frédéric esmonin 2001 chambertin clos de bèze

28.5.2009billn
Frédéric Esmonin Chambertin Clos de Bèze
Frédéric Esmonin Chambertin Clos de Bèze

Comparisons are seldom perfect; this wine followed the ’98 Jadot Bèze which, as an adolescent, was quite savoury and certainly very ‘correct’ – I very-much enjoyed it – yet here is a wine that wears it’s youth on its shirt-collar, but still offers a controlled but compelling package that avoids the seamless, perfect interpretations of some modern high-fliers – that is to say, it shows character!

A slightly unfair choice I suppose, but if I could have only one of these bottles in the cellar, today I would take this over the Jadot, though I bet I can’t get any more for the £38 each that they cost!

2001 Frédéric Esmonin, Chambertin Clos de Bèzetry to find this wine...
A medium-plus, young, ruby-red colour. The nose is a beauty; superb depth, remnants of dark oak, wide notes of turned soil, baked bread and a slightly peppery dark fruit. Slowly but surely a soft red fruit note builds in the glass, the last drops showing a super-precise and penetrating redcurrant perfume. In the mouth this is full, velvety and still shows quite some oak flavour. There’s a little high-toned ‘mouth perfume’ and a very long bitter chocolate and oak finish. To dwell on the oak would be to ignore waves of fruit flavour that wash across the mid-palate, not to mention another burst of flavour before moving into the finish. Clearly a very young wine, but it just oozes class; that it was bought en-primeur for less than most premier crus of 2005-2007 makes me love it all the more. Really, really super.
Rebuy – Yes

Agree? Disagree? Anything you'd like to add?

There are 2 responses to “frédéric esmonin 2001 chambertin clos de bèze”

  1. Tom Blach28th May 2009 at 10:41 amPermalinkReply

    You’ve inspired me to take the plunge on some Ruchottes 01 I’ve been eyeing for a while, Bill. I’ve always liked these wines but they seem to have shed their sometimes overly lightweight characteristics since the 2000 vintage, and provide excellent value for money-particularly as it’s apparently one of the few domaines to sell futures directly to private clients.

  2. billn28th May 2009 at 11:10 amPermalinkReply

    I didn’t know they sold futures direct Tom – interesting.

    Anyway good news that you may try a Ruchottes – report back and you will save me – as I only have 2 bottles each of that and the Mazis. Maybe next week I will broach the Chambertin though.

    That’s the 01’s of-course, I still have Mazis, Ruchottes and Griotte calling me from 99…

    [still concerned that my table apparently overfloweth only with Gevrey at the moment…]

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