2008 Vosne Romanee Vieilles Vignes

There are only three barrels this year of Dugat-Py 2008 Vosne-Romanee Vieilles Vignes. Black tea, dark berries, and violets beautifully scent it, and a creamy texture and sweetly-ripe berry fruit are underlain on the palate by an aura of forest floor and a fine suffusion of tannin. Hints of licorice as well as a spot of astringency in the finish point toward the total inclusion of stems in the fermentor, but the generosity of finishing fruit and intriguing depth are memorably persistent. This is a fine candidate for a decade of fascinating satisfaction. “The world is already full of talk about 2009,” said Bernard Dugat late last winter, “but how about 2008?!” Indeed, for growers as successful with that tricky vintage as was Dugat, its neglect rankles with good reason. At a reported 23-25 hectoliters per hectare, Bernard Dugat’s yields in 2008 were low even by his standards, which he says explains his having harvested everything by October 2. (His 2007 harvest commenced August 30, less unusual in its vintage’s context.) Only a couple of lots from 2008 even reached 13% alcohol, yet there is no question as to their ample ripeness or overall concentration. Dugat remained largely faithful to his routine of total vendange entier. He racked the wines in late winter (after which I tasted them) and bottled them in the course of the spring. (The 2008 Petit Chapelle was still full of post-malo gas in early spring of last year and I was never able to properly assess it. For further details on Bernard Dugat’s approach, see my report in issue 170. Many details concerning his sites can be found there as well as in issue 186.) Importer: Weygandt-Metzler, Unionville, PA; tel. (610) 486-0800