2009 Domaine Trapet Latricieres-Chambertin Grand Cru

The 2009 Latricieres-Chambertin is fresh, vibrant and impeccably harmonious. Dark cherries, crushed flowers, minerals and mint emerge from a beautifully articulated, mid-weight frame. All of the elements are very nicely balanced in this first-class, elegant Latricieres. The finish is long, refined and weightless. Anticipated maturity: 2019-2049. This is a beautiful set of wines from Jean-Louis Trapet. The estate farms their vineyards biodynamically. After fermentation the wines are kept in a cold part of the cellar to delay the malolactic fermentations. When I visited in March 2011, the 2010s had not even begun their malos. In 2009 the harvest started on September 18. The wines spent about 18 days on the skins prior to being racked into barrel, where they stayed on their lees with no rackings until they were bottled with no fining or filtration. The amount of whole clusters ranged from 30% to 60%, while the use of new barrels ranged from 30% to 50%. The 2009s were bottled in February 2011, four to six weeks earlier than normal. Trapet is among the growers who believe the 2009s will not shut down in bottle. I was also quite taken with the selection of 2008s I tasted. Burgundy fans will find much to admire in both vintages. The house style tends towards the firm, classic end of the spectrum, so a measure of patience is required, even for the 2009s. Various US Importers, including: Polaner Selections, Mt. Kisco, NY; tel. (914) 244-0404; Stacole Fine Wines, Boca Raton, FL; tel. (561) 998-0029 A Patrick Lesec Selection (various importers), Paris Fax 011 33 4 66 37 67 23

Medium red. Refined, nuanced aromas of fresh cherry, raspberry, smoke, minerals and game, accented by pepper. Silky and round but focused, with a distinctly wild quality to the red fruit and pungent spicy mineral flavors. Finishes aromatic, linear and very long, with noble tannins and subtle rising length. This wine struck me as almost 2005-like in its structure.