2006 Domaine Bruno Clair Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru

There was extreme millerandage in the fruit from which is 2006 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers was derived, notes Bruno Clair, and yet the finished wine weighs in at under 13% alcohol. Bittersweet cassis and blueberry fruit – with a high-toned, berry and herb distillate-like shadow to its fresh fruit – are refreshingly juicy and transparent to underlying chalk and stone nuances. This is leaner and lacks the striking perfume of the Fonteny, but nonetheless impressive, and likely to reward repeated tasting over the next 8-10 years. Bruno Clair and cellar master Philippe Brun have a battery of 1,500 liter upright fermentation casks as well as larger ovals, which permit more wines to depart small barrels sooner but not have to go into tanks. And in 2006 (or for that matter 2007), they concurred that preservation of fruit and preventing the wood from drying it out were paramount considerations. (In fact, the Marsannay cuvees were still not yet bottled when I last tasted them in the Spring of 2008.) Picking here, by the way, lasted from September 23 through October 4, and the results certainly speak emphatically for themselves. Importer: Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL; tel. (205) 980-8802