2017 - Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru Vieilles Vignes, Denis Bachelet

The 2017 Charmes-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes Grand Cru is one of the most backward. I can remember tasting this wine from barrel over the last 15-odd years. Patience is needed. It gradually opens to reveal exquisitely defined blackberry, hawthorn and crushed stone aromas, hints of rose petal emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with supple and filigree tannin, perfectly judged acidity, the intensity flooding towards the back end with such effortlessly ease. This is yet another magnificent masterclass in Charmes-Chambertin courtesy of Bachelet and his century-old vines.