2012 Gevrey-Chambertin, Les Champeaux, 1er Cru, Benjamin Leroux, Burgundy

Very ripe, modern fruit – perhaps with a slight bit of volatile acidity, but not in a detracting way. In fact, this is really charming with a blueberry and redcurrant finish. Long, expressive, ripe, powerful and with a charming complexity on the length.

Drink 2016 - 2030

The 2012 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Champeaux was more taciturn when tasted out of barrel compared to the expressive Village Cru. It has a lively cohesive opening with a firm grip at the front of the mouth. This is another relatively masculine Gevrey from Leroux, but very well-balanced with attractive stony notes bolstering the finish. This is broody but absorbing.

Reduction renders the nose difficult to assess, but there is good intensity and freshness to the refined, pure, and mineral-inflected medium-bodied flavours that possess just a touch of Gevrey's natural sauvage character before culminating in a delicious, balanced, and impressively complex finale. Good stuff.

Drink from 2020 onward

A much darker, more explosive style of Gevrey emerges from the 2012 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Champeaux. A huge, brooding wine, the Champeaux hits the palate with plums, cassis, smoke, grilled herbs and menthol. Firm tannins frame the exuberant fruit nicely, but readers need to be patient. There isn't a whole lot of near-term appeal here, that much is sure.

Drink 2022 - 2034