The purity, intensity and clarity of finishing fruit is striking. From vines planted in 1920 (in Mazoyeres), the 2005 Charmes-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes is as high in alcohol – at around 13.5% – as wine from this (or for that matter any other) vintage at Truchot gets. Like this year’s Sentiers, it only finished malo in December, which surprised Truchot who is used to early malos. Meat, cedar, licorice and distilled plum aromas usher in a palate of refinement but underlying firmness, displaying blueberries, tiny purple plums and spiced meats. The finish grips with vividly fresh, spiced fruit, and salty minerality, building simultaneously with deep, rolling bass-tones of steamed stones, roasted game, and beef marrow. This seems not to be suffering from the bottling, but you can be sure it will take some years before it really displays its potential, which should encompass at least two decades of age-worthiness.

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