2008 Latricieres Chambertin

As usual, from a combination of contract grapes and purchased wine (with the same sources here since 2003), the Camille Giroud 2008 Latricieres-Chambertin presents peat and black pepper, crushed stone, and ripe, lightly-cooked cherry in a lovely nose, rich yet tart palate impression, with a pungently smoky, peppery, and stony finish. It lacks the sweetness and charm of the Charmes but its formidable density and grip backed by abundant fine-grained tannin suggests a wine worth forgetting in the cellar for a few years and that should hold up well for 12-15. David Croix’s 2008 Camille Giroud collection was picked late; slow to evolve; and for the most part had not been bottled when I tasted in April. Although I missed out on a couple of wines in this year’s collection, the line-up from Camille Giroud was also smaller than in previous years. (I have not tasted the 2007s here. For details about the recent revival of Camille Giroud and about David Croix’s approach, readers are referred to reports in issues 160 and 170 respectively; and for reports on Croix’s own domaine, see under Domaine des Croix.) A Becky Wasserman Selection, Le Serbet (various importers); fax 011-333-80-24-29-70

(my sample was a blend of juice from barrel and tank) Dark red. Nose dominated by crushed rock. Not silky or sweet like the Charmes but juicy, serious, pure and imploded, conveying a strong impression of dry extract and excellent definition. The fresh fruit component is very much in the background. Much drier in style, but the firm tannins are nonetheless rather suave. Promising but unevolved. (My sample of the Chapelle-Chambertin was too reduced to assess.)