2005 Chambolle Musigny Les Baudes

Very dark purple. Still very prickly but with good fruit weight. Lots of acidity. Very difficult to judge at present – almost seems as though the malo hasn’t finished. Very dry finish. Drinking range is an estimate. (JR)

Serafin’s 2005 Chambolle-Musigny Les Baudes, deeply colored and like all his wines from this vintage boasting a healthy purple glow, offers intense aromas of red and black raspberries and resin, with a slightly savage pungency that calls to mind this site’s famous neighbor Bonnes Mares. (De Vogue owns the portion of that grand cru immediately adjacent to Serafin’s vines.) In the mouth, a decidedly bloody meatiness emerges amidst the slightly jammy fruit, leading to a fine, palate-staining and firmly tannic, faintly resinous finish. Right now, this displays formidable raw intensity rather than finesse. 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.

Bright ruby-red. Musky aromas of coffee, chocolate and minerals, with some nutty oak showing. Supple and lush, with a suave, silky texture and a suggestion of exotic herbs (the parcel is not far from Bonnes-Mares). Plenty of acidity and substantial dusty tannins give this rather wild, minerally wine good structural support. Serafin says he is now picking these vines earlier to avoid getting surmaturite