2006 Mazis Chambertin

There is only one barrel of Charlopin 2006 Mazis-Chambertin. It tastes like a blackberry, dark cherry, and bittersweet chocolate concentrate, wreathed in fine wisps of smoke and laced with shavings of coconut and toasted oak. In the long, sweet finish, suggestions of singed red meat appear, and I suspect this will show further complexity after a few years of bottle age. I would plan to follow it for at least a dozen. Philippe Charlopin is known for his outgoing personality, which applies also to the wines of his domaine spread over more than two dozen appellations, an astonishing nine of which are grand crus. Elevage is long here, and when I last tasted his 2006s with Charlopin in Spring 2008, none had yet been bottled. Various importers, including The Country Vintner, Ashland, VA 23005; tel. (804) 752-3670 and Elite Wines, Lorton VA; tel. (703) 339-8150 and Wine Imports, Ltd., San Francisco, CA; tel. (415) 451-2520