Mazis Chambertin, Domaine Armand Rousseau 2005

An earthier and much more serious nose of earth, game, truffle and spice adds plenty of aromatic nuance to the very fresh red and black berry aromas that complement perfectly the rich, supple and much sweeter big-bodied flavors that deliver a real sense of energy and volume to the driving and well muscled finish. I quite like this.

The 2005 Mazis-Chambertin, whose label perpetuates an old spelling of the site’s name: “Mazy” displays a surprising note of woodiness along with sweetly ripe black fruits and bitter-sweet cooked licorice suggestions. The mouth is marked by a creamy texture and lightly-cooked, caramel- and vanilla-tinged cherry compote flavors. A surprisingly austere stony, alkaline mineral character overtakes the fruit in the finish, which however offers undeniable concentration and grip. Still, the vines are over forty years old and it seems as though the site ought to be more clearly asserting an inherent class. With Eric Rousseau taking over increasingly from his father Charles, bottling may end up being slightly earlier than in the past, but such routine features as triage exclusively in the vineyards (not the press house), the inclusion of whole clusters and stems, precocious malolactic fermentation (although in 2005 and 2006, at least, Rousseau says he didn’t force this), reliance on older barrels, and an eventual light plaque filtration for all wines remain as before. Given the long-running success of these Pinots in subtly yet insistently conveying the distinct personalities of their sites and standing the test of time, some might well ask “why change the recipe?” while others will wonder whether the wines could be made even better. In any event, nature conspired to hand the new generation a vintage of historic dimensions.