2013 Charmes Chambertin
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
Good bright, dark red. Musky, reduced nose conveys a very ripe aroma of dark berry coulis. At once thick and bright, displaying dominant flavors of boysenberry and violet, but this grand cru is more about solidity and structure than complexity in the early going. The tannins are firm but not dry. Boasts lovely texture but currently lacks magic. Finishes long: will this wine come alive with bottle aging?
Critic scores
Average Score
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
Deepish crimson. Sweet red fruit and a hint of toasty oak. Oak and tannins covering the fruit at the moment but there's still an attractive harmony in a slightly austere style. (JH)
(the Arlaud holding is in the highest part of Mazoyères-Chambertin, just under Latricières): Healthy deep red. The darkest of these young 2013: black raspberry, black cherry, licorice and violet; smells ripe! Distinctly fatter and sweeter in the mouth than most of the foregoing samples, but revealing more muscle than real personality today. Less perfumed but more powerful, finishing with serious tannic spine and structure, hints of violet and black pepper, and very good length. Totally different in style from the other 2013s here.
The 2013 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru has a perfumed, floral bouquet that is quintessential Charmes-Chambertin really. It is very well defined and pure with small dark cherries, blueberry and iris scents. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin structure, a citric thread of acidity and an austere and "serious" finish that is more Morey-like in style. There is a lovely sense of salinity on the aftertaste that begs you to take another sip. I actually prefer this to the Clos-de-la-Roche this year.