2010 Gevrey Chambertin Les Champeaux

Bright red. Nose dominated by crushed rock, licorice and iron scents. At once dense and vibrant in the mouth, with a smooth texture but terrific verve to the generous flavors of dark raspberry, minerals and smoked meat. Thick and seamless but perked up by excellent energy and underlying spice character. Really spreads out to saturate the mouth on the very long finish. The crop level here was just 27 hectoliters per hectare, noted Fourrier.

Just below Les Goulots. Mossy autumnal nose. Very rich and sweet and vibrant. Lots there with great richness and fragrance and raciness. (JR)

The 2010 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Champeaux is a much more obvious, flashy and seductive wine than the other Gevrey 1er Crus. It shows all of its qualities up-front, in a radiant, juicy style that is impossible to resist. The Champeaux caresses the palate with pliant red berries, freshly cut flowers and slate, all of which flow effortlessly to the supple, inviting finish. I can’t see too much reason to delay gratification with this bottle. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2028. The biggest news at Domaine Fourrier is Jean-Marie Fourrier’s decision to launch a small negociant operation to augment his estate wines. Readers can look forward to new bottlings from the 1er Cru Aux Exchanges in Chambolle-Musigny and two new Grand Cru wines from Clos de Vougeot and Echezeaux, all of which will debut with the 2011 vintage. As for 2010, Fourrier told me he is down 40% across the board in terms of yields. The cold weather during the flowering produced 100% millerandage (shot berries), which Fourrier described as pea-sized grapes. While that is not good for quantity, it has certainly turned out great for quality. Readers who want to learn more about Fourrier’s thoughts on the vintage and approach to vinification might want to check out my video interview on www.erobertparker.com. As a quick note, none of the 2010s had been racked at the time of my visit in early December 2011. I have kept scores a bit wider than normal in the few cases where the wines were a touch reduced. Importer: Rosenthal Wine Merchant, Pine Plains, NY; tel. (800) 910-1990