Bruno Clair - Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Cazetiers 2021 (750ml)
Price: $335.00
| Producer | Bruno Clair |
| Country | France |
| Region | Burgundy |
| Subregion | Gevrey-chambertin |
| Varietal | Pinot Noir |
| Vintage | 2021 |
| Sku | 7999 |
| Size | 750ml |
Decanter: 94 Points
This dark powerful wine was made exclusively from the old vines in Clair?s 0.87-hectare parcel of Cazetiers. Clair explained 'We only saw 4 barrels from 60 [planted] ares; the young vines were all pulled up because of problems with the rootstock. There is a compellingly ripe plummy fruit here yet no loss of freshness on the palate. The texture is firm and tannic with great length and a complex subtle finish. According to Clair the muscular texture comes from the grey marl soil: 'The vines have to struggle to grow'. (Drink between 2025-2045)
Burghound: 92-95 Points
Moderate reduction presently dominates the underlying fruit though there is excellent verve to the more concentrated and powerful if less refined medium-bodied flavors that brim with sappy dry extract while the balanced finale offers first-rate complexity and persistence. This is terrific and in 2021 appears to be a match for the Clos St. Jacques. (Drink starting 2033)
Vinous: 92-94 Points
The 2021 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru is a tiny production due to degeneration in the vineyard for the 161-49 clone. It has a very precise bouquet that gently unfolds in the glass with wonderful mineralité. The palate is tensile from the start candied orange peel infusing the red fruit just a touch of hardness on the finish at the moment suggesting that it will need 3-5 years in bottle. Classy. (Drink between 2026-2038)
dWine Advocate: 91-93 Points
One of the highlights of the range the 2021 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Cazetiers unfurls in the glass with notes of orange zest raspberries sweet spices and petals. Medium to full-bodied fleshy and impressively concentrated with powdery tannins and lively acids this south-facing site has performed especially well. I'd heard murmurings of a renaissance at Domaine Bruno Clair for some time so this year I made a point of visiting. Evolution has indeed been underway: farming is now very close to organic across the 24-hectare estate; yields are being limited more strictly in the younger parcels; cover crops are the order of the day with the frequency of cultivation reduced; trees are being incorporated within all new plantings; and now in the winery whole clusters are being systematically retained in significant percentages and the frequency of punching down reduced. What are the results? The pure-fruited style of the domaine which doesn't push ripeness or percentages of new oak remains very much intact but even in 2021 more intensity of flavor and more expressive fruit already appears to be apparent. This was a very pretty set of wines and I look forward to following vintages to come. Published: Jan 31 2023
