Simon Bize Latricieres-Chambertin Grand Cru 2008

93 VMVinous, Neal Martin, 24-08-2022

The 2008 Latricières-Chambertin Grand Cru is a vintage that Chisa Bize was curious to taste. Pretty and quite elegant on the nose, this unfurls nicely in the glass, shows more composure and fruité compared to the Les Fourneaux. The palate is medium-bodied with bright red fruit, fine tannins, perfectly-judged acidity with a brisk, saline finish. This still has years of pleasure to give.

Drink 2022 to 2038

92 WAWine Advocate, David Schildknecht, 29-06-2010

Practically smarting pungency of wood smoke, along with peat, roasted red meat, and fresh cherry and plum with the piquancy of their pits mark the nose of Bize’s 2008 Latricieres-Chambertin, whose abundant tannins are well-knit and fine-grained, contributing to a palate-staining and gripping reprise of the elements adumbrated in the nose. It’s hard to imagine a much smokier cast or more sheer red meat juice concentration in a Pinot than this one. But the overall effect is certainly on the austere side, and not only is this likely to reward 15-20 years of attention, I would not plan to revisit it for 6-8. Incidentally, Bize bottled this relatively early, not long after New Year’s 2010. Patrick Bize’s 2008s did not finish their malos until they were one year old, a statistic only slightly less startling given the vintage than it would otherwise be. (By contrast – and again, not all that exceptionally for their vintage – the 2009s had, despite Bize’s notoriously cold cellars, already done malo by February … the February after harvest, that is!) This domaine has long and with good reason counted as one of its village’s top performers – if not number one – and while its collections in 2008 and 2007 do not approach the superb quality achieved here in 2005, young Bize wines – like the man himself – are lean, sinewy, frequently understated yet incisive, and have a habit of making fools of their critics. They often “come from behind” in ostensibly “lesser” vintages, and not only the 2008s here but also the surprisingly energetic, focused 2007s should prove fascinating and rewarding to follow over the coming decade.