Some things are worth the wait… This was an excellent Gevrey-Chambertin more than 20 years ago; today, it is superb.

Burgundy is well known to all wine lovers, renowned for its outstanding and prestigious wines from the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes. Its terroir consists of limestone-rich soils, with warm summers and cold winters, further divided into many micro-climates that cause significant differentiations between the hundred or so appellations.

One of the most prestigious of these, located in the Cote de Nuits, is Gevrey-Chambertin. This appellation produces superb red wines, noted for their deep color, intense aromas, and power, as well as the potential to age very well. This small village has more Grand Cru vineyards than any other in Burgundy, as well as many producing excellent Premier Crus!

The 1998 Philippe Leclerc Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru “La Combe aux Moines” is an excellent example of the wines from this village. HIs family has owned land in Gevrey-Chambertin for over a hundred years; he took over from his father in the 1970s. While previously the family sold their wines to negociants, he changed to focusing on direct-to-consumer sales. Aged for 22 months in Frech oak barrels, his wines have the traditional bold, full style that characterizes a good Gevrey-Chambertin vintage.

On the nose, you get scents of plum, dried fig, leather, and loam with a pleasantly surprising amount of elegant fruitiness given the age of the wine. On the palate, this wine is silky smooth and refined with flavors that are melded but still complex. There are tastes of black cherry, black currant, cassis, and leather, with a faint hint of cinnamon. After it breathes longer, there develops a touch of black licorice. Overall, this Gevrey-Chambertin is a fine wine, medium-full bodied, that has matured into an elegant Burgundy.

As Napoleon said, “Nothing makes the future look so rosy as to contemplate it through a glass of Chambertin.”