2005 Château de Chorey Beaune Cuvée Tante Berthe 1er Cru

Combining superior, only partly de-stemmed, fruit from Teurons, Vignes Franches and Cras (a blend essayed in past generations, explains Germain) the 2005 Beaune 1er Cru Tante Berthe offers aromas and flavors of blackberry, cherry, cassis and dark chocolate, imposingly rich but chewy, abundantly tannic density, and a long, smoky, spicy, slightly resinous finish. This is a bit extraneously marked by its new wood (as was the ‘04) and lacks the fineness, subtlety or clarity of Germain’s best wines, but then, Germain would argue that this wine is not for today but for ten or more years from now. It will certainly be interesting to track the progress of this essentially experimental, back-to-the-future, five-barrel cuvee, although Germain is demanding an awfully stiff premium for that privilege. Also recommended: 2005 Chorey-les-Beaune ($25.00; 86). Benoit Germain has been at pains to retain the distinctive personalities and terroir transparency as well as ageability that wines of Chateau de Chorey routinely displayed under his father Francois’s regimen, while at the same time, through varied and sensitive fermentative techniques promoting more flattering primary fruit, refining tannic structure, and thus rendering wines more approachable in their youth. Germain is also beginning to incorporate elements of biodynamics. Malos took place promptly in Spring, but he seemed in no hurry when I visited to begin the bottling of his Beaune crus, which will take place without filtration. A Becky Wassserman Selection (various importers), Le Serbet, Beaune; fax 011-33-3-80-24-29-70. Also imported by Simon N Cellars, Charlottesville, VA; tel. (434) 977 4476 and a Scott Levy Selection, Norcross, GA; tel. (770) 730 0361