2011 Gevrey Chambertin Les Cazetiers

Tasted blind at the Burgundy 2011 horizontal tasting in Beaune. The Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers 2011 is demonstrating a lot of extraction on the nose with assertive, demonstrative black cherry, licorice and cassis fruit that do not quite convey the terroir with the same clarity as Bruno Clair’s Cazetiers. The palate is medium-bodied with chewy tannins. The acidity is well judged and there is good weight, although the finish is missing some delineation and finesse at the moment. That might develop with time but as I found in barrel, the 2011s are not convincing from Rousseau.

Good deep red with ruby highlights. Dark raspberry and licorice on the nose, complicated by musky herbs, menthol, leather and game. Then less sweet and more medicinal in the mouth than the Lavaux, displaying distinctly darker flavors. In a more masculine style, finishing with tougher tannins. The vines here average 55 years of age, making them the oldest of the estate.