The 2010 Clos de la Roche looks like it will be a wine for the very patient. It possesses striking sweetness and perfume, yet comes across as a touch clenched on the mid-palate. Still, there is enough energy and vibrancy to make me think the wine will blossom nicely after it has settled down post bottling. Mint, flowers and sweet herbs come together in a rich tapestry of aromas and flavors on the highly expressive finish. As good as this is right now, the firm tannins really do beg for patience. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2030. Olivier Bernstein is one of the younger generation of micro-negociants who owns no vineyards, but rather sources fruit from a variety of vineyards. In just a few years Bernstein has put together an impressive collection of wines from some of the Cote d’Or’s most prestigious appellations. Bernstein describes 2010 as a vintage with a lot of millerandage (shot berries). The 2010s were vinified with 50% stems and the malos finished in July, which is fairly standard for the year. None of the 2010s had been racked at the time of my visit in late November 2011 and bottling was planned for March and April 2012. Stylistically, these are fleshy, generous wines that stand apart for their textural depth. A Becky Wasserman Selection, Le Serbet, imported by: Fine Vines LLC, Melrose Park. IL; tel. (708) 343-6702

Good medium red. Pure aromas and flavors of wild black fruits, violet, coriander and citrus zest. Urgent palate-staining black cherry fruit shows superb precision and cut, then tightens up in the glass. Finishes with firm but noble tannins and great lingering perfume, with the wine's bright acidity drawing out the fruit.

Firm and lively on the nose. Lots of juice and then a backbone. A bit sweeter than some. Very user-friendly though perhaps doesn’t express terroir to the max. Vivacious. (JR)