CHAMBERTIN CLOS DE BÈZE

2017 Grand Cru Domaine Joseph Drouhin

EN PRIMEUR

Crazy aromas of smoked meat, white pepper, dried fruit, orange peel and flowers. Full body, round and chewy tannins and a flavorful and intense finish. Shows so much richness and depth. A great wine for the vintage. Rating: 96 Nick Stock, www.jamessuckling.com (Feb 2019)

* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.

Nicely rich. Some cocoa-powder like dusting. Fruit is nice, rich plum juice and some firmer darker berries too. A cooler drive and a nice feel. Fruit ripens as it opens on the palate. 40% Whole cluster. This is serious and seriously charming too. Drinking range: 2022 - 2030L&S (Nov 2018)

The 2017 Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru shows a more delicate, nuanced side of Bèze, a site where the wines are often more powerful. Dark cherry, plum, lavender and spice flesh out in the glass. Pliant, nuanced and inviting, the Bèze is quite expressive in the early going. There is a good bit of tannin lurking in the background, but all the elements are very nicely balanced. Rating: 91-94 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Jul 2019)

(40% whole clusters). While not quite as aromatically complex as the GE, it’s close as this also features a panoply of spice elements along with exceptionally fresh and dense red currant, violet and plum aromas. Interestingly the mouth feel of the middle weight flavors is super-fine, indeed almost lilting and delicate, with a relatively pliant if sneaky long finish. This is lovely if a bit atypical. Drinking range: 2025 - Rating: 91-94 Allen Meadows, www.Burghound.com (Apr 2019)

There are six barrels of the 2017 Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru, a wine that was vinified with large amounts of whole cluster once again this year, and its bouquet of orange rind, peony, cinnamon and red berry fruit is strongly marked by stem inclusion. On the palate, it's medium-bodied, ample and delicate, with melting tannins, juicy acids and a sapid finish. Charming and open-knit, to my taste the technique is dominating the terroir here, though readers who live for the distinctive signature of whole-cluster fermentation will want to add a few points to my score. Rating: 90-92 William Kelley, The Wine Advocate (Jan 2019)

The 2017 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru includes 40% whole cluster fruit and contains both estate and purchased fruit. It has a lovely bouquet of dark berry fruit laced with bergamot and undergrowth aromas, beautifully defined, with real Pinoté shining through. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red berry fruit. There is wonderful balance here, and a subtle spiciness comes through on the finish. This is one of Drouhin’s best 2017 reds. Drinking range: 2020 - 2036 Rating: 94-96 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Jan 2019)

Mid crimson. So pretty: red fruits, a stemmy freshness that is leafy but in a lovely way, not at all underripe. Fabulous depth and length but with an elegant shape, not exactly slim but perfectly proportioned, like the body of a yoga expert, sinewy and strong but not lean. Savoury with a marked oak flavour on the finish at the moment and a long peppery aftertaste. Drinking range: 2027 - 2040 Rating: 18.5 Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Dec 2018)

Joseph Drouhin, founded in 1880 and still family owned, are one of the most well-respected names in Burgundy, especially through their flagship wine, the iconic Clos des Mouches.

A huge part of the Drouhin production comes from their own domaine fruit (78 hectares), and much of the rest comes from contracts such as that with the Marquis de Laguiche, who shook hands with the grandfather of the current generation, agreeing to let him manage his vineyards which included an important part of Le Montrachet; this collaboration endures. Today, the fourth generation is at the helm

Small refinements continue to be made here. The presses have been changed - a reversion to basket pressing for the reds, and for whites the presses are open - along with a number of other growers they are following the trend to think that slight oxidation of the juice before fermentation is not a problem and may add complexity as well as avoiding later problems of premature oxidation in bottle.

For the reds there has been the introduction of selective whole-bunch fermentation in the Côte de Nuits wines. The house style remains one that 'emphasises the natural elegance of great Burgundies' as they describe it. The domaine is all cultivated with an organic and biodynamic approach.

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STORAGE OPTIONS:

Wines bought en primeur are scheduled to arrive in the UK over the course of the next eighteen months. If you do not wish to take home delivery, you may wish to consider where you would like the wines shipped on arrival in the UK. Lea & Sandeman offers duty paid and in bond storage through a dedicated storage company called Elephant Storage. For more details on the terms and fees associated with storage please go to our Storage Homepage or contact our primeurs team for more information.

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BURGUNDY EN PRIMEUR FAQ

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