2008 Hautes Cotes de Beaune

Kirsch, resin, and holly berry pungently and penetratingly scent the Jayer-Gilles 2008 Hautes Cotes de Beaune, with a saliva-inducingly saline and carnal suffusion that reminds me of smoked meat stock allied to bright red fruits on a firm palate. This finishes with infectious exuberance and almost lemony brightness (and no thought of “wood”!). Such a wine could only have come from 2008, I think, and given its performance, I’m not surprised that Gilles Jayer reversed his normal order and showed me the corresponding Hautes-Cotes de Nuits first. Look for 8-10 years of high-performance from this bundle of energy. Gilles Jayer did not commence harvesting is 2008 Pinots until October 1, with his Echezeaux. (In 2007, he began August 31.) With the exception of a few top parcels, he notes, triage had to be more severe in 2007 (just as in 2006) than it was in 2008, when he estimates that only 3-5% of what arrived in the press house was rejected. These 2008s evolved very slowly, in many instances retaining gaseous memoirs of their malo-lactic fermentations through the winter of 2009-2010, and not only were none of them bottled until after I last tasted them, but the Cotes de Nuits-Villages was simply not ready to be assessed. Importer: Robert Kacher Selections, Washington, DC; tel. (202) 832-9083