2009 - Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru, Domaine des Lambrays

The 2009 Clos des Lambrays continues to shine. The self-effacing Thierry Brouin has conjured an exquisite bouquet of wild strawberry, scorched earth, small red cherries and a touch of undergrowth. Brouin’s style is to keep everything contained, natural and unpretentious and so you get a comparatively conservative Clos des Lambrays that is underpinned by light, tensile tannins, with a veneer of red fruit, not great weight but rather weightlessness that is unusual for this vintage. It is in keeping with the domaine’s approach to Pinot Noir, one that I have learned to appreciate more and more with passing years. Tasted March 2013.

Moderately saturated medium red. Captivating aromas of red raspberry, mocha, pepper and mulch, but without quite the floral high notes of the 2010 bottling; nuances of minerals and red licorice emerged with aeration. Wonderfully silky and sweet in the mouth, even if the wine's fruit is currently somewhat withdrawn. Finishes classically dry and long, with strong dusty tannins in need of patience. In a powerful style and perhaps a bit awkward today as its slightly edgy tannins are in the foreground, but aeration brought more fruit and a captivating note of dried flowers. This still calls for patience. (13.3% alcohol; 3.64 pH; 3.6 g/l acidity)