Wine Advisor
Bruno Clair, Bonnes Mares Grand Cru 2009
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2009 Bonnes Mares is a dense, powerful wine imbued with massive structure and dazzling finesse. This is one of the more imposing, inward wines of the vintage, and it will require serious patience. That notwithstanding, the wine’s balance and sense of harmony are impossible to miss. Clair’s Bonnes Mares is made from a portion of the vineyard on the Morey border, right next to Clos de Tart. The fruit was harvested on September 17, on the late side in 2009. Anticipated maturity: 2024-2039. This is a beautiful set of wines from Bruno Clair. Every wine I tasted with Clair’s longtime oenologist Philippe Brun was gorgeous from top to bottom. While the top 2009s are certainly superb, the real jewels here are the village level wines which appear to be among the great success stories of the 2009 vintage. I tasted all of the wines from barrel, except the Marsannay and Marsannay Les Vaudanelles, both of which were bottled before the 2010 harvest. In 2009 Clair began harvesting on September 15 and ended on the 23rd. I also tasted a handful of 2008s, from a much later harvest that stretched into October. The handful of wines I tasted from that vintage are equally impressive, and equally worth your time. A Becky Wasserman Selection, Le Serbet, various American importers, including: Martin Scott Wines, Little Neck, NY; tel. (516) 327-0808, Fine Vines, Melrose Park, IL; tel. (708) 343-6702, The Source, San Francisco, CA; tel. (415) 621-6151
About the Producer
Domaine Bruno Clair is a young boutique winery in the Cote de Nuits appellation in Burgundy, France. Bruno Clair has a large number of vineyards, including the Clos de Beze in Chambertin and other first growths in Gevrey and Savigny, with a total of 12.5 acres of grand cru and first growths, and village vineyards scattered throughout Marsanne, Gevrey, Gevrey and Savigny. Chambolle Musigny, Morey St Denis, Vosne Romanee and Aloxe-Corton. The oldest of these vines is the Grand Cru de Beze, where 2/3 of the vines (mainly Pinot Noir) were planted in 1912, while the remaining 1/3 were planted in 1972. The Cazetiers, a first growth, is also quite distinctive. Located on the top of a hill in the village of Gevrey-Chambertin, the white marl of this vineyard gives the wines a richer mineral flavour, which makes them very different from the neighbouring Clos St-Jacques. Despite its high altitude, the wines from Cazetiai are low in acidity and only require a period of maturation before becoming very rounded on the palate. At present, Château Bruno Clair offers a wide range of wines, including classic reds such as Chambertin-Clos de Bèzes Grand cru and Bonnes Mares Grand Cru, in addition to rosé sparkling wines (Rose) and White wines. These Pinot Noir reds are powerful, but not over-extracted, giving the impression of being over-extracted, and are loved and appreciated by consumers and critics alike.
