The 2014 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Embrazées has another detailed, chalk dust and citric bouquet that takes a little time to unfold. The palate is fresh and crisp on the malic entry, fine depth here with a touch of walnut on the finish. Understated but classy.

The 2009 Chassagne-Montrachet Les Embrazees flows with powerful fruit that is somewhat disguised by the wine’s prominent minerality. This is a gorgeous, explosive wine endowed with tons of fruit and a generous personality that manages to retain considerable clarity and transparency. The finish is buttery and nicely textured. Anticipated maturity: 2014+. This is another stunning set of wines from proprietors Mounir Saouma and Rotem Brakim. Saouma and Brakim practice some of the most risk-taking winemaking in Burgundy, especially with regards to elevage. The wines see extended aging on the lees with minimal sulfur. I tasted the 2009s in late June 2011. At the time the wines had never been racked. Readers should note that I accidentally omitted a number of wines from my reviews of the estate’s 2009 reds, in particular the wines from Vosne-Romanee. Those notes are now posted on the site. My tasting concluded with two wines served blind. These turned out to be two 2004 Meursaults. The first wine was made with a pneumatic press and aged with 4 liters of lees per barrel, the second wine was made with a mechanical press and went into barrel with 8 liters of lees. Both wines were aged 18 months and bottled by hand. As it turns out, wine #2 was considerably fresher and much more nuanced than wine #1.Importer: Vintus, Pleasantville, NY; tel. (919) 769-3000