2014 Chambertin Grand Cru

Olivier Bernstein was concerned that his 2014s were in the process of shutting down in bottle when I tasted them in November But they nonetheless showed spectacularly Yes, they have tightened up since I sampled them from barrel in late 2015 but they are now showing more perfume and precision, not to mention the distinctly redder-fruit character of their vintage Bernstein loves the 2013s today and believes that they could be better than the 2014s over their first ten years “But 2014 is more classic, more ambitious,” he said

Incidentally, Bernstein now produces 80 barrels of premier and grand crus per year and about 20 of village wine, the latter still raised in his old cellar in Gevrey-Chambertin (his main facility is in the middle of Beaune)

Olivier Bernstein was concerned that his 2014s were in the process of shutting down in bottle when I tasted them in November. But they nonetheless showed spectacularly. Yes, they have tightened up since I sampled them from barrel in late 2015 but they are now showing more perfume and precision, not to mention the distinctly redder-fruit character of their vintage. Bernstein loves the 2013s today and believes that they could be better than the 2014s over their first ten years. “But 2014 is more classic, more ambitious,” he said.

Incidentally, Bernstein now produces 80 barrels of premier and grand crus per year and about 20 of village wine, the latter still raised in his old cellar in Gevrey-Chambertin (his main facility is in the middle of Beaune).

Olivier Bernstein told me that, beginning in 2012, he has changed his techniques somewhat with the objective of making wines with more delicacy. He has shortened total maceration time to about 18 days at slightly higher temperature than in the past, with the first cuvées getting about five days of cold maceration before the fermentations start. In 2014, he vinified with about 30% whole clusters. He now does almost no punchdowns, relying on pumpovers instead in order to keep the berries intact as long as possible. And he de-cuves quickly even if there’s a bit of sugar remaining, “otherwise there’s the risk of too much extraction. ” He summarized:"We let the wines construct themselves during élevage. We just need to start with perfect berries and then be gentle."

Bernstein, who has always made his wines with barrels from Tonnellerie Chassin, has recently begun to switch from Jupille oak to the Fontainebleau forest, which he thinks gives more precise definition and backbone. “Jupille brings flesh and a bit of sweetness, while Fontainebleau is a little more austere," he explained, adding that with the 2015 vintage he's now using 80% Fontainebleau oak.

He began harvesting in 2014 on September 13 with potential alcohol levels of around 12% and chaptalized up to a full degree. At the time of my November visit to his cellar in the center of Beaune, he considered 2014 to be “a little better than 2013: more finesse, better balance, more classic. We had roundness and flesh in 2013 but we'll go further with 2014. The ’13s have shown beautifully from the start but the 2014s have stronger raw material and more potential. They're not as showy or thick as the 2013s but they have more length and complexity in retrofaction. ”