1999 Chapelle Chambertin

The medium to dark ruby-colored 1999 Chapelle-Chambertin has herbal black cherry aromas. This medium to full-bodied wine has lovely amplitude to its oily-textured, sweet cherry, and oak-flavored character. It has a firm, structured, and tannin-filled (yet ripe) finish. Drink it between 2004 and 2010. This estate, which for years produced wines far below their qualitative pedigrees, is back on track. Pierre Damoy (the domaine is named after his great-great-grandfather), who has run this estate since 1992, has significantly lowered yields (its grand cru parcels averaged between 24 and 35 hectoliters per hectare in 1999), has adopted non-interventionist winemaking, and now eschews fining and filtration. Readers who are familiar with the history of Burgundy know that Napoleon ended the monarchy's laws of primogeniture (whereby the eldest son was the sole inheritor) and instituted laws forcing the equal partition of a family's assets among all its children. This has caused the fragmented parcelization of vineyards and estates. A prime example of this is the fact that Domaine Pierre Damoy is owned by a multitude of family members, with the present day administrator, Pierre Damoy, owning less that 1%. Importer: David Shiverick, Langdon-Shiverick, Cleveland, OH; tel. (216) 861-6800. Importers: Fruit of the Vines, Atherton Wine Imports, Atherton, CA; tel. (650) 328-6639.