Domaine Chanson - Chambertin Red 'clos de Beze' Grand Cru 2011

Wine Region: Burgundy - France

Grape: Pinot Noir (100%)

Tasting notes:Dark ruby colour. Intense aromas of black berries and red fruit liquor mixed with exotic fruit. Delicate vanilla note. Generous and well-structured. Dense with a great depth of fruit. Tight texture. Well-integrated tannins. Long and powerful aftertaste with spicy nuances.

Expert Ratings:

95 / 100 Wine Enthusiast

“A small, acre-sized parcel gives a wine that has both great structure and finesse. It retains the natural fruitiness of the vintage as well as a more defined texture. Concentration and densely ripe fruit are already finely integrated with the hints of wood. The wine speaks of long aging potential; don't drink before 2019.” - Roger Voss

About the Wine:

After a very cold winter and a demanding spring, the hot summer was regularly interrupted by rainy intervals. It gave way early September to a bright and warm weather, that speeded up the maturation of the grapes. Harvest began in the last days of September under a bright sunshine. Long and careful macerations have allowed to enhance the fleshy texture and smooth and elegant tannins of the Pinot Noir. Aging in oak casks during 18 months.

About the Winery:

Though modest in size, Chanson Père & Fils is one of the oldest of Beaune’s great négociant houses, having been founded in 1750 by Simon Verry. The Chanson family, already vineyard owners in Beaune, Savigny and Pernand, took control during the 19th century. In 1999 the company was sold to Bollinger, who appointed Gilles de Courcel to run the business in 2002. The company has kept its old headquarters and maturation cellars in the ‘bastion’, a late medieval stone tower which was one of Beaune’s principal fortifications, with a more modern vinification facility on the edge of town towards Savigny, built in 1974 and undergoing modernisation and extension between 2008 and 2010.

The wines are made by Jean-Pierre Confuron, of Domaine Confuron-Cotetidot in Vosne-Romanée, whose brother Yves supervises Gilles de Courcel’s family domaine in Pommard. The new team has made considerable improvements, beginning in the vineyards which are now plowed and no longer fertilized. From 2009 the domaine vineyards will be organic. Unusually amongst the major négociants, Chanson reds are made with a good proportion of the stems included. The majority of the wines see about 30 per cent new oak during maturation, with François Frères favored for red-wine barrels and Damy for white.

The Chanson Domaine, increased to 45 hectares by some shrewd purchases in 2006, provides about a quarter of the company’s production which extends to Chablis, the Mâconnais and the Beaujolais. Its own vineyards are entirely in the Côte de Beaune.