A much smaller wine group, whittled down by the recession and other competing duties, got together chez Steefel to explore Chambolle terroir in the form of some 2006 wines from Barthod. Our preference was to try something older, but planning started too late to source anything beyond the 2004 and 2006. The nod went to the 2006 because of the favorable reports on their floral character at Barthod, and because we did not want to have to face the issues of whether 2004 was a suitably typical vintage or not.

The Barthod were tasted double blind by two of us, single blind by the other two. As far as I can tell, this would otherwise be similar to a Grand Jury Europeen format (all wines tasted at the same time blind), although we restricted ourselves to just four bottles. All were tasted at the same time from the same type of glasses, all at the same temperature. Bottles were opened about two hours in advance of the tasting, double decanting about 40 minutes in advance.

First up as a warmup was a 2006 Rochioli Sauvignon Blanc, always a great quaffer that pushes the quality envelope, challenging the likes of many of the white Bordeaux and Loire SB in my opinion. This was as lively as ever, showing aromas of freshly mown grass and fainter brassy citrus notes, and a firm, almost petillant palate that seemed to balance perfectly between fresh fruit and acidity.

2006 Barthod Chambolle Musigny les Beaux Bruns
This slightly dark ruby red wine showed excellent depth both on the palate and on the nose, perhaps more than I had expected. Aromas of strawberry and underbrush merged with the floral notes of violet on the nose. On the palate, the flavors are intense, if slightly less elegant in presentation than those of the other wines in the lineup. This shows the strongest tannic finish of any of those tasted, perhaps the tannins here are a bit more coarse-grained, although this is relative. There is good depth of material here and I can’t help but feel that this wine was slightly underrated by some critics…

2006 Barthod Chambolle Musigny les Baudes
On night one, this was probably the least impressive wine, with a markedly reticent nose only reluctantly giving up aromas of soil and red Pinot fruit. Still, there was an airy, almost ethereal quality to the aromas that suggested that this wine might just be sleeping. On the palate the acidity is higher and the fruit slightly leaner than the other Chambolle in the lineup, so it comes across as a bit more tart than than the others. On night 2, the wine seems to have gained some muscle, although still no fat—my guess is that it just needs some time to flesh out…

2006 Barthod Chambolle Musigny les Cras
I had expected a somewhat leaner, more airy nose on this wine, similar perhaps in style to the Baudes. Instead we were greeted with a waft of quite ripe red Pinot fruit, with exuberant strawberry that emerged on the rich almost creamy palate as well. Some fainter coffee notes suggested an oak influence to some, but I am not so sure myself that it wasn’t just a faint hint of torrefaction emerging from the rich ripe fruit. This was a big wine, perhaps not perfectly balanced at the moment, but time should bring it around.

2006 Barthod Chambolle Musigny les Charmes
This wine showed a distinctive menthol note on the floral nose and an overtly spicy palate, giving it the most exotic character of any of the Barthod tasted. There is good density in the mouth and length on the finish, and a substantial structure that suggests a bright future for this wine that is already drinking well. This was perhaps the most balanced and complete wine we tasted, already showing precise detail that the others could only hope to achieve with some more time in the bottle. The WOTN for most of the tasters…

A couple of nights later, the big ripe character of the les Cras vineyard was apparent again in the 2002 Barthod Chambolle Musigny les Cras. Another big whiff of quite ripe red Pinot fruit suggests at least some similarities in style to the 2006 example, although this is a denser, creamier wine on the palate. Once the initial ripe attack on the nose and palate had scaled back a bit, it became apparent that this was still a tightly wound wine that needed another 5-10 years to come around. Excellent raw materials again, however...

The tasting confirmed the general impression of the Barthod wines, that they are mineral-driven, elegant wines that need some significant bottle age to come around.