2002 Chambertin

Good deep red. Knockout nose offers blueberry, raspberry, game, minerals, licorice, coffee and earth. Very intensely flavored and primary, with noteworthy inner-mouth energy. A chewy, extract-rich wine that mounts impressively and lingers on the finish, which features very suave tannins and an absence of hard edges.

Tasted at the Denis Mortet Chambertin vertical, the 2002 Chambertin Grand Cru may well constitute my biggest disappointment, given how much I adore this vintage and the performance of the 2001 Chambertin. It starts of well with copious dark cherry and mulberry fruit on the nose, a hint of bergamot and floral scents that become more conspicuous with time. The palate is full-bodied, quite dense and firm with clearly a lot of extraction. I was not the only person that felt it leans towards the Northern Rhône on the finish, deprived of the finesse that this growing season bestowed. Unusually I actually prefer the 2001 to the 2002 Chambertin. Tasted January 2016.