2002 Domaine Leroy Latricieres-Chambertin Grand Cru

The 2002 Latricières-Chambertin Grand Cru is a very fine contribution to the vintage courtesy of Lalou Bize-Leroy. It has a tensile bouquet with edgy black cherry, dark chocolate and undergrowth notes, holding something back at first but then getting into its stride with a few minutes in bottle. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly brittle tannin (something that I occasionally find in this grand cru.) Yes, it is a touch foursquare, "correct" compared the more sensual 2002 Vosne Beaux Monts, but the energy and focus win you over. Drink now, but don't be afraid to cellar this for another 15 to 20 years. Tasted January 2016.

Bright ruby-red. Vibrant aromas of raspberry, cherry and minerals. Sappy, liqueur-like red fruit and kirsch flavors show great purity and almost painful intensity. Very powerfully structured, vibrant wine with a firmly tannic, strongly mineral back end. Youthfully tough and in need of a good eight to ten years of additional bottle aging, but very strong for this bottling. In fact, I can't easily remember a more promising barrel sample from this vineyard.