*Available in OWC 1/6

The Wine Advocate | RP 90
Published: Dec 22, 2009

A domaine wine from the late-ripening upper reaches of the site, Bouchard's 2006 Chambertin (of which there are only 50 cases) was not destemmed at all. Ripe black fruits, peat, and rose petals strikingly scent this firmly tannic and impressively concentrated effort. Salty, meaty, tartly berry-fruited and almost palpably mineral, it finishes with impressive grip of not finesse. This should be revisited in the course of 2010, and is likely to have at least 6-8 years of cellar potential.

Director Philippe Prost emphasized the importance of flexible and surgical picking (with a crew numbering upwards of 300) and getting his crop to Bouchard's battery of presses within two hours via a fleet of mini-vans. He insists that relatively little triage was necessary on the domaine vineyards (as opposed to those under contract) and the estate wines are certainly predictably stronger as a group. (I have generally mentioned in the notes that follow which wines are from Bouchard's domaine and which from contract fruit, but have explicitly noted this as part of a wine's description, only if there are two versions of the same appellation within the present portfolio.) The fruit was crushed very gently and the wines racked only once – at 10-14 months, than usual – explains Prost, in order to guard against exposed or drying tannins, a policy which my tastings suggest was generally successful. 

Bouchard-pereetfils.com

This appeallation appears for the first time on an 18th century label as ' Campus Bertini' from the name Bertin, a grower who is said to have planted and cultivated the land and obrained wines of the same queality as its famous neighbour, Le Clos de Beze. Since then, this appellation, which was the favourite of Napoleon, has acquired such notoriety that the village of Gevrey has become Gevrey-Chambertin. The estate owns 15 areas and Bouchard Pere & Fils produces some 700 bottles per year of this precious cru. The vines are planted on a gentle slope of red ferruginous chalk.

Tasting Note: Deep and intense on the nose developping flavours of fruit and spice entwined with subtle oaky hints. Perfect marriage between grace and liveliness, strength and finesse. A superb wind displaying exceptional persistence and of great ageing potential.

Food/ wine pairing: Game, venison, full-flavoured cheesses.

Serving temperature: Between 17C to 18C

Ageing Potential: 10 years and more

Harvest: manual, in small cases of 13kg. Careful manual sorting of each grape.

Vinification: Following hand picking in small cases and ruthless sorting of grapes, pressing takes place in two phases: evacuation of the first juice, then pressing in two-hourly cycles. Depending on the profile of the vintage, vatting lasts 18 to 21 days then maturing in carries out for 12 to 14 months in French oak barrels, with 45 to 60% new oak.

Ageing: : The cellars located in the Bastions of the ancient Chateau de Beaune offer ideal ambient conditions. Thanks to their natural hygrometry and constant temperatures, the Grands Crus enjoy from their first youth an environment that is perfectly adapted to tranquil ageing.

GRAPE VARIETY: Pinot Noir

EXPOSITION: East

TOTAL SURFACE OF THE APPELATION IN PRODUCTION:15 hectares

DOMAIN SURFACE IN PRODUCTION: 0.15 hectares