2005 Latricieres Chambertin

For the past dozen years, the Bize family has vinified a small lot of Gevrey grand cru. Their 2005 Latricieres-Chambertin offers aromas of black cherry, cedar, and charred meat. The mouth is dominated by cooked cherry, roasted red meats, and a formidable load of tannin. Intense fruit skin, char, and chalk in the finish cap this picture of the somberly-concentrated side of 2005, but one lacking the brightness of fresh fruit acidity and mineral salinity that make the best Bize Savignys so invigorating and intriguing. I would want to follow the short-term evolution of the tannins and taste how this evolves. Malolactic fermentations took place without delay and Patrick Bize had bottled many of the wines already in November. A significant portion of whole clusters were included in most of the fermentations. Wines from this address seldom make concessions to early drinkability or cheap thrills, and the inherently concentrated, darkly toned 2005s are certainly no exception. A Becky Wassserman Selection (various importers), Le Serbet, Beaune; fax 011-33-3-80-24-29-70.