Sylvie Esmonin, Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St Jacques 2002

vinous93

Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer

Good dark red. Wild, evolving nose combines black olive, game, spices, truffle, earth and a whiff of balsamic plum and sandalwood. Spicy, gamey and complex on the palate, showing a sexy candied quality to the flavors of black raspberry pastille and smoke. Fat with fruit but the wine's serious acidity and smooth tannins should hold it effortlessly for another decade. A captivating note of violet emerged with aeration. Incidentally, this was the first vintage in which Sylvie Esmonin vinified with a portion of the stems. She actually began with two cuvées of this juice, and she included 50% whole clusters in the batch that she vinified without SO2. Lovely energy here.

vinous91

Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer

Deep ruby-red. Highly perfumed aromas of black fruits, violet, espresso and sweet oak. Denser and thicker than the old-vines Gevrey but also quite lively, despite coming off as a bit youthfully closed today. A wonderfully silky wine that hints at dark fruits, violet and flowers. Finishes with terrific length. This needs a good six or eight years of additional bottle aging.

vinous93

Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer

(aging in all new barrels) Bright medium ruby. Blackberry, violet, minerals, bitter chocolate, mint and spicecake on the oaky nose. Superrich yet sappy, with liqueur-like fruit and chocolate flavors leavened by strong acids. Very black fruit in character, especially for a wine from this vineyard. A chewy, oaky, powerful wine whose big tannins are currently covered by lush fruit. Vastly different in style from the elegant, leaner wines made here in the late '80s and early '90s. I look forward to seeing the finished product.