2014 - Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru Vieilles Vignes, Denis Bachelet

There are 8 barrels of the 2014 Charmes-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes Grand Cru this year, five of them new. The bouquet demanded encouragement from the glass and it retains a sense of broodiness and introspection. This is holding everything back, although one can see that it leans more to the black side of the fruit spectrum compared to redder Corbeaux. The palate is medium-bodied with ripe, quite succulent tannin, but as always there is real elegance and poise here. It clams up a little towards the finish, just leaves the door open ajar, but sufficient to notice its impressive structure with a tingle of black pepper on the aftertaste. It will need several years in bottle, but it will be worth the wait.

Bright dark red. Brooding aromas of black raspberry, dark cherry and bitter chocolate, plus a whiff of dried flowers that carries onto the palate. Sappy, sweet and complex, with its currant, cherry and floral flavors complicated by iron and tobacco nuances. Really exploded with dark cherry fruit as it opened in the glass. Finishes fine-grained and very long, with perfectly supported tannins. Like the rest of these 2014s, this wine has the balance to offer relatively early pleasure.

Normally eight barrels, as in 2014. Sumptuous nose. Polished ripe, sweet fruit, with still some concentration and edge. (JR)