2012 Charmes Chambertin Les Mazoyeres

Bright, dark red. Very ripe aromas of kirsch, mocha and game, with complicating hints of flowers and earth. Sweet, powerful and fine-grained, offering terrific concentration to the pungent flavors of black cherry, dark berries and earth. Finishes very long and firmly tannic, with substantial tannins that avoid any dryness. No shortage of power here.

The 2012 Charmes-Chambertin, from an old-vine parcel in Mazoyères, is wine of pure push and pull between the overt fruit and more incisive, mineral-infused notes that fill out the wine's broad frame. I very much like the tension here. Layers of dark, balsamic-inflected fruit build to a huge, enveloping finish supported by formidable tannins that need to soften before the wine delivers its greatest pleasure. This is another drop-dead gorgeous 2012 from Christophe Roumier.