2018 Chapelle Chambertin
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Tasting notes
The 2018 Chapelle-Chambertin Grand Cru is heavily reduced on the nose making it difficult to read. It opens with (very) rigorous shaking, revealing mainly red fruit entwined with iodine and violets. The palate is medium-bodied with a fleshy entry. A Grand Cru that welcomes you with open arms, quite lavish on the finish but everything is kept nicely in balance. There is some volatility that becomes more noticeable with time in the glass. Afford it a couple of years in bottle. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2018 red tasting.
Critic scores
Average Score
Neal Martin
Allen Meadows, Burghound
More reviews and scores
The 2018 Chapelle-Chambertin Grand Cru is quite shut down now that it's in bottle, unwinding to reveal aromas of dark berries, cherries, smoked meats, spices and violets. Full-bodied, rich and layered, it's deep and concentrated, with powdery tannins and an introverted profile. This will demand and reward patience.
Reduction is enough to bury the fruit today. Otherwise there is good verve and freshness to the succulent, round and utterly delicious medium-bodied flavors that immediately tighten up on the mineral-driven, detailed and very serious finale that flashes outstanding length. Patience strongly advised, indeed it would not surprise me if two decades were necessary for this to fully shed its tannic carapace.
About the producer
Domaine Ponsot is one of the most well-known estates in the Côte de Nuits, famed for owning three of the original four hectares of the Clos de la Roche Grand Cru. The legendary domaine also produces another nine Grand Cru cuvées.