Tasted in Marsannay with Arthur Clair, Bruno’s youngest son, Bruno had a dentist appointment so arrived too late for the photo “That’s alright, I’ll look younger next year!” 27 October 2023.
Domaine Bruno Clair
5 Rue du Vieux Collège
21160 Marsannay-la-Côte
Tel: +33 3 80 52 28 95
www.bruno-clair.com
Domaine Instagram
More reports for Domaine Bruno Clair
Arthur on 2022:
“The malos done in 4 days in some cuvées from 2022 – quite the contrast to 2021 – 30-32 hl/ha was our result, it was a volume like 2019 here – so whilst quite low it was still much better than our previous two years. Whilst the malos were quite quick for the reds, the whites took their time – our aligote is not yet finished! I loved the aromas after barrelling, certainly after December when they opened. The first bottlings will be in March/April with a second wave in July.”
The wines…
A top address in 2022 – actually in most vintages – so many great wines!
2022 Marsannay
Very pretty and precise red fruit – from 5 parcels – soft,but silkily cushioned, broaod finishing with clean and sweet flavour.
Very precise and floral – great nose! Wonderful texture, supple, clean – that’s simply a great villages.
2022 Marsannay Charmes au Pretes
First vintage in 2018 – it was blended before. Can also be called Rosey. The vines are about 40-years-old now. 10 of the domaine’s 25 hectares are in Marsannay
A hint more aromatic depth, a hint of barrel on the nose today. Wider, supple, great texture again – fleshy and very long, I just prefer the extra incisive style of the last.
A broad, deep, layered and precise. More structure, I love this – that’s yet another great Marsannay!
2022 Marsannay Grasses Têtes
‘Always the most tannic…’
Depth and concentration. Hmm, less overt structure – more generous – but delicious wine!
Just above Bonnes-Mares, ‘it suffers a lot in the hot vintages.’ Lots of limestone here, similar to En la Route de Vergy.
A tiny reduction – but beautiful aromatic clarity. Cliche Chambolle, silky, sweet, perfumed – great villages. And so vibrant very long in the finish.
2022 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Les Charmes
The fourth vintage for this wine. Bruno knew the owners and they were looking for someone to take care of the vines and luckily, he says, he was chosen.
A calmer but deeper nose. Incisive, almost mineral, not a generous wine, it’s a wine of precision and fluidity – I love it for that.
2022 Morey St.Denis, En la rue de Vergey
Touching their Chambolle Veroilles vines
Also precise and perfumed but with a deeper something! Mineral and direct finishing. I love this too !!
2022 Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Les Jarrons
A nose that’s more direct and red-berry fruited – but also growing in perfume. WC perfume in this breadth of flavour too, slightly saline – and with a super length – slightly furry tannin – almost chalky.
2022 Vosne-Romanée Champs Perdrix
A calmer but airy nose. Hmm a mineral width but growing, growing, with a wonderfully complex, spiced, off-sweet finish that eventually becomes more saline.
‘Before 2020 the quality was lower but we regrafted with some très fin pinot and we saw a difference imediately! We have less than 1.5 barrels in 2022 – if we have enough grapes can do a single 300-litre barrel.’
So perfumed – outstanding! Direct, beautiful – this is outstanding wine.
1983 vines but it’s actually the plot of Dominode
A different red fruit but offering both clarity and a vibration in the depth of its aroma. Very silky, supple. Delicious – great baby Dominode!
‘Since 2017 we have been putting a lot of energy into these vines – before was a local worker who did the vines’ – They are very happy with the evolution.
Narrower but with beautiful precision. Darker fruit, sinuous, then it bursts wider into a panoramic finish – grand wine – ‘I sometimes age my Dominode longer than my Bonnes-Mares!”
From three, including a little Belair 1er cru and Petits Fontenys – vines mainly planted in the 50s and 60s
A diffferent perfume, violets. Lovely, it’s open and then so intense in the finish, almost licorice finishing… That will be another great villages!
2022 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos du Fonteny
Ooh – such a beautiful aromatic. Lithe and clean with clarity of flavour. Not panoramic, yet vibrantly long flavoured with a tannin that’s subtly saline accented – it’s a haunting finish. Beautiful wine!
2022 Gevrey-Chambertin Petite Chapelle
This nose starts tight but air releases airy, gorgeous, fruit detail. More structure, more power too but still open and intense. The power of Gevrey is more visible here – but deliciously visible!
2022 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Cazetiers
Planted in 1958
More complex and more masculine aromas. Hmm, this melts beautifully, great structure, super wine.
Planted in 1957, with the same plant material as the Cazetiers, planted by Bruno’s father. ‘Unlike the brother, this can open and close’
Hmm – wide, elegant, subtly floral perfumed. Ultra fine texture and structure. Great, elegant wine today.
Old vines, 2/3 from 1912. Not long finished the malo – as late as the Grasses Têtes
An aroma that just takes off with air – open, fine and pure. Just next level layering and depth of flavour – it will be great – actually, it already is!
In 2016 Bruno recovered the rest of the family parcel, so here is all the Bonnes-Mares of Morey, next to Clos de Tart.
Fuller, muscled but with wonderful aromatic clarity – great, great fruit. Hmm, that’s so texturally great too. Its even approachable today – Bonnes-Mares !!
The whites:
2022 Marsannay Sous La Roche Blanc
Will label this Charmes au Pretre in 2023
A little ripe lime on the nose. Supple, cushioned, but with a nice middle energy – the best part is the finish – lovely wine.
Much more floral – very open – it’s a good invitation. More direct, mineral, less generous. This is really my style of direct and mineral wine with an almost cranberry finishing freshness – great Marsannay Blanc
2022 Marsannay Grasses Tetes Blanc
A more closed core of aroma. Concentrated, more generous and with a little cushion to the texture. Contemplative, delicious wine but give me Longeroies!
2022 Morey St.Denis En la Rue de Vergy Blanc
Above Bonnes-Mares.
Broader, riper fruit but good fresh invitation. Wide but fluid and mouth-watering and great finishing. With citrus skin zest…
2022 Corton-Charlemagne
We’re not the owners but since ’93 this has been our baby – we do everything here. Only 2 barrels this year. Almost in the village of Pernand – the sun only gets here at 10am in the summer! Malo done only 1 month
Not a large nose but one of very attractive freshness. Beautiful texture and faintly cushioned shape. That’s going to be very lovely!