with a little grip but virtually no grain. Overall there’s less impact than the Marconnets, but very similar complexity despite less overt oak characteristics. Very, very nice.
2012 Beaune 1er Les Grèves
Deeper colour. High tones, an interesting and complex nose.Silkier but with eventually a more velvet grain from the tannin. The fruit pops-up in the mid-palate – and very nice, dark-red fruit it is. Lots of extract in the finish.
2012 Nuits St.Georges
To aid my geography Mr Repolt points out that these grapes are very much closer to Romanée-Conti, than the grapes from the Beaune Grèves!
The nose is a little spicy and dark-fruited. Oof! This is full of high-toned dark-fruit. Lots of tannin too but with a well-judged overall balance. Tons of power here for a Villages wine. Impresses.
2012 Vosne-Romanée
Aromatically this is a less powerful (okay, let’s say ‘more modest’) version of the Nuits. The fruit on the palate is also less sweet but similarly structured – only the tannin is a shade finer. If you’re looking for an exciting ride, take the Nuits in preference!
2012 Gevrey-Chambertin
The nose is rather dark, but very inviting, ringed by some higher tones. The palate is structured but lithe and has an ever-evolving, gorgeous fruit. What a good effort!
2012 Nuits St.Georges 1er Les Bousselots
A little lighter coloured. Wide aromas with a redder fruit. In the mouth there are lots of high-toned interest and finesse too. Nice bright fruit in the mid-palate that slowly and sweetly fades in the finish. Very lovely!
Like the Bousselots, this was bought-in as grapes, but in both cases, the harvest date and picking team were Remoissenet’s.
This wine is fuller with a lovely core of sweetness that grows and grows in tandem with the acidity – even the flavour seems to keep growing after you swallow. Really super!
2012 Morey St.Denis
The nose has high tones and seems very pretty, even some marzipan in there, perhaps. Round, softly textured but still with tannin. Pretty wine, that style-wise, reminds me of a Serveau wine.
2012 Morey St.Denis 1er Millandes
The nose is a little shy, but shows lovely crystalline red fruits. Also a little shy on the palate, but little-by-little the intensity grows. Lithe, a little burst of energy and some minerality. Very pretty, but blind, you might be forgiven for assuming the 1st Morey was the 1er Cru, rather than this.
2012 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Les Echanges
Lots of interest, high-tones – just a lovely nose. Also wide and a little mineral on the palate, exerting itself with more complexity in the mid-palate and finish. Much more communicative than the Millandes today.
2012 Vosne-Romanée 1er Les Suchots
Focused aromas of red berries and some higher tones. This is lithe and fine with expressive sweet fruit – it’s really rather elegant and long. Very long.
2012 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Les Cazetiers
Literally, just bottled.
The nose seems not so wide, but is deep and cushioned, showing dark-fruit notes. Concentrated, lithe and muscular, over a good tannic base. Just what you want from Cazetiers I suppose! Really great material here.