2011 - Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos Saint-Jacques, Sylvie Esmonin

The 2011 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos St.-Jacques 1er Cru comes courtesy of a bottle that Sylvie kindly gave me when I mentioned that I had recently conducted a horizontal of 2011s. Typically of Esmonin’s style, the bouquet is very closed at first, displaying an almost metallic tincture amongst the black fruit. And this was after a two-hour decant! In fact, it demanded another two hours before it really opened to reveal blackberry, briary, that faint marine influence that I noticed a couple of years ago. Likewise on the palate one notices that the black fruit turns a shade of rouge, blackberries usurped by raspberry and red plum, plus a hint of Hoi Sin. It is not a wine of so-called “transparency”. This is dense and perhaps disconcertingly to some, rather opaque and therefore afford it another five years in bottle before broaching. Tasted privately at home.