Bruno Clair

Bruno Clair started his own domaine in 1979 with small holdings in Marsannay, Fixin, Morey and Savigny Dominode. Alongside this sat his family's Clair-Dau estate, one of the great Burgundian domaines, however following the death of his grandfather Joseph Clair family disaggreements sadly lead to its dismantling in 1985. The following year, to add to his own small domaine, Bruno was entrusted with the vineyards of his parents, brothers and sisters which included those of Clos de Bèze, Cazetiers, Clos St-Jacques, Vosne-Romanée, Clos du Fonteny and Chambolle-Musigny. Bruno Clair’s wings are spread widely over the Côte d’Or covering nine appellations in total.

Bruno, first and foremost, is a vigneron adopting an approach that involves back-breaking vineyard work and minimal intervention winemaking, using a mixture of large old wooden foudres and smaller barriques for the long slow ageing process. New oak, though used, is kept relatively low - rarely going above 40% even for the Grands Crus. Edouard and Arthur Clair, Bruno's sons, are an exciting, committed new generation gradually taking over, gently introducing a few enhancements such as increased whole bunch percentages and less sulphur usage. There is no doubt that Bruno Clair have upped their game over the last ten years and have well and truly broken into the top league of estates in the Côte de Nuits.

2017 Vintage

“You’ll get lots of pleasure from this vintage” Edouard Clair affirms, who is adding dynamism and new perspectives to what is swiftly becoming a dream winemaking team alongside father Bruno and long-time winemaker Philippe Brun. 30% whole bunch fermentation across the board and less sulphur during vinification are enhancements Edouard has successfully brought into the mix and this year, to capture the very fruity, sensual nature of these 2017s, he will bottle the wines a couple of months earlier than usual - at the beginning of 2019.

2018 Vintage

I have never seen anything like it” Bruno declared. “To have such a high level of ripeness in a decent-sized and early crop like that is absolutely unprecedented” Overall yields average 35hl / ha but would have been higher were it not for a slightly smaller than expected Cazetiers and Clos St Jacques harvest. Ripeness came swiftly and early; picking began on the 24th August and had finished by 10th September, though it was from the 7th onwards where the Clairs noticed grape sugar levels rising quickly. Alcohols were relatively high without being extreme, the most potent cuvées averaging 14%. Grape skins were thick and therefore rich in tannins but given the fruit was so ripe, the resulting wines are very round and smoothly-textured. And even though berries were very ripe Bruno noticed “skins were still taut when we picked, firm and fresh-feeling, which is always a good sign.” The domaine continues to dally very successfully with a proportion of whole-bunch fermentation. In 2018 this amounted to 30% to 40%, given how ripe the fruit was – a little more than in 2017 but a shade under another “whole bunch” year such as 2015. The Clairs also avoided the temptation to inoculate to kick-start fermentation, confident in the quality of their native yeast “they are the All Blacks of the yeast world, and certainly not the French team” quipped winemaker Philippe Brun. Extractions were longer, slower and gentler than 2017, such was the level of matter and tannins in the skins. These are along the same lines as recent, highly sought-after, Bruno Clair vintages that are powerfully fruited, seductive and open-knit with good, clear vineyard definition.

2019 Vintage

Domaine Bruno Clair is on such a hot streak. 2019 is another epic performance from them. A vintage they describe as “fine and elegant. A very good vintage for quality that is well balanced with great maturity, freshness and supple tannins.”They have tempered and enhanced the season’s warm, dry conditions to produce wines that mix generous, silky ripe fruits that nevertheless retain great terroir transparency and vitality. Harvest began on the 11th September and lasted until the 24th. Grapes were picked beautifully ripe and healthy, and registered between 13.3–13.7 of potential alcohol, very much at the lower end for the vintage.The Clairs continue to employ some whole-bunch fermentation, with increasing proportions in years where stalks are ripe enough – 2019 is at the upper end of this scale with 20–50% whole bunches depending on the cuvée. Oak ageing is broadly the same as usual, between 10 and 40% in a mixture of barriques and foudres. These are so sensual and seductive, and undeniably Burgundian. A fabulous effort. One of the great red ranges of the vintage.

