1995 Charmes Chambertin

Mid ruby – not especially intense and very shaded/nuanced. Fragrant and lifted with fully developed tertiary aromas of undergrowth and morello cherries. Certainly ready with the tannins very finely polished. Broad and full and expansive, though the tannins are pretty severe. (JR)

Aged in one year old oak casks, the dark-colored Charmes-Chambertin exhibits ripe cherry fruits and a touch of spiciness in the nose and an extremely elegant dark berry, chewy palate. Slightly more austere than other Rousseau Charmes I've tasted over the years, it is a medium-bodied, velvety-textured wine. This note is the result of tastings I did in Burgundy between January 7 and January 29. The wine was tasted from cask, not bottle. Pinot Noir, a fragile varietal, reacts poorly to fining, filtration, and careless bottling techniques, I recommend caution when considering buying a red burgundy based on cask samples. I called it as I tasted it, and hope the bottled wine reflects the quality of the samples I was provided. Importer: Frederick Wildman, New York, NY; tel. (212) 355-0700

The '95 Charmes is denser than it usually is with plenty of sweet, expressive, relatively forward fruit and delicious, moderately well structured, ripe flavors that offer fine complexity and intensity on the medium length finish. There is a dusty quality to the tannins and this will probably always be a feature on the finish. Quite good though it must be said that this is hardly reference standard stuff. Allen Meadows, Burghound Nov18,1997