2008 Domaine Lucien Boillot et Fils Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cherbaudes 1er Cru

Blackberry and cassis tinged with cocoa powder and cinnamon marry with elusive meat and mineral notes in Boillot's 2008 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cherbaudes, demonstrating what I've come to recognize as the complex potential of this relatively little-known premier cru that touches three grand crus. There is a sense of sheer thickness here unusual for the vintage, but allied to verve and refreshment that are 2008-typical. The firm feel, prominent acidity, and low-key finishing flavors here will strike some as austere, but I suspect this wine will grow on you as it opens in the glass and deserve watching off and on for the better part of a decade. Pierre Boillot - Lucien's grandson, for details on whose history, properties, and connection with other Boillots, see issues and 186 and 170 - noted that his Cote de Beaune fruit required more rigorous sorting in 2008 than did that from the Cote de Nuits, and the former resulted in several wines of relatively aggressive astringency. I tasted his 2008s prior to their March and April bottlings, and (except where noted) assembled from tank. (Unfortunately, shortage of time kept me from tasting Boillot's 2007s.) Importer: Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 524-1524