2008 Domaine Joseph Roty Mazy-Chambertin

Altogether dark shadings – peat, black tea, licorice, and charred meats – join the bitter-edged black fruits that dominate the Roty 2008 Mazis-Chambertin. Fine-grained tannins are better integrated than a resinous spiciness that points at least in part to cooperage; and fruit pit bitterness lends a certain severity to the finish; but this is a formidably-concentrated grand cru that should be worthy of a dozen or more years’ attention. Philippe Roty insists that because of his rigorous canopy-management and green harvesting, plus a further late summer crop-drop, rot was not the problem for him in 2008 (or for that matter in 2007). But ripeness, he readily acknowledged, was. “In 2008, we simply lacked 8 or 10 days of sunshine,” he concludes, admitting that he harvested his lesser terroirs first (beginning September 23) and his grand crus last. “Which would you want to make sure ripens, Bourgogne or Charmes Chambertin?” he asked with a rhetorical laugh. This reversal of normal procedure – when taken together with the cautious extraction Roty felt committed to buy unripe pips – resulted in a 2008 collection that is mildly disappointing in its lowest echelons and among village Gevreys, though the Marsannays continued to offer considerable interest for their modest prices, whereas they were decidedly weaker partners in 2007. (Since the 2008 hail in Marsannay hit largely in the Chenove direction, it had little effect on Roty’s locations.) Tasting at the press and halting pressing as soon as bitterness or under-ripeness were detected was, says Roty, another critical factor in rendering satisfying 2008s. Malos – other than two stubborn whites on which Roty simply gave up! – finished here on a normal schedule at the end of their first winter, and thus in no way compromised his plan to as usual bottle the wines in April. I tasted in late February a pre-assemblage set aside for me two weeks in advance of my visit because in the meantime all of the lots had been sulfured in barrel. Importer: Alain Junguenet, Wines of France, Mountainside, NJ; tel. (908) 654-6173

Deep ruby-red. Knockout nose combines black raspberry, violet, licorice, menthol and smoked meat. Broad, concentrated and ripe, with lovely inner-mouth perfume to the flavors of blackberry, licorice, and violet. Much deeper and more creamy than the foregoing wines, but with the lift and light touch of the vintage's better examples. Roty picked his grand crus last, with Mazis at the end, and these wines are simply riper and more generous for the extra hang time (and the tiny millerande berries in this parcel haven't hurt). Finishes long and perfumed.

As one would reasonably expect, this is aromatically more complex if not more refined with a wide ranging nose of red and dark berry fruit, floral notes, warm earth and the classic sauvage element that also defines the supple, forward and seductively sappy medium weight plus flavors that possess good richness, which helps to buffer the moderately firm tannins that coat the mouth on the dense, powerful and long finish. Allen Meadows, Burghound Jan30,2010