2010 Domaine Perrot-Minot Domaine Gevrey-Chambertin Les Perrières Vieilles Vignes 1er Cru

The 2010 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Perrieres is striking, A beautifully articulated, nuanced bouquet melds into dark cherries, licorice and white flowers. This is a gorgeous, mineral-driven Gevrey loaded with energy, cut and focus. The Perrieres will require at least a few years in bottle to fully come together. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2030. It was great to meet up with Christophe Perrot-Minot, as I missed him last time around. Perrot-Minot is one of the most exciting domaines in Burgundy. Since 2006-2007 Christophe Perrot-Minot has begun to back away from the dark, concentrated wines he used to make, and the results are stunning. The fruit sees 5-7 days cold soak. Today Perrot-Minot does one punch down every two days, whereas previously he did three per day. In 2010 yields were down a whopping 45%. Over the last few years Perrot-Minot has expanded the range with a number of wines made from purchased fruit, including several that are sourced from Pierre Damoy. I tasted the Bourgogne, Gevrey and Chambolle from tank and the rest of the wines from barrel. I also tasted a number of 2009s that were fabulous. I will report on those wines in the April issue. Importer: Martine’s Wines. Novato, CA; tel. (415) 883-0400

Light crimson. Gamey nose. Fairly light fruit. Tart finish. Rhubarb rock. (JR)

Good deep red. Black cherry, flowers, minerals and menthol on the complex nose. Utterly primary and precise, with strong acidity framing and lifting the flavors of brambly blackberry, minerals and flowers; saline, underbrushy notes add interest. Finishes with firm tannins and very good length. Still a lot of gas here owing to the later malo.