2010 - Chambertin-Clos de Beze Grand Cru Vieilles Vignes, Perrot-Minot

The 2010 Chambertin-Clos de Beze is still finishing its malo, so it is not easy to read. Today it comes across as rather delicate for Beze, with quite a bit of clarity and precision. Sweet, floral notes are layered into the sumptuous yet delicate finish. This is a hugely promising wine whose best days are well off in the future. Anticipated maturity: 2025-2045. 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