2010 Chapelle Chambertin

The 2010 Chapelle-Chambertin is a racy beauty bursting with cassis, blackberries, white flowers and licorice. This is an exceptionally deep, dark Chapelle defined by its sheer power and huge, textured richness. Even with all of its size, the tannins remain silky and refined throughout. This parcel was picked during the first week of October. Anticipated maturity: 2025-2045. It was great to meet up with Christophe Perrot-Minot, as I missed him last time around. Perrot-Minot is one of the most exciting domaines in Burgundy. Since 2006-2007 Christophe Perrot-Minot has begun to back away from the dark, concentrated wines he used to make, and the results are stunning. The fruit sees 5-7 days cold soak. Today Perrot-Minot does one punch down every two days, whereas previously he did three per day. In 2010 yields were down a whopping 45%. Over the last few years Perrot-Minot has expanded the range with a number of wines made from purchased fruit, including several that are sourced from Pierre Damoy. I tasted the Bourgogne, Gevrey and Chambolle from tank and the rest of the wines from barrel. I also tasted a number of 2009s that were fabulous. I will report on those wines in the April issue. Importer: Martine’s Wines. Novato, CA; tel. (415) 883-0400

(from 80-year-old vines and a very high percentage of tiny berries): Full ruby. Pristine, primary aromas of cassis, crushed rock, licorice, bitter chocolate and violet. Dense, juicy and intense, with fruity, peppery acidity energizing the seamless but very unevolved middle palate. The extremely long, brisk finish leaves the taste buds vibrating. All of Perrot-Minot's 2010 grand crus will need at least a decade of bottle aging.