Bouchard Père & Fils : Clos Vougeot Grand cru Domaine 2007

Bouchard’s non-estate 2007 Clos Vougeot smells of blond tobacco, pungent herbs, fresh red fruits, roasted game, and a hint of rose petal. Decadent game and floral suggestions persist throughout, but the sweetness of fruit and herbal inflections are perturbed by gum-numbing tannin. Eventually, strawberry fruit, tobacco, and rose petal re-emerge on a lingering finish. It may be that this will knit itself with a bit more time, and it looks likely to be capable of withstanding at least 6–8 years in bottle. Director-winemaker Philippe Prost made no attempt to minimize the challenges of 2008 and was careful to distinguish between its wind-borne concentration and genuinely ideal phenolic maturity (approached more nearly this year in white than red). He opined that the wide window afforded for relaxed picking despite the late calendar date was critical, since the levels of ripeness were so disparate from one site to another. That said, he showed me an outstanding collection of Pinots. Ironically, as he pointed out, ripeness was also disparate in one of the two earliest vintages on record, 2007, yet picking—while fitful—was anything but relaxed due to the pressure of rot. And here, too, Bouchard scored excellent successes. By means of, where necessary, “swapping lees” between barrels to inoculate stubborn lots, Prost says he was able to get all of his 2008s through malolactic conversion in timely fashion, which he considers especially important with Pinot. Bottling of the 2008 reds—with a few exceptions mentioned in my notes and due to have been bottled in April—took place in December and January, the same schedule adopted for their 2007s. I did not have an opportunity to taste nearly all of Bouchard’s vast collection from either vintage, and have in the text of my notes indicated a few from among their 2008s that I take to represent significant omissions. (I have not noted “Domaine” to distinguish those wines that are part of the Bouchard, except in cases where there is another otherwise eponymous wine.) Importer: Henriot, Inc, New York, NY; tel. (212) 605-6767

Warm, spicy and inviting, even a little exotic. The same spicy sweetness on the palate, soft tannins, a juicy mid-palate, good length but only moderate depth of flavour on the mid-palate. (JH)