2010 Gevrey Chambertin Vieilles Vignes

The 2010 Gevrey-Chambertin Mes Favorites Vieilles Vignes is beautifully focused and pure. It reveals gorgeous energy in its fruit, along with attractive floral notes that add lift as the wine fleshes out on the finish. These old-vine parcels scattered across Brochon and Gevrey average 60-70 years of age.

The 2010 Gevrey-Chambertin Mes Favorites Vieilles Vignes is beautifully focused and pure. It reveals gorgeous energy in its fruit, along with attractive floral notes that add lift as the wine fleshes out on the finish. These old-vine parcels scattered across Brochon and Gevrey average 60-70 years of age. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2018. Alain Burguet has decided to retire, so his sons Eric and Jean-Luc are now in charge, although their influence has been felt in the wines for at least a few vintages, most visibly in the reduction of new oak. Otherwise, Eric and Jean-Luc Burguet told me they plan to keep things pretty much as they have been for some time, which means farming without pesticides and bottling with no fining or filtration. Yields in 2010 are down about 45% from 2009, including one full hectare that was lost to the December frost, an enormity for an estate with 6.5 hectares of vineyards. Unfortunately, the 2010 Gevrey-Chambertin Champeaux was too reduced to evaluate. The Vosne-Romanee Les Rouges du Dessus and Chambertin-Clos de Beze are both made from purchased fruit. I will report on the 2009s in the April issue. A Becky Wasserman Selection, Le Serbet, various American importers, including: Frederick Wildman and Sons Ltd, New York, NY; tel. (212) 355-0700, AOC Imports, CA; tel. (415) 279-8708; Toepfer Imports LLC, CO; tel. (303) 818-7640

Average age of vines 65 years, from 26 different parcels. Sweet fragrant start. Oak in evidence. Racy and a bit non classic, hem hem. But easy to love. (JR)