Grand Cru within Reach
2009 Simon Bize Latricières-Chambertin
"Two words: serious and pure."
That's how Patrick Bize summed up his wines from the 2009 vintage.
The Burghound echoes this sentiment: “the Bize 09s are simply fantastic wines. Don't miss them.”
We are serious Bize fans - his 2006 Vergelesses was my "Wine of the Year" in 2008. This is a cult 1er Cru that we've strongly supported every year since we opened - and every year it gets harder and harder to keep (we are already sold out of the 2009).
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Today, however, we raise the bar, focusing on his hard-to-find Latricières; a gem sourced from a .3-hectare plot of older vines in the Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru.
The 2009 Grand Crus are epic - and most come with epic price tags.The Bize, while not inexpensive, is within reach.
Bize's Latricières is almost always on the short list for people who buy Bachelet's Charmes or Angerville's Clos des Ducs or Mugneret-Gibourg's Clos Vougeot or Lafarge's Clos des Chênes... you get the point. At the same time, Bize's Latricières is also a bottle that floats in and out of the blue chip collector's world (we've seen Bize Latricières time and time again stacked next to DRC and Rousseau and Roumier).
That said, Bize is quickly gaining a wider following and at just over $200 is the perfect bottle for someone who just wants to experience what the 2009 Burgundy vintage is all about from the grandest perspective of them all.
The style at Bize, as you might guess from the producers we mentioned above, is about intensity and purity. For Gevrey, this is one of the more delicate Grand Crus. Yes, it's still meaty and inky, yet Bize weaves a very fine thread and within the tapestry of this wine is a superb edging of sous bois and top soil and mineral.
Somehow Bize has been both honest to the vintage (this is a big wine and it will go the long-haul) yet he has given the wine, definition and a serious, serious structure. In 2009 Bize left nearly 100% of the stems in: “I believe that the use of stems in a vintage like 2009 was very important as it added needed structure."
The 2009 Bize is built to go the distance. Burghound notes, “unapologetically built to age.” (You can read his full review below.) That structure and the more masculine Gevrey character plus the outright focused intensity Bize achieved here really give this the stuffing to stick around contentedly in the cellar for another two decades, minimum.
Our pricing today is among the lowest in the nation on this unique bottling, and we have just a few cases of wine to go around. Let us know your maximum order, and we’ll make allocations if need be.
To order, please reply to this email or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Ian McFadden
Director, Fine & Rare Wine
Crush Wine & Spirits
Burghound: "A deft touch of wood sets off a beautifully complex and relatively high-toned nose that combines notes of spice, red and blue pinot fruit, plum and pungent mineral notes. The rich, intense and defined medium-weight plus flavors are also blessed with copious amounts of dry extract that stains the palate on the on the impressively persistent finish. This should be terrific in time."