Critics reviews
Burghound - Issue #53 - Jan 2014
About this WINE
Domaine Bertheau
Domaine Bertheau is managed by François Bertheau, who took over from his father Pierre in 2003. I feel a special affection for this domaine as the carpenter who worked on our house in Burgundy (Daniel Sirandré, now retired – he really liked doing staircases) used to work part-time for the Bertheaus, and he presented us with a Bonnes Mares 1985 and a bottle of Chambolle Amoureuses 1972 when we dropped in to pay the bill. As well as those two vineyards François Bertheau, who took over from his father Pierre in 2003, produces Les Charmes and a blended Chambolle premier cru made from Les Groseilles, Gruenchers, Noirots and Baudes.
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Wine Director and author of the award-winning Inside Burgundy comprehensive handbook.
Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir is probably the most frustrating, and at times infuriating, wine grape in the world. However when it is successful, it can produce some of the most sublime wines known to man. This thin-skinned grape which grows in small, tight bunches performs well on well-drained, deepish limestone based subsoils as are found on Burgundy's Côte d'Or.
Pinot Noir is more susceptible than other varieties to over cropping - concentration and varietal character disappear rapidly if yields are excessive and yields as little as 25hl/ha are the norm for some climats of the Côte d`Or.
Because of the thinness of the skins, Pinot Noir wines are lighter in colour, body and tannins. However the best wines have grip, complexity and an intensity of fruit seldom found in wine from other grapes. Young Pinot Noir can smell almost sweet, redolent with freshly crushed raspberries, cherries and redcurrants. When mature, the best wines develop a sensuous, silky mouth feel with the fruit flavours deepening and gamey "sous-bois" nuances emerging.
The best examples are still found in Burgundy, although Pinot Noir`s key role in Champagne should not be forgotten. It is grown throughout the world with notable success in the Carneros and Russian River Valley districts of California, and the Martinborough and Central Otago regions of New Zealand.
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Description
This is also notably spicy with its fresh, cool and airy aromas of mostly red berry fruit though there are top notes of violet and rose petal. There is good volume to the delicious and quite supple flavors that display a taut muscularity on the impressively long and perfectly balanced finish. This is a relatively refined Bonnes Mares that is easily the best wine in the range in 2011 as there is just more underlying material. Note that this is a vintage where even a big cru like Bonnes Mares could be enjoyed relatively young.
Burghound - Issue #53 - Jan 2014
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