2010 Charmes Chambertin
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Tasting notes
Bright red-ruby. Pure, perfumed aromas of black raspberry, blackberry, violet, licorice and pepper, plus a hint of molasses. Silky, dense and very intense, with a distinctly tangy high-toned quality giving lift to the sappy berry, dark chocolate and violet flavors. Piquant, classy wine with a very long, firmly tannic finish that delivers mounting length. The highest-toned of these 2010s at 0.55 grams per liter and the sexiest today. But this really needs at least eight to ten years of cellaring. These vines were originally 100 year old but there has been substantial repiquage (the replacement of dying or virused vines with new ones) in recent years.
Critic scores
Jancis Robinson MW
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2010 Charmes-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes is a wine of impeccable class and elegance. Layered, nuanced and subtle, the wine literally blossoms in the glass, showing off its incomparable pedigree. Sweet, floral notes appear later, adding complexity to layers of silky, highly expressive fruit buffered by suave tannins. The gracious, aristocratic finish leaves a lasting impression. This is a dazzling effort from Bachelet.
Mossy exciting nose. Very firm and precise. Glows with rich fruit and a hint of autumn. Lovely silky texture. But great definition and clarity too. Great balance. Nothing out of place, just lifted and lively and should make the most delicious middle-age bones. Fine dry tannins. (JR)
(70% new oak): Deep red-ruby. Tight, pure aromas of black cherry, blueberry, bitter chocolate, espresso and violet, plus a musky note of truffle and a hint of bacon from the barrel. Densely packed, intense and rich; utterly seamless today but still quite primary and not yet fleshy. Terrific vinosity and mid-palate definition, with lovely floral lift to the dark fruit flavors. Finishes long but withdrawn, with a note of bitter chocolate. The crop level here was a healthy 40 hectoliters per hectare, noted Bachelet. I would not be surprised if this wine ultimately merited a score at the top end of my range, but it's an infant today.