2012 Gevrey Chambertin Les Corvees

The 2012 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Corvees comes from 40-year-old vines within the 0.8-hectare vineyard. It has a light and airy bouquet that needs to dial up the vigor. However the palate is more interesting: nicely structured, elegant and focused with a tang of bell pepper toward the quasi-Chinon like finish. This should drink well over the next 6-8 years. Drink now-2020. I recall tasting the wines from Domaine Tortochot several years ago. To be honest, they were satisfactory rather than scintillating, workmanlike wines without flair of flamboyance. Meeting Chantal Tortochot and reacquainting myself with their 2012s in London, I was pleased to discover a significant improvement and that is a valuable thing because we need more affordable wines from Gevrey beyond Rousseau and Dugat-Py (which is to take nothing away from those growers.) Part of the reason is the transition to organic viticulture since 2003 and achieving complete conversion in 2008. In addition the talented Sylvain Pataille has been on board in a consulting capacity and that has resulted in more complexity and nuance. The tenets here are straightforward: the fruit completely de-stemmed, twice-daily punch downs and a decent amount of new oak, 100% for the grand cru, 50% for the premier and 25% for the village crus. Domaine Tortochot is one to put back on your list and I look forward to keeping track of their progress in future issues. Importer: PComms International Wine Imorters, tel: 828-274-9323. www.pcommswines.com & several in the UK such as OW Loeb and Fine & Rare Wines.

Bright cherry red. Smoky, peppery aromatic fruit. Refined, dry texture with fresh persistence. Fine harmony with a gentle grip on the finish. (JH)