2005 Gevrey Chambertin Ostrea

'Oyster shell fossils'. Some of the vines date from 1919! Lots of quite opulent, exuberant soft fruit... Very exuberant and crystal clear. Fresh. A little chewy at the end. (JR)

Only two weeks in the bottle, Trapet’s 2005 Gevrey-Chambertin Ostrea (an assemblage from many villages-level parcels named for their fossilized oyster shells) smells of ripe blackberries and roasted meats. Dark, low-toned on the palate, satisfyingly rich and with finer tannins than its predecessors today. Interesting suggestions of minerals and meat emerge amid the satisfying black fruit in the finish. This needs time to appreciate, both in the bottle and in the glass. Also recommended: 2005 Bourgogne Passetoutgrain (86), 2005 Bourgogne Aminima ($25.00; 85), 2005 Marsannay (86). Young Jean-Louis Trapet evinces an inspiring degree of sincerity and that rarest of human virtues “humbition”. He is clearly determined to return his family’s estate to the celebrated place they occupied on the international stage for much of the late 20th century, and thinks a critical tool is the practice of biodynamics, in which the domaine was recently officially certified. Nature certainly cooperated in 2005 almost regardless of method let alone metaphysics, and this is a promising collection. The wines are not sulfured at all during their elevage, and only minimally at bottling, demanding that the typical taster re-calibrate his or her palate accordingly. A Patrick Lesec Selection (various importers), Paris Fax 011 33 4 66 37 67 23.

Good full red. Musky, complex aromas of strawberry, minerals and spices. Finer-grained than the regular village example, with lovely lift and inner-mouth perfume to the sappy red fruit, spice and mineral flavors. Finishes with chewy but sweet tannins, leaving the mouth fresh and clean. This has personality.