1999 Charmes Chambertin

(tasted from a magnum; entirely destemmed): Medium red with a hint of evolution at the rim. Slightly decadent, soil-driven nose conveys aromas of kirsch , leather and underbrush, plus a more humid whiff of black chanterelle. Then surprisingly youthful on the palate, more about acidity and cut than thickness and still in need of time to expand. Philippe Charlopin told me that he was doing more pigeage and extraction in general in 1999, as well as slightly shorter élevage than today. And he noted that this wine was very closed in bottle for many years. Still, these tannins strike me as rather noble.