Wine Advisor
Olivier Bernstein, Chambertin Grand Cru 2012
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
An addition to the range, the 2012 Chambertin flows across the palate with plenty of Bernstein's signature richness. The 2012 is expressive and enveloping in texture, but more reserved in its aromas and flavors. The Chambertin is also a bigger, broader wine than the Bèze, but a bit less complex and nuanced, at least today. Given Bernstein's success with his other vineyards, it will be interesting to see what he does with this fruit going forward.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Healthy medium red. Deep aromas of raspberry, smoked meat, dried flowers, spices and herbs. A very deep, powerful black hole of a wine, showing strong menthol reserve and little easy sweetness to the flavors of kirsch, dark berries and soil. Seriously chewy and tactile wine but still an infant today. Most impressive right now on the back half, which features big, ripe tanins and great slow-building aromatic persistence.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Yes, Olivier Bernstein has added four barrels of the king of wines to his collection of crus in 2012 and 2013. Good bright, dark red. Discreet aromas of wild dark berries and iron. Thick, large-scaled, dry and utterly backward. In a distinctly masculine, soil-inflected style, with its silky texture leading to a seriously sappy finish featuring big, chewy tannins and outstanding saline, juicy persistence. This will need extended cellaring.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The maiden 2012 Chambertin Grand Cru was not easy for Olivier to come by. Here, the vines are 60-years old and it is matured entirely in new oak. It has a very fragrant bouquet with touches of rose petals infusing the red berry fruit that are exquisitely defined. The palate is medium-bodied with quite noticeable wood at the moment. I hope that is absorbed by the time of bottling because there is some lovely fruit here. I remember receiving an invitation to taste the wines of Olivier Bernstein several years ago in London. “Olivier Bernstein?” I thought to myself. “Never ‘eard of ‘im. Sounds more like a grower from Alsace.” It was actually Olivier’s maiden vintage and I soon learned that the Touraine-born winemaker came from a famous music publishing family had caught the wine bug that led to him studying oenology in Dijon that led to him establishing a winery in Roussillon in 2002, a year during which he did a brief stage with Henri Jayer. Maison Olivier Bernstein arrived five years later. The wines were not cheap, and perhaps there was a bit of hubris given that absence of a track record, although as the my cached notes on his 2007s testify, they wines made a positive impressive: sleek, very pure, polished and crafted – seductive wines where clearly a great deal of effort had been gone into their craftsmanship, wines that knew they had to impress critics like myself, as well as Burgundy lovers who needed an explanation exactly why they should hedge their bets on a relative unknown given the plethora of alternatives. For one reason or another, I did not revisit the wines until I walked from my hotel to Olivier’s winery near the center of the town, ensconced not in some “out-of-town” warehouse facility, but nestled in Beaune’s cobbled streets alongside stalwarts such as Joseph Drouhin, Albert Bichot and Bouchard Pere & Fils. Olivier himself was as convivial as I remembered him: round beaming face, loquacious as ever, eager to discuss his wines and given his spanking new winery, clearly not short of a bob or two. Yet he seems conscientious that brashness and arrogance go down poorly in this tightly knit community that does not do self-aggrandizement. Burgundy has never been a region where you can just barge in with premium price tags. You have to prove yourself against the most demanding cognoscenti in the world. And with this backdrop in mind, I have to say that for the most part these wines do deliver. The danger was that I would find the wines over-eager to impress, resorting to excessive ripeness, extraction and toasty new oak. But I found that not to be the case. Partly because Olivier and his cellar master (incidentally, the nephew of Bernard Dugat of Domaine Dugat-Py) has the nous to hone in upon parcels of old vines, something that is becoming increasingly difficult as demand has increased. “We have selected only very old vines between 60 to 80 years old, with the exception of the Chambolle-Musigny Les Lavrottes, which is just under Bonnes-Mares,” Olivier explained. “They produce naturally small yields. All the fruit is out-sourced from contracted growers, but we do the vineyard husbandry as if we were the owners. I like to have 5 or 6 barrels of wine at least not just 1 or 2 to be viable. In 2012 we used 50% whole cluster, but when we started in 2007, we did not use any as I was discovering the vineyards.” And Olivier has taken the next logical step in purchasing his first vineyards in Mazis-Chambertin and Gevrey Les Champeaux. Olivier’s wines are well worth a look – the quality is definitely tangible in these svelte and charming wines. No, not every cru is without fault and with such panache, what I would like to see is a little more of that great intangible?soul. But that is seeping through with these 2012s. Importer: currently through Becky Wassermann (www.leserbet.com) and Olivier is on the cusp of launching his wines through Wilson Daniels in the USA. Also available through Berry Brothers & Rudd (UK)
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Healthy medium red. Deep aromas of raspberry, smoked meat, dried flowers, spices and herbs. A very deep, powerful black hole of a wine, showing strong menthol reserve and little easy sweetness to the flavors of kirsch, dark berries and soil. Seriously chewy and tactile wine but still an infant today. Most impressive right now on the back half, which features big, ripe tanins and great slow-building aromatic persistence.
About the Producer
Located in the Gevery-Chambertin region of Burgundy, France, Olivier Bernstein is a winery dedicated to making small-lot, high-quality wines. Château Bernstein was founded by Olivier Bernstein. Born into a musical family, Olivier originally worked in international management. After working in Europe, Asia and the Americas, he felt a strong connection between wine and his native France and began to work part-time in vineyard management, grape harvesting and winemaking. Olivier's interest in wine grew and led to a degree in viticulture and winemaking at Beaune. In 2002, at the age of 35, Olivier finally became a winemaker, having tasted the wines of all the great Burgundy estates and studying under Henri Jayer. He bought 8 hectares of old vine vineyards in Tautavel, Roussillon, and created Mas de la Deveze. In 2007, Olivier created Château Bernstein under his own name. Château Bernstein is dedicated to making small-lot, high-quality Grand Cru and Premier Cru Burgundy wines. The winery favours old vine grapes because of their excellent balance and low yields. In order to obtain high quality, healthy grapes, the Château carries out root aeration, canopy management and flower and fruit thinning as required during the vine growing. Once ripe, the grapes at Château Bernstein are picked by hand and transported separately in small trays back to the cellar, where they are sorted a second time. The winery adjusts its winemaking process according to the quality of the vintage. The harvested grapes are destemmed and macerated at low temperature for 6-7 days, with regular drenching and, if necessary, treading of the skins during fermentation. Once fermentation is complete, the wine is matured in new French oak barrels made by Stephane Chassin, the famous oak barrel maker. The wines are not filtered or clarified before bottling. Château Bernstein offers a wide range of Grand Cru and Premier Cru Burgundy wines, which are of excellent quality and are very popular with consumers, with some wines being ordered before they are even released.
