Wine Advisor
Bruno Clair, Bonnes Mares Grand Cru 2014
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Medium red. Sexy scents of cranberry, dried flowers, dried herbs, pepper and spices. Wonderfully dense and sappy on the palate. In a cooler, more metallic style than the Clos de Bèze but with superb precision and energy. Harder to taste today but the wine's tactile palate-staining finish and uncanny energy suggest that it will be a real long-distance runner. Two-thirds of these vines were planted between 1965 and 1978 but the Clos de Bèze is older.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
(Clair's vines are adjacent to Clos de Tart; half were planted in 1946 and half in 1978): Bright medium red. Captivating nose combines scents of red and black fruits, spices, herbs and minerals. Densely packed, large-scaled and powerful; still tightly wound yet seamless, conveying excellent inner-mouth energy to its flavors of dark fruits, licorice and minerals. This classic, juicy Bonnes-Mares finishes with substantial fine-grained tannins. I would never have guessed that the pH was a relatively high 3. 7.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2014 Bonnes Mares Grand Cru has a tightly wound, stony and rather stoic bouquet at first, one that demands patience. This is not as immediate as its peers. Eventually there are subtle rose petal notes, orange zest and cold granite aromas that unfurl, giving a fleeting glimpse -- a premonition of what is to come. The palate is medium-bodied with saturated tannin, touches of orange rind infusing the blackberry and blueberry fruit, controlled and quite structured towards the finish that has great nervosité. Alongside the Clos Saint-Jacques this is Bruno Clair's best 2014.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
(Clair's vines are adjacent to Clos de Tart; half were planted in 1946 and half in 1978): Bright medium red. Captivating nose combines scents of red and black fruits, spices, herbs and minerals. Densely packed, large-scaled and powerful; still tightly wound yet seamless, conveying excellent inner-mouth energy to its flavors of dark fruits, licorice and minerals. This classic, juicy Bonnes-Mares finishes with substantial fine-grained tannins. I would never have guessed that the pH was a relatively high 3. 7.
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.