2020 Vintage

The Clairs began a pre-harvest on the 17th August, but harvest proper started on the 24th and lasted until the 4th September. This is a concentrated vintage, yields ranging from 15 to 30 hl/ha. Edouard and Arthur Clair decided to use a high percentage of whole bunches, 50%, except for the Vaudenelles,Veroilles and Dominode which were 20% whole bunch fermented. Extractions were very gentle “they happened by themselves” noted Arthur and the Clair brothers were careful to remain light touch throughout vinification and elevage in order to get the very best out of the vintage. An exquisite line up of reds that are so diverse and unique, each reflecting their own terroir characteristics. For the whites, these must surely represent the best range we have ever tasted. Being ever more precise on picking dates and refraining from sulphur usage during fermentation have made for some dazzlingly expressive white wines.

2021 Vintage

The brand-new Bruno Clair cuverie was put into action for the first time in 2021 affording Bruno, Edouard and Arthur a much more precise working environment in which to vinify. Particularly useful was more space for sorting, as it allowed for a more detailed process, which in turn led to more intact berries reaching the vats. Bruno was also very pleased that his new safety rail has been installed to make their pigeage safer – something they have carried out exclusively by foot since 2017. The extensive Clair cellars are deep and cold, which led to late malos, which the brothers like for it allows them to delay the addition of sulphur.They employed less whole bunch than normal and the wines will see a little less new oak, but élevage will be the normal length. “The wines have changed so much since malo, we think for this sort of a vintage a full élevage is a good thing” Arthur told us. Certainly, when we tasted them, the reds were utterly gorgeous; wines of purity, aromatic beauty, and real finesse that manage to capture the luminescence of the vintage while also speaking clearly of their individual origins. “This is the most truly Burgundian vintage since 2013” Bruno summed up.“Apart from the frost it was like a vintage from the old days”. The whites, never given any bâtonnage, are split into two camps, with the Marsannay Blanc a plump fruit forward charmer, the rest built more of racy minerality and detail.A domaine getting everything right if ever we saw one.

2022 Vintage

Less than perfect timetabling saw us heading north from Chateau de Meursault to Marsannay on the Monday after France crashed out of the World Cup, where we were met with rather more visible disappointment by the rugby loving Clair boys Arthur, Edouard and Bruno. However, kicking off with the Marsannays, directly after those of the eponymous domaine, proved without doubt that this secteur profited in 2022. This is a big tasting and one conducted in rapid fire French. But with wines like this, it flies by! The harvest began on 25th August with plots of younger vines, and progressed at a measured pace. “It didn’t feel like a hot harvest and we had time to pick precisely,” Arthur recalled. “We had a good-sized team and not a lot of sorting to do, so, in relative terms, it was quite calm” Edouard continued. The stylistic refinement continues here as the percentages of whole bunches are reduced in La Dominode, Clos du Fonteny and Les Cazetiers – a return to “Papa’s style”. Proving that dogma means nothing when it comes to the capriciousness of Pinot Noir and specific terroirs, both those wines with low-to-no-whole bunch fermentation and those with a high proportion have plenty to say. The Clairs are in a purple patch and their glorious 2022s do nothing to halt their run of brilliance.

2023 Vintage

Tasting in Burgundy’s finest cellars, in November, is not always pure unbridled joy. Sometimes the wines are backward and introvert, sometimes the winemakers can be too. Your legs get tired, your feet get cold and your palate wearies by the third or forth visit of the day. But then you’ll have a tasting that picks you up and sweeps you off your feet, one that puts a pep back in your stride, lifts the spirts and makes this whole job feel quite frankly, like the privilege that it is. This tasting of Bruno Clair’s 2023, carried out with winemaker Arthur Clair, was one such tasting. It’s hard to describe how much we enjoyed these wines – a large and varied range that traverses the Cote d’Or taking in the most illustrious terroirs, as well as more humble vineyards. It can be a daunting amount of wine to focus on in one session. And yet, these wines flew by, the notes practically writing themselves. The Clair brothers have been quietly tweaking various aspects of their production in recent years and in 2023, they’ve truly excelled themselves. Approaching each new cuvee was a thrilling exercise. You can expect excellence at just about every turn here. We can’t recommend them highly enough.