Scents of jasmine, lily-of-the-valley-the-valley, and black tea from Raphet's 2008 Chambolle-Musigny (which originates with old vines in the Bussieres) lead to a palate dominated by lightly-cooked yet tart-edged red fruits, subtly mingled with meat broth; tinged with fruit pit bitterness; and finishing with sappy persistence as well as saliva-stimulating salinity. This is nearly always Raphet's most distinguished village-level bottling and this year is no exception, but I would plan to enjoy this rather light-weight though delicious and soothingly-textured Chambolle over the next 3-4 years. Gerard Raphet's 2008s finished malo by the end of the following January, which is amazingly early for this vintage, and not necessarily advantageous. (He suspects the environment of his new facility has something to do with that rapidity.) He bottled them last January. As a group these wines are not particularly dark or youthful in color, nor do they for the most part exhibit the sort of brightness that I associate with their vintage. That said, they are generous and charming, often with attractively-integrated hints of caramelization. Yields were way down in both 2007 and 2008, notes Raphet, though one can hardly attribute any special degree of vinous concentration to this fact. In common with me, Raphet finds his 2007s - which to my surprise held their own vis-a-vis 2008 - ideal for drinking young.Peter Vezan Selections (various importers), Paris; fax 011 33 1 42 55 42 93