2007 Le Corton
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Tasting notes
The Bouchard 2007 Le Corton evinces cedar, wood smoke, game, and red fruits in the nose. A sense of constriction, chalk suffusion, faintly gum-numbing tannins, and a for the vintage surprisingly tart, brash sour cherry and rhubarb fruit character combine to render this somewhat severe, although its penetration and persistence are formidable. I would want to revisit it in 2-3 years to make a call on longer-term age-worthiness, but I’m skeptical for now. What a striking contrast this makes to the extraordinary 2008. Could I have caught this one at an unusually difficult stage, I wonder? 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 malo-lactic 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
Critic scores
Average Score
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Medium red with a palish rim. Tight nose hints at dark fruits and musky earth. Round, dense and spherical but youthfully unforthcoming, with a slight earthy rusticity to the flavors of cherry and musky brown spices. Finishes with dusty tannins. In an awkward stage today and in need of patience.
Fine and fragrant. Sweet oak spice in balance with pure, fresh fruit and a light mineral tone. Quite delicate but persistent and harmonious. (JH)
Good deep red. Aromas of black fruits, graphite and minerals. Rich and sweet if a bit youthfully inexpressive, with a suave, velvety texture to the flavors of black cherry and tar. Finishes long, silky and rich but reserved, with fine-grained tannins. Director Stephane Follin-Arbelet notes that this wine is a blend of four or five different vats and is thus more complex than most of the foregoing samples.
About the producer
Bouchard Père & Fils is one of Burgundy’s oldest and most established wine producers. Founded in 1731 by Michel Bouchard, it is the largest vineyard owner in the Côte d’Or with 130 hectares of vines.