Special Offer Price - $144.95 per bottle with code CLAIR18
At just .25 hectares ‘Petite Chapelle’ measures by a good margin the rarest of Bruno Clair’s four Gevrey premiers crus. The 70 year old vines here produce a wonderfully pure and notably refined expression, one that tends to come forward sooner than its Gevrey cellarmates.
The domaine’s parcel sits on a gentle slope just below grand cru ‘Chapelle-Chambertin.’ It's less a hillside cuvée than ‘Cazetièrs’ or ‘Clos St. Jacques’ and trends toward fragrance and delicacy rather than power. The distinction is one of texture rather than energy, 'Petite Chapelle' always presenting a notch rounder and suppler.
In ’18 we’re treated to a beautifully ripe nose, exuberant though not a bit overdone. The purple fruit is gushier than usual yet clearly on the right side of freshness, and turns redder with time (a good sign). I love the texture, soft and fleshy in the middle before the tannins kick on through the finish. These do their part in firming up the fruit though happily stop short of the finishing astringency you find in many ‘18s.
At least premier cru class and substance this year.
Cheers,
Jason
