The 2012 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Cazetiers has a more open and generous, quite corpulent bouquet compared to the other premier crus, and somehow the nose does not quite match up, coming across linear and stoic, tapering towards the finish. Good, but others from Remoissenet are better. You may have heard of Pierre-Antoine Rovani. One of Burgundy’s most shy and retiring members, he was his usual taciturn self, uttering all but one or two words during my Sunday afternoon tasting of 2012s in Remoissenet’s 14th century cellars, just off the Beaune peripherique. You know the story here: the name reborn in 2005 when outside investors prompted a Damascene resurrection of what had fundamentally been an also-ran bottling operation, into a quality-driven concern and vinifying wines themselves. Their policy is to buy at premium in order to acquire the best fruit, except for the 2.5-hectare of vineyard that they own themselves. With general manager and former Louis Jadot president Bernard Repolt, winemaker Claudine Jobard and chef de culture Fred Le Prince (a wonderful name that sounds like a lost bassist from Funkadelic), this has been one of the region’s recent success stories. They recently purchased the cuverie at Chateau de Chorey to make the Bourgogne Rouge and Givry Village. They use “342s” as Pierre Antoine referred to them i.e. 342-litre barrels casks for vinifying most of their wines. They have a large portfolio of both domaine and negociant wines that I tasted at a leisurely pace on a Sunday afternoon. And I must say, I was impressed by their 2012s. Sure, not everything hits the spot with such a comprehensive and diverse array of wines, but the fact is that many crus showed very well. As Rovani mentioned, there is a gap in the market for affordable Burgundy, one that will surely expand as the top names become prohibitively expensive for mere mortals. That is where Remoissenet can fit in and having overhauled their reds, it sounds as if they will be working on ameliorating their whites in future years, not that they are anything to be ashamed of now. Hey, and you know what? Even Pierre-Antoine was beginning to lose his inhibition and comes out of his shell by the end of the tasting. Importers: Simon N Cellars, Charlottesville, VA; tel. (434) 977-4476, Bertin Henri Selections, Doral, FL; tel. (305) 392 6995, Cavatappi Distribuzione, Seattle, WA; tel. (206) 292 5226, Dark Star Imports, New York, NY; tel. (646) 312 8921, Arborway Imports, Lexington, MA; tel. (781) 862-0515, United Wine and Spirits, Houston, TX; tel. (713) 696-9463, D.G.L. Distributors, Northbrook, IL; tel. (847) 291- 1110, The Sorting Table, Napa, CA; tel. (707) 603-1460. Also available through Avery’s Wine Merchants in Bristol (UK).

"Here the expressive nose is more deeply pitched and a bit more complex as well with its notes of various dark berries, plum, spice and game hints that are trimmed in discreet if not invisible wood influence. There is good power, volume and concentration to the delicious medium-bodied flavors that exude a fine minerality on the firm but velvety and impeccably well-balanced finish. At present this is only moderately complex but the structure and development potential are certainly present to allow more to develop with time in bottle."