Wine Advisor
Taupenot Merme, Charmes Chambertin Grand Cru 2009
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2009 Charmes-Chambertin opens with delicate layers of perfumed fruit. Crushed flowers and spices add complexity as this radiant wine opens up in the glass. The Charmes seems to gain volume and depth on the mid-palate, leading to an explosive, dramatic finish. The tannins dazzle the palate like silk in the regal, classy wine. Anticipated maturity: 2019-2034. Taupenot-Merme farms 13 hectares across 19 appellations. The vineyards have been farmed organically since 2001. The wines are made in a style that seeks textural richness. The fruit is 100% destemmed and undergoes a cold soak of 7-9 days, prior to fermentation. The wines are racked into steel to allow for a natural decantation and then moved into oak, where they spend 12-15 months on the fine lees. New oak tops out at 40% for the Grand Crus. The 2009 harvest started on September 11. Yields were high relative to past years, but the estate had a lot of millerandage (shot berries). Romain Taupenot describes his 2009s as having a high level of malic acid, which delayed malos by the standards of this estate. Importers: Winebow, Montvale, NJ; tel. (201) 445-0620, Imported by Scott Paul Wines, Carlton, OR; tel. (503) 852 7300; J.A.O. Wine Imports, McLean, VA; contact@jaowineimports.com
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted from a sample prepared by Romain Taupenot. This parcel was unaffected by localized hail. It has a lovely bouquet with dark cherry, bergamot, a touch of powdered chocolate and crushed stone. Good definition and blossoming in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied, a lot of energy on the entry, good depth of fruit with a mineralite on the finish that I don’t think I have seen on Taupenot’s Charmes before. Superb. Tasted November 2010.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2009 Charmes-Chambertin needs quite a bit of time in the glass to come together. Initially quite ripe and exotic, the Charmes gradually finds its balance. Still, my sense is that the wine has begun to shut down. Sweet red cherries, mint and flowers meld into the gracious finish. Anticipated maturity: 2019-2029. This is a very strong set of wines from Romain Taupenot. The 2009s are quite marked by the year. Today my preference is for the 2010s because the cooler year balanced some of the more overt, fruit-forward leanings that define the house style. Tasting all of the 2009s and 2010s together really brought the qualities of these two very different vintages into focus. Importers: Winebow, Montvale, NJ; tel. (201) 445-0620, Imported by Scott Paul Wines, Carlton, OR; tel. (503) 852 7300; J.A.O. Wine Imports, McLean, VA; contact@jaowineimports.com
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2009 Charmes-Chambertin opens with delicate layers of perfumed fruit. Crushed flowers and spices add complexity as this radiant wine opens up in the glass. The Charmes seems to gain volume and depth on the mid-palate, leading to an explosive, dramatic finish. The tannins dazzle the palate like silk in the regal, classy wine.
About the Producer
Romain Taupenot is the ninth generation to run this family domaine in Morey-Saint-Denis. While records show his ancestors practiced viticulture as far back as the 17th century, the domaine as we know it today truly came to be after the marriage of Romain’s parents, Denise Merme and Jean Taupenot, in 1963. The domaine’s diverse vineyard sites across both the Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune can be traced back to this union of holdings from the Taupenot family, based in Saint-Romain, with those belonging to the Mermes, from Morey-Saint-Denis. With 9 hectares in the Côte de Nuits and another 4.5 hectares in the Côte de Beaune, Romain and Virginie now produce nineteen different wines across seventeen appellations. A significant portion of their holdings are in premier cru and grand cru appellations, and all of their premiers crus are enviably placed. Old vines represent a significant proportion of the domaine’s holdings, with new plantings created from sélection massale cuttings of their best vines. Having farmed organically since 2001, the Taupenots seek to respect the character of each climat to yield wines of purity and grace that are faithful to their appellation of origin. Romain jokingly refers to himself as a “lazy winemaker,” prioritizing work in the vineyard in order to minimize the need for intervention in the cellar. Their hand-harvested grapes are de-stemmed and undergo a cold soak before fermentation with wild yeast, a method pioneered by the late, great Henri Jayer. Cellar operations like pigeages and remontages are gentle and performed with the goal of expressing the nuances of each site. Accordingly, commercial yeasts, bacteria, enzymes and other additives are out of the question, and new oak is used judiciously. With few exceptions, the wines are bottled unfiltered, while sulfur doses are kept to a minimum.
