Domaine Perrot-Minot Charmes-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes Grand Cru 2008
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Perrot-Minot’s 2008 Charmes-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes smells of fresh blackberry and dark cherry mingled with licorice and laced with crushed stone, carbon, and black pepper. This bottling – which Perrot-Minot likes to emphasize is from the upper reaches of its appellation, bordering Chambertin – is certainly more formidable than charming for now. Fine-grained tannins are accentuated by crushed stone and fruit pit in a slightly austere but undeniably gripping finish, and like the corresponding Chapelle-Chambertin the fruit here gained a greater sense of sweetness as the wine opened-up in the air. I would plan to give this 5-6 years in the bottle before revisiting and it will probably remain vigorous for more than twice that long. Christophe Perrot-Minot pursued to extremes in 2008 the fanatic selectivity on which he prides himself, though he would have been happy had that not been necessary. He claims this triage was almost entirely for the removal of under-ripe, not of botrytis-infected, berries. (And yields from these – as the labels remind us – universally old vines are always extremely low even before fruit hits the estate’s two sorting tables.) The concentrated, lavishly ripe but densely-structured style associated with this domaine is tempered by the relatively low alcohol (wines finished – after light chaptalization – in the upper 12s or low 13s) and efficacious acidity of the 2008 vintage, as well as by a relatively gentle extraction that he reports was forced on him by fruit whose virtues could easily have been spoiled by pigeage. Given the way these wines turned out, I, for one, am very glad no attempt was made to punch the musts into further extractive submission! Perrot-Minot opines that many 2008s were permanently stunted by excess sulfuring – which exacerbated the lateness of malo-lactic transformation – and by too little time between the end of malo and bottling, ending up “square” (he used the English word) and “lacking in fat. There was also a danger,” he acknowledged, “that one could end up with wines too concentrated, or that lack purity of aroma and don’t express their terroir.” And in another response to the inherent intensity but also limitations of the fruit, new wood this year was held to a maximum of 40%. Most of the 2008s had been bottled recently when I tasted them in April, but some as early as January. (For details on many of the Perrot-Minot vineyard sites and old vines, consult my reports in issues 170 and 186. I did not have time, unfortunately, to taste any of the 2007s from this estate except a very early stage.)
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Wine Spectator
This displays tight, well-defined aromas and flavors of seductive Pinot Noir: cherry, wild berry and a subtle gamy, woodsy accent. Powered by a firm structure and though firm and curt on the finish, this shows balance and fine length. Best from 2014 through 2027.
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It wasn't until the 1960's that the estate would become known as Perrot-Minot. The family members running the estate at that time decided to adhere to the tradition of quality and innovation which had already prevailed with the two previous generations. Christophe Perrot-Minot became manager in 1993. His previous experience as a wine broker for seven years had brought him a deep and broad knowledge of the winegrower's trade. He also brought convictions about what constitutes a great wine and how to produce it. Convictions that he was to put into practice by adhering, like the three generations who preceded him, to that grand tradition of putting excellence and innovation at the very heart of work. Rethinking, modernizing the estate, and perfecting ever further the quality of the wines, while preparing the continuation of a story which now goes back nearly two centuries.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
This small village is home to the Grands Crus in the farthest northerly stretches of Côte de Nuits and is famous for some of the deepest and firmest Burgundian Pinot Noir.
Gevrey boasts nine Grands Crus, the best of which are arguably Le Chambertin and Chambertin-Clos de Bèze. As with all of the fragmented vineyards of Burgundy, it isn’t easy to differentiate between the two, which are situated adjacent with Clos de Bèze slightly further up the hill than Le Chambertin. Clos de Bèze has a shallower soil and if you’re really counting, may produce wines less intense but more likely to charm. Some compare Le Chambertin in both power and plentitude only to the prized Romanée-Conti Grand Cru farther south in Vosne-Romanée.
Two other Grands Crus vineyards, Mazis-Chambertin (also written Mazy-) and Latricières-Chambertin command almost as much regard as Le Chambertin and Chambertin-Clos de Bèze. The upper part of Mazy, called Les Mazis Haut is the best and Latricières-Chambertin offers an abundance of juicy fruit and a silky texture in the warmer vintages.
Other Grands Crus are Ruchottes-Chambertin, Charmes-Chambertin, Mazoyères-Chambertin, Griotte-Chambertin and Chapelle-Chambertin.
The most respected Pinot Noir wines from Gevrey-Chambertin are robust and powerful but at the same time, velvety and expressive: black fruit, black liquorice and chocolate come into play. After some time in the bottle, the wines are harmonious with bright and sometimes candied fruit, and aromas of musk, truffle and forest floor. These have staying power.