Wafting from the glass with scents of raspberries, dark chocolate, rose petals, candied peel, incense and grilled squab, the 2008 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Charmes is full-bodied, satiny textured and vibrant, its beautifully ripe tannin and tangy acids framing a deep, concentrated core of fruit, concluding with a long and penetrating finish. Anyone who has the chance to taste this wine shouldn't hesitate.

Musky narcissus and peony, fresh red raspberry, and marrow-rich meat stock all scent the Leroy 2008 Chambolle-Musigny Les Charmes, then reconvene on a silken yet invigoratingly refreshing palate that is suffused with chalk and saliva-inducing salinity, and accompanied by delectably confectionary high-toned suggestions of marzipan, maraschino, caramel, and vanilla. The combination of site-typical alluring florality and minerality with vintage-typical energy leads to an arresting, palate-staining finish that encompasses an irresistibly sweet, saline savor of lobster shell reduction. The empty glass here is almost dizzyingly complex and seductive. At least two decades of enchantment seem assured. Lalou Bize-Leroy reports average 2008 Pinot Noir yields of 13 hectoliters per hectare, almost absurdly tiny even by her singular standards. Malos were a bit later than usual but were finished by summer, and the wines bottled – as usual – in December. Yet – also as usual – if their development was thereby in any way stunted, you certainly won’t detect it in the bottle today! The best of these display a sense of transparency; levity; and – even when rich and head-spinningly complex – a sheer sense of refreshment and invigoration that I have seldom encountered in other great wines from these sister estates. (Please note that my account of the complete 2007 red collection at Leroy was published in issue #189.)Importer: Martine’s Wines. Novato, CA; tel. (415) 883-040