2014 Mazy-Chambertin Grand Cru

Although Eric Rousseau’s top 2013 cuvées are stunning, he believes that the 2014s show “a wider palate of terroir-typical aromas" than the earlier crop of wines. The 2014s, he added, "show upfront fruit and their finishes make you salivate; the 2013s are even more saline." As is his usual habit, Rousseau picked early in 2014, beginning on September 12 but bringing in fruit with relatively high potential alcohol ranging from 12. 7% to 13. 2%. Crop levels were healthy at about 40 hectoliters per hectare for the village wines and 36 to 37 for the crus, which are still lower than the yields here in 2012 and 2010, according to business manager Frédéric Robert. Rousseau destemmed all of his fruit in 2014 but added back some stems for the vinification. The 2014s were racked and sulfited in June.

Even the first few wines in the 2014 line-up caught my attention in December—a testament to the work that Rousseau has done in the vines over the past decade; it wasn’t too many years ago that these first few cuvées were consistently underwhelming.