1999 Charmes Chambertin
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Tasting notes
The 1999 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru is showing magnificently, offering up a rich and carnal bouquet of cassis, cherries, smoked meats, dark chocolate and rich soil tones. Full-bodied, deep and concentrated, it's rich and muscular, with an ample core of fruit, velvety but still present tannins, lively acids and a long, delicately oak-inflected finish. While the domaine's recent vintages are purer and more refined, this is still a fabulous Charmes-Chambertin.
Critic scores
Average Score
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Allen Meadows, Burghound
More reviews and scores
Deep, bright, youthful red. Sexy balsamic aromas of plum, blackberry, dried flowers, licorice and charred oak convey good energy. Boasts a penetrating sweetness and surprising nervosité and power to its flavors of plum, licorice and menthol; not hugely pliant or thick but offers noteworthy precision and a firm mineral spine. The tannins are dusty and broad but not dry. This Charmes can be enjoyed now but there's lots to come and it may yet fill out further. Loïc Dugat started working with his father Bernard in 1996, so this was his fourth vintage, "when I was still discovering." He insisted that the yield here was just 30 hectoliters per hectare despite the generally copious crop in 1999. The estate also made less extensive use of whole clusters back then, probably about 30% for this wine, he added.
This is virtually identical to what I tasted from cask as it is very Charmes in style yet grand cru length, size, power and richness. Everything is in perfect harmony in an ultra ripe style. Impressive juice.
The 1999 Charmes-Chambertin is medium to dark ruby-colored and offers a knock-out nose of sweet cherries, smoked bacon, and mint. This is a huge, medium to full-bodied wine that is highly concentrated and expansive. Untold quantities of blackberries, cherries, spices, and hints of new toasty oak can be discerned in its layered character. This powerful yet feminine wine is loaded with ripe tannin. Projected maturity: 2005-2012+. Importer: Weygandt-Metzler, Peter Weygandt, Unionville, PA; tel. (610) 486-0800.
About the producer
Dugat-Py, based at the base of the Combe de Lavaux in Gevrey-Chambertin, stands as one of Burgundy’s most revered producers, known for crafting Pinot Noir of incredible depth, power, and age-worthiness.