Bonnes Mares Grand Cru 2010, Bruno Clair

Another wine tasted from the barrel in April 2011, this Bonnes Mares starts with a mysterious whiff of côte de boeuf, strawberries, its a beguiling multi-layered nose. The wine-maker Philippe Brun explains that this is a warm vineyard with a significant amount of limestone in the soil which accounts for the full structure, ripeness and elegance. The Bonnes Mares is often picked 3 to 4 days before the Chambertin, reflecting how precocious the ripening is. Even at this stage, 7 months after the harvest, this wine is delicious, ripe, round, fresh and sumptuous. Referring to the Burgoblog quality scale this ranks as Absolutely Splendid.