2011 Chablis Les Clos

Tasted blind at the Burgundy 2011 horizontal tasting in Beaune. The Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos 2011 has much more vigor on the nose compared to the previous two wines, with vibrant citrus lemon, apple blossom and flinty aromas that burst forth with real conviction. The palate is clean and fresh, taut and linear but there is a sense of tension running throughout this les clos. It needs to muster more complexity on the finish, but it is the kind of grand cru worth cellaring for five years to see what comes out the other end.

A beguiling bouquet laced with smoke, ash, graphite and pencil shavings melds seamlessly into a rich, generous core of fruit as the 2011 Chablis Les Clos shows off its personality and breed. Powerful, deep and structured, the 2011 needs more time in bottle, but it is deeply impressive, even today. The style is quite a bit more mineral inflected and even volcanic than the opulent Valmur. This is a rare 2011 that keeps opening up with further time in the glass. There is so much to admire here.

(aged in 40% oak, including less than 5% new, until the first racking and assemblage in May of 2012): Pale, bright yellow. Ineffable high-pitched aromas of pineapple, white flowers, ginger, quinine and crushed stone. Boasts superb purity and penetration to its flavors of lemon, grapefruit, pineapple and wet stone. Best today on the very long, echoing finish, which saturates the palate with dusty stone. This has turned out very well but calls for at least five years of patience.