2010 Chambolle Musigny Les Charmes

The 2010 Chambolle-Musigny Les Charmes is supple and gracious. Mint, sweet spices, dark red berries and flowers are woven together beautifully in this textured, refined Chambolle. The exuberant, flashy finish is highly appealing, but the Charmes is deceptive. It is likely to require quite a bit of bottle age. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2030. It is always fascinating to settle in for a tasting with proprietor Mounir Saouma. With the exception of Jadot, I can't think of a single maison that draws across such a broad range of top vineyards. When taken together, the whites and reds provide insight to the performance of dozens of the finest sites in the region. Saouma is not much for comparisons when discussing 2010, saying quite simply, -2010 is 2010.- The vintage was not without some disappointments. Because of the miniscule yields, there is no 2010 Romanee St. Vivant or Richebourg. As always, these are some of the most unmanipulated wines being made in Burgundy. When I tasted the 2010s in November 2011, the wines had never been sulphured or racked. Saouma had just finished bottling his 2009s (a vintage many bottled on the early side) in October 2011! Importers: Vintus LLC, Pleasantville, NY; tel. (914) 769-3000, Atherton Imports, Menlo Park, CA; tel. (650) 328-6639

Dark red. Black raspberry, blackberry, spicy oak and a whiff of menthol on the nose. A sappy, urgent dark berry fruit bomb on the palate, but with the lighter touch that a cool year brings to this premier cru vineyard. Silky and long on the finish. Mounir Saouma believes that Chambolle-Musigny is the village in 2010.