1995 Nuits St Georges Rue de Chaux

The dark, almost black, Nuits-St.-Georges Rue De Chaux reveals an austere, almost brooding nose of burnt wood and black fruits (similar to unsweetened licorice) and an austere, masculine, chewy, tannic, dark berry-filled mouth. Full-bodied and thick, this wine requires 5-7 years of cellaring before being enjoyed over the subsequent 7-9 years. This wine (not one for the faint-hearted) was aged in 100% new oak and is an intense, tannic, robust wine that demands a few years of cellaring before being consumed. This note is the result of tastings I did in Burgundy between January 7 and January 29. The wine was tasted from cask, not bottle. Pinot Noir, a fragile varietal, reacts poorly to fining, filtration, and careless bottling techniques, I recommend caution when considering buying a red burgundy based on cask samples. I called it as I tasted it, and hope the bottled wine reflects the quality of the samples I was provided. My friends that live for California Cabernets and the reds of Bordeaux consistently adore the wines of Bertrand Ambroise. These are not subtle, elegant, cherry and strawberry-filled wines, but rather, are dark, boisterous bruisers that make their presence felt through their power and intensity. Ambroise does not filter his whites and neither fines nor filters his reds. Both are left on their lees for a year and see 100% new oak. Importer: Robert Kacher Selections, Washington, DC; tel. (202) 832-9083.