Medium ruby-red. Highly complex, slightly liqueur-like aromas of crystallized red fruits, coffee, smoke and earth. Sweet, chewy, dense and deep, with complicating notes of mocha, truffle and menthol. A very primary wine with terrific verve. Like the Clos de la Roche, this has superb chewy depth of flavor. Quite powerful, even a bit youthfully aggressive on the end, and in need of at least ten years of patience.

Described by Mme. Bize-Leroy as “discreet, distinguished, and classy”, her 2001 Chambertin displays smoked bacon, spice, and black fruit aromas. Medium-bodied, it is a lovely wine with a supple, broad personality. Its fruit forward character offers black raspberry, cherry, and cassis flavors whose effects linger in its long, silky finish, It doesn’t have the depth, power, and presence of Leroy’s finest Chambertins, yet is seamless, friendly, and generous. Drink it over the next 7 years. Madame Lalou Bize-Leroy liked both the 2000 and 2001 vintages, stating that she was “rather pleased with the 2001s as they will bring lots of joy to those who drink them young” and that the 2000s “are candied fruit, reduction of fruit, the essence of fruit.” Many Burgundians chose to bottle their 2001 early in order to “trap” the fruit in the bottle, but Bize-Leroy beat them all to the punch, having completed the bottling process by early September, 2002. Typically an early bottler, Mme. Bize-Leroy felt that the 2001s would lose their fruit to either oxidation or the required sulfuring if left in the barrel for a longer elevage. Overall, Domaine Leroy’s 2001s are a success, though many were found to reveal stemmy, woody tannin in their finishes. If this characteristic melts away quickly, my scores on those wines will appear overly conservative. Importer: Martine’s Wines, San Raphael, CA; tel. (415) 883-0400