2006 Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Cailles

A 2006 Nuits-St.-Georges Les Cailles – originating in a recent Bouchard land acquisition – displays impressive depth of roast game, with site-typical stony, chalky underpinnings. Tightly-knit and firm in feel, this gets its richness from its carnality, with a nod in the direction of dark berries. The overall impression is somewhat somber and austere, but formidably dense and persistent. I would revisit it in a couple of years, and anticipate its being worth following for several more thereafter. A portion of the fruit for this was not destemmed, an approach taken by Bouchard this year with a number of their grand crus as well. Director Philippe Prost emphasized the importance of flexible and surgical picking (with a crew numbering upwards of 300) and getting his crop to Bouchard's battery of presses within two hours via a fleet of mini-vans. He insists that relatively little triage was necessary on the domaine vineyards (as opposed to those under contract) and the estate wines are certainly predictably stronger as a group. (I have generally mentioned in the notes that follow which wines are from Bouchard's domaine and which from contract fruit, but have explicitly noted this as part of a wine's description, only if there are two versions of the same appellation within the present portfolio.) The fruit was crushed very gently and the wines racked only once – at 10-14 months, than usual – explains Prost, in order to guard against exposed or drying tannins, a policy which my tastings suggest was generally successful. Importer: Henriot, Inc, New York, NY; tel. (212) 605-6767