2005 Charmes Chambertin

Serafin’s deeply-colored 2005 Charmes Chambertin offers a nose with pure, high-toned sweet cherry fruit, candied almond, and star anise. Polished, sweetly-fruited, marrowy in its meatiness, and subtly creamy in texture on the palate, this beauty offers a smooth and enveloping character and a harmony that contrasts starkly with the active, more gripping personality of the Cazetiers. Also recommended: 2005 Bourgogne ($20.00; 86); 2005 Gevrey-Chambertin ($28.00; 86). It seems fitting that the wines of Serafin – who trained as a carpenter – would be surrounded by new wood. For all of their intense fruit (heightened by a week’s pre-fermentative cold soaking), there is a certain stylistic stiffness which, taken together with the natural concentration and structure of the vintage, suggests one would do well to wait six or eight years before pulling any corks. Serafin – who likens them to more concentrated, corseted cousins of his 1999s -- does not demur. He also seemed happy to note that he had managed to keep this year’s collection under 14% alcohol. Importer: Robert Kacher Selections, Washington, DC; tel. (202) 832-9083.

Serafin uses all medium-toast Troncais oak but did an experiment with this cuvee comparing barrels made by Francois Freres, Taransaud and Seguin-Moreau. From Seguin-Moreau: Good ruby-red. Vibrant black cherry, smoked meat and minerals on the nose. Suave and pliant in the mouth, with enticing fruit and rather sweet tannins. Perhaps a bit skinny on the back. In a distinctly feminine style, privileging finesse. From Taransaud: Bright ruby-red. Riper aromas of black raspberry and chocolate. Sweet, suave and supple, conveying an impression of energy. With its ripe acidity and good stuffing, the tannins are nicely buffered. From a Francois barrel: Pure but closed nose. The tightest and least forthcoming of these three samples in the mouth, with a penetrating mineral quality showing today and very good life in the mouth. A powerful, dense and firmly tannic sample, with plenty of underlying structure. Serafin told me he did not use any Seguin-Moreau in 2006 for the Charmes or Cazetiers, and of the three barrel suppliers he liked Taransaud best in 2005 for its combination of density with energy.