2006 Domaine Denis Bachelet Charmes-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes Grand Cru

Pre-selection and rigorous sorting appear to have eliminated any negative impact of hail in Bachelet's 2006 Charmes-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes, but with the result that this virtually always intense and well-structured wine from 80 year old vines is even more so than usual. Bitter-sweet herbal, tarry, and almost liqueur-like dark berry concentrates (cassis and black raspberry) – along with low-toned roast meatiness – inform a seamless palate, softer to the touch and with a more restrained impression of acidity than the old vines village Gevrey, yet still plenty of vivacious primary fruit juiciness. Hints of sealing wax and inner-mouth perfume of peony, heliotrope, and rose add intrigue and allure. Resin, iodine, and wet stone convey a sense of depth in the lingering finish, and speaking of "lingering," the empty glass smells so sweetly fruited and floral as well as intriguingly mineral that its perfume alone will seem worth the price of admission. "I was really concerned to retain acidity here," comments Bachelet, who professes to be less than completely happy with some of his wines from the ripest vintages. "I'm looking for a wine with vivacity and equilibrium," he adds, "not a California style." He certainly got a beauty, and you would be well advised to give any bottles 3-4 years rest before following for another half dozen or more. Denis Bachelet performed a rigorous, late green harvest as a means of "pre-selection," recognizing that thereafter more than enough work would still remain to be done at harvest and on the sorting table. (Green harvest in July or the first half of August in retrospect risked dangerous pressure on berries when the vines began to pump rainwater.) Bachelet guided his 2006s – as is ever his wont – through late malos (keeping them in an extremely frigid cellar), and in other respects, too, he says, the vinificatory regimen was "the same as usual. Nature is what makes the difference." After light chaptalization, they have around 13% finished alcohol. "For me," he says, "this is a very classic vintage, like 2001 but with a bit more acidity, whereas the 2007s are more fruity and feminine." It follows that Bachelet considers his 2006s – especially the (predictably ripest and earliest-harvested) Charmes-Chambertin – demanding of time in cellar. A Becky Wasserman Selection, Le Serbet; fax 011-333-80-24-29-70

Deep crimson. Rather overdone oak and very aggressive drying tannins on the finish. No fun at all – a bit exaggerated. I missed this. (JR)

Good red-ruby. Aromas of black cherry, violet and bitter chocolate. Very rich and sweet but less open in the mouth than on the nose, with a strong dark chocolate flavor dominating today. Finishes supple and aromatic, with ripe tannins and smoky richness. Bachelet finds this much more accessible than the 2005 at the same stage.