2011 Chambertin, Clos de Bèze, Domaine Drouhin-Laroze
Critics reviews
Neal Martin - 30/11/2014
About this WINE
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
Tasted blind at the Burgundy 2011 horizontal tasting in Beaune. The oak comes through stronger than on Drouhin-Larozes Chambertin Clos de Bze 2011 compared to Bruno Clair. The fruit is broodier and only reluctantly reveals blackberry and wild raspberry scents, touches of orange blossom later. The palate is medium-bodied with ripe, thickset tannins that lend this weight and muscle. Bold and forward with touches of spice and white pepper toward the finish, this is an assertive Clos de Bze that will require several years in bottle.
Neal Martin - 30/11/2014
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