1993 Charmes Chambertin

The Charmes-Chambertin (165 cases for the world) boasts layers of flavor, a saturated deep ruby/purple color, a huge attack, considerable tannin and muscle, as well as an inner sweetness and that profound mid-palate not found in many 1993s. This wine has it all - ripeness, richness, structure, purity, and complexity. Cellar it for 3-4 years and drink it over the following 10-15. As the ratings attest, Claude Dugat, working in his 13th century abbey/wine cellar called Cellier des Dimes, hit several home runs in the 1993 vintage. His whole berry fermentation provides more fruit, but in his modest manner, Claude takes no credit for what are once again profound red Burgundies. No wonder when Lalou Bize-Leroy purchased wine for her negociant firm, she made this cellar one of her frequent stops. Importer: Robert Kacher Selections, Washington, DC; tel. (202) 832-9083

This wine showed a lot of promise early on but it seems to be drying out a bit on the short and somewhat short finish. The nicely complex and now fully mature nose still reflects some wood influence and while there is good richness and delineation, as I note the finish is no longer well-integrated into the body of the wine. To be sure, this is perfectly good but certainly not one of the vintage's better efforts. Note that another bottle tasted some years prior seemed much more balanced so I don't know if the '93 Charmes has evolved less well than originally envisioned or whether this more recent bottle was suspect. Allen Meadows, Burghound, Jul, 2008