2008 Bouchard Père & Fils Echézeaux Grand Cru
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Tasting notes
Bouchard’s 2008 Echezeaux – from the high-elevation, drought-prone En Orveaux section of that cru, ideally suited for withstanding the rigors of a dismal summer – mingles maraschino, vanilla, and chalk dust in the nose as well as on a saline, savory, saliva-inducing palate, and notes of white pepper add emphatic invigoration to a penetratingly bright finish. Whether or not further depth or low tones emerge here, we already have a handsome monument to the vintage that should be worth revisiting for at least 15 years. 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
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Allen Meadows, Burghound
More reviews and scores
Moderate wood sets off a highly spiced and very Vosne nose of red, blue and black Pinot fruit as well as violet aromas that are very much in keeping with the rich, full-bodied and quite generous flavors that are supple and round yet retain a good sense of underlying detail and tension, especially on the sappy and lightly mineral finish that delivers sneaky length because as soon as it's gone, it seems to return.
(from vines in the lieu-dit en Orveaux) Bright, deep red-ruby. Pure, perfumed aromas of currant, violet and licorice. Suave and sweet, with pronounced minerality giving definition to the currant and floral flavors. A deep wine with a long, perfumed but slightly austere back end. Prost finds this difficult to taste today, noting that it's "a late ripener."
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.