Chambertin 2012

Moderately saturated medium red. Aromas of wild dark berries, black cherry, menthol and flinty minerals. Almost shockingly sweet on entry, then pure, intense and delineated in the middle palate, even a bit imploded today, showing a near-perfect balance of sweetness, acidity and minerality. As much black as red fruit in character, with a hint of bitter chocolate carrying through from entry to aftertaste. Has the pH of a fully ripe year, but finishes juicy, vibrant and very long, with a powerful spine of refined tannins and terrific grip without hardness. This still needs more time in bottle to blossom and expand. The yield here was just 26 hectoliters per hectare and it shows. (As further evidence of the consistently high quality of Trapet's Chambertin in recent years, my final in-the-bottle scores of the '13, '14 and '15 on Vinous were 91+, 94+ and 96, respectively.) (12.9% alcohol; 3.52 pH; 3.9 grams per liter total acidity expressed as sulfuric; harvested on September 23 "under a radiant sky," according to Trapet; vinified with about 50% whole clusters)