Vinous - Neal Martin (96)

The 2021 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru has a sophisticated bouquet with brambly red berry fruit, tobacco and undergrowth scents with discrete use of whole bunches. Fine delineation despite a touch of reduction. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red fruit laced with balsamic. Quite strict and mineral driven, clamming up somewhat towards the finish. However, it feels fresh and persistent and should repay time in bottle. Indeed, of all the wines in this flight, this improves the most in the glass. Tasted blind at the Burgfest tasting.

Vinous - Neal Martin (96)

The 2021 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru has a sophisticated bouquet with brambly red berry fruit, tobacco and undergrowth scents with discrete use of whole bunches. Fine delineation despite a touch of reduction. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red fruit laced with balsamic. Quite strict and mineral driven, clamming up somewhat towards the finish. However, it feels fresh and persistent and should repay time in bottle. Indeed, of all the wines in this flight, this improves the most in the glass. Tasted blind at the Burgfest tasting.

Vinous (96-98)

The 2022 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru has a slightly deeper and more powerful bouquet than the Clos Saint-Jacques. Exquisite definition and focus—there are more oyster shell scents here. The medium-bodied palate has finely chiseled tannins, a little chalky in texture, building wonderfully to a saline, persistent finish that exudes real breeding. A noble wine in the making.

Vinous (96-98)

The 2022 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru has a slightly deeper and more powerful bouquet than the Clos Saint-Jacques. Exquisite definition and focus—there are more oyster shell scents here. The medium-bodied palate has finely chiseled tannins, a little chalky in texture, building wonderfully to a saline, persistent finish that exudes real breeding. A noble wine in the making.

Vinous - Neal Martin (95-97)

The 2023 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru has a delectable bouquet, so pure and refined, with razor-sharp delineation and gorgeous, vivacious red fruit tinged with bay leaf and forest floor. The palate is medium-bodied with red berry fruit, hints of dark chocolate and crushed stone minerality. It is wonderfully balanced, with a touch of black pepper lingering on the finish. Outstanding.

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (93-95)

This is a new cuvée, a fermage on 0.69ha close to Les Amoureuses. Excellent purple, full of energy, has been racked for reductive reasons, a huge starburst of ripe rasp and strawberry fruit, fine tannins, keeps driving on well afterwards. A very good example. Tasted Nov 2020.

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (93-95)

This is a new cuvée, a fermage on 0.69ha close to Les Amoureuses. Excellent purple, full of energy, has been racked for reductive reasons, a huge starburst of ripe rasp and strawberry fruit, fine tannins, keeps driving on well afterwards. A very good example. Tasted Nov 2020.

Imbued with the distinct pedigree of its Burgundian terroir, the Bruno Clair Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Charmes 2020 ennobles any collection. Bruno Clair, a stalwart in Marsannay-la-Côte, meticulously cultivates this distinguished wine in Burgundy's Chambolle-Musigny vineyard. The 1er Cru status signals superior vineyard sites, and Les Charmes certainly delivers. Utilising traditional vinification methods, the wine undergoes rigorous selection, complete destemming, and is aged in French oak barrels for appropriate integration of flavour.

The result is a complex yet elegant Pinot Noir, expressive of red fruit, mild spice, and an underpinning of earthy notes, assuring a harmonious balance on the palate. The Bruno Clair Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Charmes 2020 unfolds gracefully, revealing the finesse and longevity emblematic of the Clair estates. Ideal for discerning collectors and wine enthusiasts, it represents the symbiosis of time-honoured tradition and exceptional terroir.

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (91-94)

A new contract from 2019. Mid crimson colour. The nose here is a stylish red fruit but with some depth behind more together than Les Véroilles. Very even across the palate with medium plus length. You have to wait a bit but the finish shows quite how good this is. Drink from 2026-2032.

Wine Advocate (91-93)

The 2005 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos du Fonteny leads with blackberry and charred meat aromas accented by hints of lily and vanilla. Positively palate-staining with juicy blackberry, charred meat, cherry pit, tactile cinnamon spice, soy, salt, and chalk, this superbly-lean, tannic yet fine-grained, densely concentrated wine throws itself energetically into a finish of superb length.

