Wine Advisor
David Duband, Charmes Chambertin Grand Cru 2014
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
(from Mazoyères-Chambertin; vinified with 80% whole clusters): Bright red. Reticent aromas of black cherry and licorice. Uncompromisingly dry on the palate but with noteworthy juicy intensity to the flavors of dark fruits and dried flowers. Not a particularly pliant or fleshy style--in fact a bit tough in the early going--but its rising perfume suggests that it will reward cellaring. Today the dusty tannins are accentuated by the influence of the stems, which limits the wine's sweetness.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
(from 90-year-old vines in Mazoyères): Healthy dark red. Deep, slightly reduced perfume of raspberry, smoke and spices. In a more muscular style than the Clos de la Roche and drier in the middle in the early going, offering intense, mineral-driven flavors of medicinal black cherry and licorice. Finishes with firm tannins and excellent length. Made entirely from tiny millerandé berries, notes Duband, who will begin replanting these vines this year.
About the Producer
The Domaine David Duband lies in Chevannes, in the heart of the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits and produces refined and elegant wines from 23 prestigious appellations from Nuits-Saint-Georges to Gevrey-Chambertin. The estate farms 17 hectares of vines organically, under the strict management of the Ecocert label. The domaine also buys grapes from a few small vinegrowers who farm with great respect for the vines and of their surrounding environment. The quality of David Duband's wines has steadily advanced since he took over his family's domaine in 1991. In 1939, he began the move away from conventional farming and became completely certified organic in 2006 out of respect for the environment but also for the intrinsic quality of the wines. His goal is to sustain the life of the soil, plant and animal species that promote the natural ecosystem. Duband's vineyards are all located in the Côte d'Or's northern sub-zone, the Côte de Nuits-almost exclusively Pinot Noir country. He maintains a stellar collection of entry-level wines, village wines from all the major communes from Gevrey-Chambertin to Nuits-Saint-Georges, and 1er Crus in Chambolle-Musigny, Morey-Saint-Denis and Nuits-Saint-Georges. For Grand Crus, he's got six, with the famed Chambertin the flagship. In 2005, his friend and business partner, François Feuillet, managed to buy vineyards which included privileged old-vine parcels in the Grand Crus, Clos de la Roche and Charmes-Chambertin. Many of the Duband's vineyards are farmed in metayage with Francois Feuillet and those can be found wines under either the Domaine David Duband or Domaine Francois Feuillet label.
