2007 Chambertin

An ocean breeze-like amalgam of salinity, alkalinity, and animal nuances – along with fresh plum, cherry, peony, narcissus, and rose aromas – mark the alluring nose of Trapet’s 2007 Chambertin. Firmly tannic yet fine-grained, it projects a striking sense of vivacity and levity for its vintage and appellation, with persistently wafting musky florality, deep, saline minerality, and animal mystery carrying into a finish of impressive intrigue and length. Look for this to reward your ministration for a dozen or more years. I couldn’t help thinking that the 2007 and especially the 2008 vintage would be a test of Jean-Louis Trapet’s biodynamic methods and faith, as well as of his predilection for vendange entier. There was a lot to like about his 1995 and 1986 collections over and beyond the obvious earnestness and integrity of their author, but one could scarcely claim that precision and purity of fruit were these wines’ fortes. Trapet has passed the test, his faith unshaken and his methods successful in rendering two fine collections that exhibit precise aromas and flavors. Indeed, there are few if any other addresses where I would rank both the 2007s and 2008s ahead of the 2006s. There was, however, a heavy price to be paid for this success, in the form of drastically-reduced yields. Trapet joked that “there was just as much rot and difficulty in 2008 as in 2007; the difference was you had to put up with it for longer.” He held off harvesting in 2008 until September 29, and had to perform a severe selection. None of the 2007s (with potential alcohols ranging from 12.5-13.5%) were chaptalized – and the 2008s only slightly. A Patrick Lesec Selection (various importers), Paris Fax 011 33 4 66 37 67 23