A subtle touch of wood frames dark blue berry fruit and spice notes that continue onto the very rich full and powerful flavors that offer plenty of muscle and volume if decidedly less elegance. However this is no bruiser as the tannins are silky and while the oak is not subtle at present this would appear to have the mid-palate concentration to successfully integrate it with time. Outstanding.

Mortet's 2005 Chambolle-Musigny Aux Beaux Bruns was somewhat reduced and required a good shaking to coax out its decadent florality raw meatiness and caramel- and mocha-tinged black fruit character. Silky and refined in texture its finish leads with bloody meat and persists with flowers and spicy-sweet notes of oak. Mortet says he was trying to back off more on the extraction to emphasize the (supposed) more delicate typicity of Chambolle but he might have done well to back off on the new wood as well. Racking and bottling will see this take on more definitive shape.-David Schildknecht