2012 Latricieres Chambertin

Tasted blind at the annual "Burgfest" tasting in Beaune. The 2012 Latricières Chambertin Grand Cru from Domaine Rossignol-Trapet does not quite have the panache or the vigour of J-L Trapet's Latricières 2012 on the nose, partly because of some reduction. This is much more introverted. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly sinewy tannins that clearly need two or three years to soften. But there is good matière on the finish, even if it has not nurtured commensurate finesse.

Sweet, dark, inviting cherry fruit and light oak spice. That sweetness of oak spice on the palate, too. Gentle, rather friendly for a grand cru at this age, but there's depth and length here. (JH)

The 2012 Latricieres-Chambertin Grand Cru has a lithe, feminine, pure bouquet with hints of dried petals infusing the red cherry and strawberry fruit. There is clearly a fine core of mineralite here and it comes across as being quite understated, stoic even. The palate is elegant on the entry, the fruit struck through with a citric acidity, leading to a spicy finish with touches of white pepper on the aftertaste. This is an upstanding Latricieres deserving of several years in bottle. I remember visiting Domaine Rossignol-Trapet on my very first foray into Burgundy in 1997 and having followed their wines closely ever since, it was good to return, albeit briefly, to taste through their 2012s. During that period, the biggest change has been David and Nicolas Rossignol’s conversion to biodynamics in 2004, a process that was being trialed during that first visit. They told me that they have fine-tuned their vinification in accordance, for example, using less pigeage than they once did, and this has resulted in a finer, more nuanced set of wines in recent years. Here, the harvest commenced on 27 September and finished on 4 October. Hail reduced their Beaune vineyards’ production by around 20% and their older vines suffered millerandage, though they found that the premier crus held up fine. I have always felt that their wines are a little under-rated by cognoscenti. While over the road, Denis Bachelet has perhaps unintentionally propagated a zealous, almost feverish following for his wines, Rossignol-Trapet perhaps has a more commercial bent and that used to be reflected in their good, but rarely great wines. Yet in the last three or vintages, so they have fine-tuned their style: ratcheted up a few levels towards, if not equal to that of Denis Bachelet and the village’s top tier of producers. Time to give these fine wines another look if you have not done so recently. Importer: Martine’s Wines, Novato, CA; tel. (415) 883-0400 and through various UK merchants including Bibendum and Justerini & Brooks.