2008 Gevrey Chambertin

After aeration to drive off slight reductive funk, the Groffier 2008 Gevrey-Chambertin (from the lieu dit Les Seuvrees) displayed a nice balance of smoked meat, sage, fennel, and ripe black and red berry flavors, although a certain sweet-sour tug evident in the corresponding Bourgogne persists here as well. Cherry pit cyanic bitterness and the tart edge of berry skin lend invigoration and interest to the finish. This should be interesting to follow for the next several years, but be on the lookout for possible signs that the wine’s existing bifurcation might persist or widen and its meatiness become excessively gamey. Nicolas Groffier seems not to have been bashful when it comes to extracting flavors from the family’s 2008 grapes (harvested in a mere 5 days, finishing October 1), despite what he emphasizes was the tiny size of both yields and berries. When it comes to elevage, though, he was cautious even at a risk he acknowledges of wines that might show stiffly and reductively for a while after bottling, having racked the young 2008s into tank after just shy of 12 months, which for some lots meant almost immediately after the conclusion of malo. (Bottling sessions were in December and February). Natural alcohols in 2008 were in the upper 12’s (the 2007s were very slightly higher) and typically adjusted by about a quarter of a degree. A Peter Vezan Selection (various importers), Paris; fax 011 33 1 42 55 42 93, also imported by Atherton Imports, Menlo Park, CA; sales@awiwine.com

Good deep red. Black raspberry, leather and smoked meat on the nose; very Gevrey. Sweet, silky and expressive, with the gamey character and a whiff of animal fur following through in the mouth. Still a bit hard-edged from the recent sulfiting.

Sinewy straightforward fruit. Good balance and racy and energetic. Not earthy, more sinewy. For early enjoyment. (JR)