The Bruno Clair Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos du Fonteny 2011 is a riveting exhibit from the esteemed house of Bruno Clair. Constructed within the notable terroir of Gevrey-Chambertin, in the heart of Burgundy, this wine proudly represents its Premier Cru status. The 2011 vintage seduces the palate with a harmonious blend of black fruits, ripe berries and lighter floral notes, underpinned by the quintessential minerality that is a testament to its chalky-clay soil origin.

Bruno Clair, a benchmark Burgundian producer, exhibits masterful traditional winemaking methods, from hand-harvested grapes to aging in French oak barrels for 12 to 18 months. This meticulously crafted bottle, rightly named 'Clos du Fonteny', is well-regarded for its depth, elegance and remarkable ageing potential. A premier choice for collectors and enthusiasts seeking the refinement of Bruno Clair Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos du Fonteny 2011.

Vinous (88-91)

Bright palish red. Distinctly red aromas of cherry and rose petal. Sappy and perfumed, conveying lovely inner-mouth floral lift and noteworthy finesse. Nicely suave, fine-grained wine with smooth tannins and very good length. These vines are planted on soil rich in white marl, like Clair's Gevrey-Chambertin Cazetiers and Bonne-Mares, and routinely has the highest pH in the cellar (3. 7 in 2014). But this 2014 does not lack for energy.

Wine Advocate (92-94)

The 2016 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos du Fonteny, a monopole of the domaine, has a beautiful bouquet with dark berry fruit, blackberry and light orange blossom scents. This just blossoms with a couple of swirls, displaying impressive vigor while maintaining detail. The palate is stunning: wonderful focus, so much tension and you can really feel the calcaire on the tensile finish. This represents an outstanding offering from Bruno and it comes highly recommended.

Vinous (92-94)

The 2017 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos du Fonteny 1er Cru, which contains 40% whole bunch fruit, has a very detailed bouquet of crushed-stone-infused, minerally fruit; hints of incense and lavender emerge with time in the glass. The palate is fresh and vibrant right from the start, offering candied tart red fruit mixed with orange zest and citrus peel, wonderful definition and such vivacity on the finish that you will beg for another sip straight away. Might this surpass the Clos Saint-Jacques this year?

Vinous (92-94)

The 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos du Fonteny 1er Cru comes from the domaine’s monopole. It has a well-defined, quite leafy bouquet that is a little timid at the moment compared to its siblings. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannins, a mixture of red and blueberry fruit and superb salinity and tension on the elegant finish. Recommended - one of Clair's hidden gems as everyone goes for the Clos Saint-Jacques!

Vinous (92-94)

The 2019 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos du Fonteny 1er Cru, a monopole of 0.67 hectares, has a tightly wound bouquet that opens with aeration: brambly red fruit mixed with light loamy and woodland scents. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, very mineral-driven with an almost flinty, stern and strict just like a Ruchottes on the finish. Excellent, but one for serious Burgophiles.

Vinous (90-92)

The 2021 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos du Fonteny 1er Cru has a fresh, vibrant and mineral-driven bouquet, touches of incense emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, lots of finesse here, just a touch lactic towards the finish but it's smooth and harmonious. I see this as being quite approachable compared to other vintages.

Vinous (90-92)

The 2021 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos du Fonteny 1er Cru has a fresh, vibrant and mineral-driven bouquet, touches of incense emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, lots of finesse here, just a touch lactic towards the finish but it's smooth and harmonious. I see this as being quite approachable compared to other vintages.

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (94-96)

5 Star Wine. Beautiful colour here, a darker crimson, and the fruit is magical. Perfectly on the red and black cusp while the whole bunches add a floral note. The Clos du Fonteny is on terrific form today with a fine balance of acidity to finish, alongside balanced tannins. A fine long aftertaste. Drink from 2030-2036. Tasted Nov 2024.

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (94-96)

5 Star Wine. Beautiful colour here, a darker crimson, and the fruit is magical. Perfectly on the red and black cusp while the whole bunches add a floral note. The Clos du Fonteny is on terrific form today with a fine balance of acidity to finish, alongside balanced tannins. A fine long aftertaste. Drink from 2030-2036. Tasted Nov 2024.