2009 Charmes Chambertin

The 2009 Charmes-Chambertin is muscular and intense but also light on its feet. A burst of dark berries, cinnamon and cloves makes a great first impression. The Charmes shows terrific precision and elegance in its deep layers of fruit as it builds towards the long, polished finish. The firm tannins will require patience, but this is a spectacular wine in every way. Anticipated maturity: 2019-2034. These wines from proprietor Mounir Saouma are impressive. Saouma sources small lots of wine from the best sites in Burgundy and does all of the post-alcoholic fermentation elevage in his cellar in Beaune. Saouma’s approach calls for long, slow malos, extended contact on the gross lees and no fining or filtration prior to bottling. Saouma bottles an eye-popping 60 different wines, some sourced from more than one grower. Count me as a fervent believer in terroir. As much as I subscribe to the belief that specific plots of land can confer unique qualities to wines, the reality is that a variety of other factors are just as important, including the talent of the winemaker and the ambient qualities of the cellars in which wines are raised. What amazes me most about these wines – aside from the obviously very high quality – is that there is without question a distinctive house style that emerges across the range, despite the fact that they come from different sources and are acquired as wine rather than fruit. Saouma likes to describe his cellar as a library of Burgundy’s finest terroirs. That’s as good a description as any for these uniformly outstanding, compelling wines. Importer: Vintus LLC, Pleasantville, NY; tel. (914) 769-3000, Atherton Imports, Menlo Park, CA; tel. (650) 328-6639

(a blend of Charmes and Mazoyeres) Good bright, deep red. Wild aromas of blueberry, exotic spices, flowers, licorice and mint, plus a whiff of chlorophyll. Pure and fine on the palate, with strong floral lift accentuating the wine's impression of sharp definition. Not a fleshy style and a bit youthfully imploded today but this finishes with captivating perfume and length. The tannins are firm but fine.

The 2009 Charmes-Chambertin is muscular and intense but also light on its feet. A burst of dark berries, cinnamon and cloves makes a great first impression. The Charmes shows terrific precision and elegance in its deep layers of fruit as it builds towards the long, polished finish. The firm tannins will require patience, but this is a spectacular wine in every way. Anticipated maturity: 2019-2034. ||These wines from proprietor Mounir Saouma are impressive. Saouma sources small lots of wine from the best sites in Burgundy and does all of the post-alcoholic fermentation elevage in his cellar in Beaune. Saouma’s approach calls for long, slow malos, extended contact on the gross lees and no fining or filtration prior to bottling. Saouma bottles an eye-popping 60 different wines, some sourced from more than one grower. Count me as a fervent believer in terroir. As much as I subscribe to the belief that specific plots of land can confer unique qualities to wines, the reality is that a variety of other factors are just as important, including the talent of the winemaker and the ambient qualities of the cellars in which wines are raised. What amazes me most about these wines – aside from the obviously very high quality – is that there is without question a distinctive house style that emerges across the range, despite the fact that they come from different sources and are acquired as wine rather than fruit. Saouma likes to describe his cellar as a library of Burgundy’s finest terroirs. That’s as good a description as any for these uniformly outstanding, compelling wines. Wine Advocate.May, 2011