22 vintages of Bruno Clair Chambertin Clos de Beze

18 November 2014: The highlight of our annual visit to Bourgogne this year was a vertical tasting of Bruno Clair's Chambertin Clos de Bèze. We were delighted to be joined by Bruno Clair and his son Edouard who started working at the domaine 4 years ago, after a degree in biology!

Bruno, seated in the middle, with his son Edouard on his left

Bruno is the grandson of Joseph Clair, originally from Santenay, who met and married a lovely girl from Marsannay, Marguerite Daü, during the 1st World War. Domaine Bruno Clair has 0.98 ha of Chambertin Clos de Bèze. The vines were planted in 1912 (about 2/3) and 1972. Bruno's vintage at the domaine was 1979.  When Joseph died in 1971, the domaine Clair-Daü was split up amongst the children and some of the vineyards either sold to Jadot or entered into metayage arrangements.

The 1966 bottle got squirreled away in this photo!

We tasted 22 vintages of the Chambertin Clos de Bèze, Bruno Clair and here are my impressions of the wine in brief:

1966 (this was a Clair-Daü label): Aromas of autumnal leaves, dried roses, mushroom and cinnamon spice filled the mature bouquet overlaid with mocha, caramel and dried fruit notes, evoking a sense of warmth and spiciness. A lovely mature wine, with silky texture, graceful balance, and a good dose of vibrancy on the palate. Definitely drinking now, and if kept well, should have a further life of 4 - 5 years, at least. 18/20


1989: Quite a bit of brett on the nose. Lacking in intensity and energy on the palate...though some complexity. Well evolved. I had expected more body/flesh, given the warmth of the vintage. 15.5/20


1990: Some ripe fruit still showing...but volatile acidity has started to poke through and is evident on the finish, with the fruit barely holding on. Strangely delicately-framed given the vintage's hallmark warmth and flamboyance. 15.5/20


1991: One of the star performers of the vertical. Plenty of intensity, concentration of ripe fruit, but maintaining a very elegant impression. Vibrant acidity, with well-integrated extremely fine tannin. Very harmonious and a most complete wine. 19/20


1992: A ripe fruit vintage. This has evolved nicely, still showing beautiful freshness. While attractive, the wine does not have the power and concentration of the climat. Drinking perfectly today but there is no upside potential to be had....this should continue to drink well for another 5 -6+ years. 17/20


1993: Quite a bit of brett on the nose. The acidity is firm. Quite austere, not very charming today. The best may still take some time to come? 16.5/20


1995: (From a magnum) A brett-dominated nose! Totally without charm today. Question whether this wine will ever turn around??!! 14.5/20


1996: Ripe fruit on the palate, but somewhat lacking in concentration, lively acidity, perhaps it's finally turning the corner?  I did not like the dry finish so much!   16.5/20


1998: Some brett and volatile acidity on the nose, but silky texture and well balanced. Seems to have more flesh than the 1996. Will need to revisit with further bottle evolution. (Richard remarked a good 1998) 16.5/20


1999: Another star performer for me. Beautiful aromatics (dried fruit, leather, spice, sous-bois and mushroom). Intense flavours and silky tannin structure lifted by firm acidity filling the rich and complex palate. Utterly moreish and finishes long. An excellent wine! (A remark from the group that the wine seems to have matured at a faster pace than expected....perhaps not one for the very long haul.) 18.5/20



2000: There was a bit of brett on the nose. Dark fruit and dried fruit (prune). Not as flamboyant and fleshy as expected of the vintage. Not very expressive. A little disappointing. Drinking well now! 16.5/20


2001: A lovely perfumed nose, well-balanced but delicate in its frame. A lovely lift on the finish....17/20


2002: Another star performer for me. There was a whiff of volatile acidity on the nose...but not enough to mar the enjoyment of this gorgeous, expressive, classy wine. Beautiful fruit showing ripeness and purity. Nicely concentrated, fleshy, beautifully textured and structured, with everything perfectly proportioned. Very refined. A classy wine of its terroir and vintage. 18.5/20

One of my favourites!

2003: A hint of burnt fruit...only a little, together with some spice and leather. There was an understated elegance in the evident richness, representative of the vintage but not over done. It will be interesting to retaste this in 5 years time to see how it has evolved. 16.5+/20


2004: Hints of the 'ladybird' secreted methoxypyrazine (an aroma compound like overcooked mushy peas), amidst a red fruit and floral nose. Still a little astringent......will need some time to develop but may not have the material to support long term development. 16/20


2005: Very attractive aromatics, showing bright and ripe berry fruit. Still very primary. Vibrant acidity with still firm but fine-grained tannin, needing time to resolve. The palate confirms its power, concentration and intensity. Today, this very complete wine is still a little closed but shows plenty of promise and will need at least 8 - 10 years to fully deliver! 19/20


2006: Plenty of ripe fruit...but lacking in precision in the detail......seems a bit loose in the structure. This will need some time to develop. 17+/20


2007: A little one-dimensional.....lacking in concentration or complexity, but a very fine effort. 16/20


2008: At first quite unyielding, with very firm acidity, and not much on the palate. Started to show better definition and structure with aeration. Could develop into a classy wine. 17+/20


2009: Fleshy and opulent, given the ripeness of the vintage. Already very approachable. Moreish. Needs time to develop more complexity. 18+/20



2010: A little muted but the linearity, elegance and purity are evident. Well crafted, a great expression of the vintage. Love the vibrancy and complexity on the palate. To revisit in 8 - 10 years' time. 18.5/20


2011: Lovely red fruit....a bit clunky and four-square. This could do with more time to resolve the firm tannin and develop some padding on the palate. 16.5/20

Bruno had brought along for us to taste a magnum of his 2008 Morey-Saint-Denis 'En La Rue de Vergy'. It showed lovely minerality, nuances of fennel seeds, still plenty of energy and a nice crisp finish. A lovely wine! Perfect with cheese!  He also brought a magnum of 1994 Clos Saint Jacques which according to those who were quick to the bottle, it was absolutely delicious!


What a fabulous tasting!  (And thank you so much to our wonderful lunch host!  I loved the sausage and lentil stew!)  These are expressive wines that reward patience!

Aren't they beautiful?