2012 Domaine Gabriel Tortochot Gevrey-Chambertin Lavaux Saint-Jacques 1er Cru

The 2012 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaux St Jacques is the only cru that underwent some chaptalization this year – a modest 0.5 degrees alcohol. It has an elegant bouquet with dark plum and redcurrant scents, freshly tilled soil and woodland surfacing with aeration. The palate has a sweet entry and a pleasant, slightly grainy texture, though it does not quite deliver the finesse of the Morey Charmes. Still, this is a thoroughly decent Gevrey premier cru. Drink 2015-2023. 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.

Dark, spicy fruit. At first seems more austere on the palate than the Morey-St-Denis Aux Charmes but still has velvety tannins and juicy fruit escaping round the edges. Subtle and just fresh enough. (JH)

The 2012 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaux St Jacques is the only cru that underwent some chaptalization this year – a modest 0.5 degrees alcohol. It has an elegant bouquet with dark plum and redcurrant scents, freshly tilled soil and woodland surfacing with aeration. The palate has a sweet entry and a pleasant, slightly grainy texture, though it does not quite deliver the finesse of the Morey Charmes. Still, this is a thoroughly decent Gevrey premier cru. Drink 2015-2023. Feb 2014, www.robertparker.com