I am glad this bottle was sound; Barb and I pulled two Roger Bellands, a blanc and a rouge Chassagne Montrachet Clos Pitois 1er Cru.  Unfortunately the blanc was oxidized.  The Clos Pitois is a monopole Chassagne premier cru for the Roger Belland family (if the label says “Clos Pitois” it must be Roger Belland).  It was the first time Barb and I ever sat down with a Clos Pitois premier cru.

Full color.  Rich, spicy nose.  On the palate very juicy.  Ripe.  Extracted.  A little too extracted for me. But nice zip and good balance .  A new wave Chassagne 1er Cru rouge. But a little anodyne new wave.  Good though.  Not dull.  Just not all that exciting.  I would say we have a slight preference for a more traditional Chassagne (think Maltroye or, even better, Ramonet).

Chassagne reds never hit the soaring heights of the best wines from the Cote d’Or.  They can alternatively be a bit brutal, a little rustic, a touch inflexible, and a tad one dimensional.  Think plow horse pinot.  But they keep.  Don’t cellar them for twenty years but ten to fifteen years sounds just about right.