2015 Domaine Bruno Clair, Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru, Les Cazetiers

The 2015 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Cazetiers has a very expressive bouquet with plenty of redcurrant, cranberry and crushed strawberry scents, interwoven with dried rose petal and orange blossom aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, compact red cherry and strawberry fruit and a lovely spicy, almost Oriental note towards the structured finish. There is a lot going on in this Gevrey-Chambertin - totally absorbing and ethereal.

Bright medium red. Complex if slightly reduced nose offers scents of red berries, flowers and spices. Not a fleshy or sweet style but conveys strong saline minerality, notes of chocolate and mocha and surprising energy. The pH here is a rather high 3.7, which Bruno Clair notes is normal for this wine. The Cazetiers comes from the same rootstock, plant material and altitude as Clair's Clos Saint-Jacques, but this wine typically shows secondary and tertiary aromas earlier. The slightly rustic earth, spice and mocha flavors call for a racking.

This seems leaner than the Petite-Chapelle. Still fragrant and juicy but less fruit in the middle so it finishes rather dry. (JH)