Bright red-ruby. Nose blocked by reduction. Sweet, broad and generous in the mouth, with a suggestion of bitter chocolate, yet at the same time fine-grained and delicate. This very suave wine's red fruit flavors really explode with air. Finishes with serious but supple and broad tannins. Vinified with a solid percentage of whole clusters.

Relatively heavy reduction almost completely blocks the nose though the rich and full-bodied flavors possess excellent mid-palate concentration and a seductive mouth feel on the long, delicious and impressively complex finish. My score offers the benefit of the doubt that the reduction is simply a post-bottling phenomenon that will clear up in time. However, should you be curious enough to sample a bottle young, I would strongly advise decanting it first.

Smoky, resinous, and leathery overtones to the Drouhin 2008 Griotte-Chambertin go on to complement a palate dominated by sweet red raspberry preserves, but to which its combination of firm tannins and chalkiness lend contrast. I tend to attribute the smoky aura here at least in part to the toast of barrels, and there is a hint of caramel in the finish that points me in the same direction, but Veronique Boss-Drouhin points out that the level of new wood here is no different than on the estate’s other grand crus, and thinks it is a slight reduction that prompts the smokiness. In that connection, it is true this becomes both more expressive and brighter in its expression of fruit acids after some time open or a good shaking. I suspect this will prove to be at least a 10-12 year keeper. “2008 was very slow in doing its malolactic – which was good, and ended up with a pretty lively impression of acidity” remarked Veronique Boss-Drouhin, “and I think the wines will be slow to evolve in bottle, as well.” Numerous cuvees were still in tank or barrel when I visited in March, which constitutes an unusually late schedule at this address. The 2007s, by contrast, were bottled even earlier than normal, most at age 12 months. In 2008, a 15-25% share of stems and whole clusters was included in the fermenting vat for the Clos des Mouches and for most of the Drouhin grand crus, whereas in 2007 that degree of vendange entier was practically the rule across the entire Drouhin range (by no means all of which I tasted). Importer: Dreyfus-Ashby & Co., New York, NY; tel. (212) 818-0770