2008 Chambolle Musigny

Smoky Latakia tobacco and bittersweet herbs accent the bright, fresh red berry fruit of Lachaux’s 2008 Chambolle-Musigny, with the decadent side of this appellation revealing itself in suggestions of forest floor, well-hung game, and faded lily inner-mouth perfume. Refined tannins underlie a finish tinged with smoke, fruit pit bitterness, and considerable intrigue for a village-level wine. I would expect this to provide admirable satisfaction for at least a half dozen years. I tasted Pascal Lachaux’s 2008s soon after their late-January bottling, and a few of them may have been suffering from trauma they thereby sustained, but on the whole this was an impressive if darkly-hued and unapologetically firmly-structured collection. Lachaux reports that his malos were “on time, normal,” and adds “the truth about 2008 and why the malos were so often retarded is that people sulfured the fruit too heavily at the advice of their enologues.” Even at bottling, Lachaux reports that he was sparing with sulfur and expected to take advantage of the high levels of residual CO2 in his 2008s. He says he allowed temperatures to rise during the fermentation as a means of extracting more flavor without having to actively work the cap and in consequence risk pulling out green flavors or hard tannins. This approach may explain the particularly low-toned personality of this 2008 collection, which certainly didn’t leave me wishing that the wines had sustained additional pigeage! If the number of magnums I saw is any indication, Lachaux seriously intends on putting to the test his confidence in this vintage’s aging potential. Yet he is also very keen on his 2007s, those of which I tasted from bottle were indeed impressive, though I seem even in this instance to be missing what those growers most enamored of their 2007s profess to perceive. Importer: Rosenthal Wine Merchant, Pine Plains, NY; tel. (800) 910-1990

(20% new oak) Good deep red with ruby tones. Dark raspberry, herbs, licorice and a hint of chocolatey oak on the nose. Sweet and rather gently styled, with good mid-palate texture but only moderate cut and nuance.

Deep crimson. Scented bitter-cherry aromas – quite rewarding. Very juicy and well judged though the finish is pretty dry and severe at the moment, but it is possible to see the village character. Very straightforward. Also tasted 13 Jan 2010. Score 17. Drink 2012-17: Racy, rich, confident. Juicy and lively. Bright fruit very well managed. Light bitter note on the end. (JR)