2013 Maison Joseph Drouhin Beaune Clos des Mouches 1er Cru

Medium red. Musky aromas of redcurrant, mocha and minerals. Round and sweet but nicely delineated too, with strawberry and smoky mineral flavors carrying through nicely on the persistent finish, where the tannins are dusty but not quite dry.

The 2013 Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Mouches was cropped October 10-11, completely destemmed, with a 22-day skin maceration, aged in oak for 14 months. It went through a lot of selection, both in the vineyard, on a vibranting table and optical sorting. Quite deep in color, it has a touch of reduction on the nose, but there is plenty of raspberry preserve and cranberry fruit on the nose. The medium-bodied palate is chewy on the entry with a little angularity, showing a little “toughness” toward the finish that has good length. Maybe this deserves 2-3 years in bottle in order to lose its nascent sinew? Even so, I think the white is the one to go for this year.

Destemmed, 22 days' maceration, 14 months in oak. Ready for bottling. Small harvest due to hail. 4-6 hl/ha. 'Poor vineyard manager', says Véronique Drouhin. 2004 not produced due to hail but this vintage the fruit that was left did ripen if you waited. Each vine had one cluster or none, so the fruit was ripe.  A little peppery, some sweet spice, then a touch austere but all in balance. Lovely finesse and harmony without any attempt to flatter. Peppery, spicy, long aftertaste. (JH)