2013 Chambertin Grand Cru

Olivier Bernstein gives his 2014s a slight edge over his 2013s for finesse, balance and strength of the raw materials but he finds the 2013s “more showy and thick.” I was most impressed by the latter wines’ combination of richness, precision and energy. It’s hard to believe that Pinot Noir harvested at 12% potential alcohol (most of these 2013s were chaptalized to around 13%) can achieve such depth of flavor but then that’s the magic of Burgundy. Bernstein bottled his '13s last April.

It's quite remarkable to think how far Olivier Bernstein has come in a relatively short time. When I first met him a few years ago, Bernstein was working out of a rented cellar in Gevrey and buying fruit. Today, Bernstein has a small but newly renovated winery in the center of Beaune and owns parcels in Mazis and Champeaux. Bernstein has turned out a gorgeous set of 2013s. As always, the wines are racy and forward, but in 2013, the cool, late year gave the wines super-expressive aromatics and a pulsating acidity to balance the intensity of the fruit. The 2013s were done with around 50% whole clusters, although the Bonnes-Mares saw 80% stems.

"The more I work here [in Burgundy], the more I wonder if we need total ripeness for our Pinot Noir," noted Olivier Bernstein in November. "If we lose acidity before we pick the grapes, we may regret it." Of course, Bernstein and his team routinely carry out two passes through the vines to cut off bad grapes in July in August, and in 2013 they did another round of selection in early September, before beginning the harvest on September 29. The result was what he described as a "decent" crop level--and no need to do an additional triage at harvest. Potential alcohol levels were in the 12% range for most parcels and the wines were chaptalized to about 13%. Bernstein typically vinified his '13s with about 50% whole clusters. Incidentally, Bernstein loves his 2011s but notes that they're not very giving today and that they're almost too ripe. "The 2013s have more fruit; in fact, the 2010s, 2012s and 2013s will be more pleasant to drink over the next ten years than the '11s."