Description
Frédéric Esmonin, Mazy-Chambertin Grand Cru
If you want a quick, sure-fire way to discover the who’s who of Gevrey-Chambertin, just have a look at some of the top names that bottle Pinot Noir from Grand Cru Mazy-Chambertin—one of the single-most important vineyards in all of France. It’s like a Burg U President’s List: Domaines d’Auvenay, Armand Rousseau, Dugat-Py, Confuron-Cotetidot, Perrot-Minot, Joseph Roty, Denis Mortet…and that’s nowhere near a complete rundown. It is, however, a lineup of the most expensive labels, all of which range from $400-$800, excluding d’Auveny’s ungodly $10,000 outlier. But fear not! There’s no need to extricate yourself just yet because Frédéric Esmonin’s bottling is an extraordinary $135 value in a sea of über-expensive labels.
Although Esmonin’s Grand Crus have been perennial performers on SommSelect, their prices still defy logic to me. Firstly, his old vines in Mazy-Chambertin vines only measure ⅓ of a hectare. Secondly, he uses premium 100% new French oak. And thirdly, just take note of the year: This isn’t some new, juicy release—it’s from 2014, one of my personal favorite “classic” vintages. So, for all those who comprehend the entire Grand Cru package and take notice of the exorbitantly priced competition, I guarantee this purchase will feel like Christmas came early. Their importer tells us this small parcel marks the last of the vintage. Up to four bottles per person until we sell out.
Located in Gevrey-Chambertin and focused almost entirely on wines from that village, the Esmonin family has only been ‘domaine bottling’ its own wines since 1991. Previously, André Esmonin sold grapes (and wine) to some of Burgundy’s most respected négociants, including Jadot and Leroy. André continues to assist his son, Frédéric, at this tiny property, whose vineyard holdings total just four hectares—albeit four well-positioned hectares, which include pieces of the Grand Crus Ruchottes- and Mazy-Chambertin as well as three Premier Cru sites. Their vines are very old (50+ years in the Grand Crus) and production is, as you might expect, very small: overall, they bottle around a dozen different wines, none of them in significant quantities.
The Esmonins farm sustainably, practicing a French approach known as lutte raisonnée which essentially translates to intervention only when necessary. Their .33 hectares in Grand Cru Mazy-Chambertin (aka Mazis-Chambertin) lie in the upper part of the vineyard and some of his vines here are now pushing past 60 years of age. In the cellar, a brief cold maceration is carried out before fermentation. The resulting wine matures in high-quality French barrels, 80-100% new, for 14 months before an unfiltered bottling.
If you wish to lose yourself in a deep, truly soulful bottle and be reminded why Gevrey-Chambertin is one of the top Pinot Noir-producing villages on earth, Esmonin’s stunningly perfumed 2014 Mazy-Chambertin is it! This is textbook Grand Cru red Burgundy—a regal, succulent, deeply perfumed Pinot that few others in the world can match. At seven years old, this beauty is just getting started. We decanted our bottle for 90 minutes before service in Burgundy stems and by the end of the night, it was spilling out silky and explosive perfumes of violets, rose petal, underbrush, pu-erh tea, dried pomegranate, and wet rock alongside a slow-building cascade of wild berries, plum skins, mushroom, baking spice, and pronounced black cherry. The palate is firm and muscular with polished oak flavors that are wonderfully integrated. I think this has reached the second tier of its evolution and will stay in that beautiful window for the next 2-5 years before slowly turning into a savory masterpiece around its 15th birthday. Enjoy!
