2005 Domaine François Bertheau Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru

Originating in the contiguous crus of Gorseilles, Gruenchers, Noirots and Baudes (this last beneath Bonnes Mares), Bertheau’s 2005 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru smells of lightly-cooked black cherry, cassis, and lightly medicinal herbal-mineral notes. In the mouth, this blossoms with sensationally perfumed floral profusion. It evinces a very pure, tart choke cherry aspect, while retaining the sweeter suggestions of baked black cherry. There is a similarly delightful counterpoint between creaminess of texture and an abundance of bright fruit acids. Hints of ginger, spice, and pungent herbs add invigorating complexity. The wine simply soars in the finish, delivering the clear, pure, floral essence of Chambolle. Pierre and Francois Bertheau render textbook Chambolle, which means that pinotphiles who crave extroverted richness or overt sex appeal may find them less compelling than I do. (The stylistically contrasting Chambolles of Perrot-Minot and Bertheau went right to the top of my own shopping list this vintage.) Interestingly, although only modestly saturated in color, all of Bertheau’s wines have that mysterious blackish hint at the rim that many old-timers will tell you is a distinctive mark of Pinot. The Chambolle and Chambolle 1er Cru are rotated out of their largely used barriques after the first year and rest for 3-4 months in large traditional fuders. All of the wines are bottled (unfiltered) at the same time, which in this instance was a mere two weeks before my late February visit. If they were laboring at all under the effects of this, then (with one exception) I would be amazed, because I find it hard to imagine a clearer, more distinct set of personalities in young Pinot. Importer: Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 524 1524