2006 Domaine Trapet Chambertin Grand Cru

Sealing wax; plum and cherry with high-toned distilled counterparts; rose water; and roasted red meats all inform the nose of Trapet's 2006 Chambertin. A firm, lean palate is prominently smoky and spicy. Suggestions of fruit pit bitterness, chalk, and wet stone add to this wine's relative austerity and low pitch. Pungently penetrating in finish, this is formidable in its as yet rather forbidding way. Like the corresponding Latricieres, I'd give it the benefit of the doubt by leaving it alone for a couple of years before commencing to follow its evolution in earnest. Jean-Louis Trapet began picking September 23, and utilized two sorting tables: one for de-stemming by hand (80-90% per wine, radical by estate standards) and one for removing under-ripe or tainted clusters and berries. The fruit all came in between 12.5-13.5% potential alcohol and was not chaptalized. Given the amount of damage control necessitated by hail, this was certainly a challenging vintage for a Gevrey grower determined to stay within the guidelines of a relatively recently-adopted biodynamic regimen, a fact that seems to be borne out by the bottled results. A Patrick Lesec Selection (various importers), Paris Fax 011 33 4 66 37 67 23

Evolved nose with a hint of coffee and mulberries. Lots to enjoy here even if it may not be the very purest expression. Just wallow in it! (Though the acidity is a tad prominent) (JR)

Good medium red. Sweet aromas of cherry, strawberry, smoke and earth. Plusher and wilder than the Latricieres, but with an excellent tannic underpinning for a slow evolution in bottle. Trapet notes that the crop level in 2006 was lower than that of 2005 (but bigger than 2007). Boasts wonderful volume without any heaviness. Very Chambertin.