2004 Domaine Rossignol-Trapet, Chambertin Grand Cru

Moderately saturated medium red; less bright than the '05. Wild, musky aromas of plum, pepper, clove, leather and underbrush. Then surprisingly soft, even silky, in the mouth, perhaps due to the relatively high pH, but with a streak of acidity and an herbal element running through the wine. Not especially green but a wine of modest thickness and depth. Finishes with fairly fine, dusty tannins and good length, plus a touch of sourness. Trapet described this vintage as "terribly Burgundian," comparing it to 2001 in terms of the shape of the growing season. There was a lot of oidium, as in 1998, and the +veraison was late. Trapet thinned the fruit during a humid beginning to August but then favorable anti-cyclone conditions settled in from late August through the harvest. Incidentally, Trapet bottled the '04 Chambertin with magnum corks and believes that the bottles are aging very slowly as a result. In fact, he had to find a second bottle for our tasting because the first cork was too tight to extract. (13% alcohol; 3.7 pH; 3.6 g/l acidity)

Cask sample. Quite cheesy nose, then very full and opulent on the palate. More weight than the Latricières-Chambertin and more obviously ripe fruit. Definitely a long-distance runner. (JR)