2008 Gevrey Chambertin Clos du Fonteny Monopole

Cassis, dark cherry, violet, and resinous herbs on the nose of Clair's 2008 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos du Fonteny (tasted from barrel) follow on a palate of firm, fine tannin and formidable grip. Stony and humus-like notes point in the usually dark direction of this site, here accentuated by the bitter proclivities of the vintage. Yet the whole impression is enlivened by the freshness of berry fruit and is one of depth and energy. This should be worth following for at least 10-12 years, and I suspect it will prove capable of considerable nuance. Bruno Clair and Philippe Brun report that they had to warm their cellar to encourage the primary fermentations of their 2008s, and their 2009s were already into malo before the 2008s finished. In consequence, even their Marsannays from the latter vintage had only been assembled the day I visited them in February. (Other wines were recently assembled or still in barrel, as noted in the text, and most were destined for May bottling.) The 2008 harvest here did not commence until the beginning of October. "You had mature sugars," says Clair echoing a frequent refrain, "but not mature skins or pips." Quantities were almost shockingly small this year, the Gevrey Crus ranging between 20-25 hectoliters per hectare, and there is certainly no lack of structure in what for now present themselves as a somewhat severely concentration collection. Importer: Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL; tel. (205) 980-8802