Chambertin 1949

Surprising medium red color. Aromas of ripe plum, mocha, truffle and game are complicated by a resiny quality. Utterly silky and invitingly sweet, with still-harmonious acidity giving this wine remarkable balance for a 70-year-old Burgundy. Clearly more moderate in its alcohol than the 1969. The musky mocha character carries through in the mouth, with just a hint of raisin showing. Nicely supported by its acidity (by now the tannins are totally resolved) but not spiky on the finish. I could drink this with pleasure right now. This cuvée was made from younger vines (Trapet actually referred to the bottle as the 1949 Chambertin #2), as the estate sold off most of its '49 en vrac. Incidentally, Trapet told me that his grandfather had to put ice into the vat following the hot harvest of 1947 but ultimately sold off the wine as it developed too much volatile acidity.