2008 Domaine Denis Bachelet Bourgogne

Bachelet’s 2008 Bourgogne smells of mace, holly berry, and sour cherry that migrate to a bright yet delightfully silken-textured palate. Vivacious and lip-smacking in its finishing interchange of fruit with saline and chalky mineral notes, this can be strongly recommended with the same sole proviso I have issued about it in other vintages (applicable in spades here), namely that one “bear in mind its rather white wine aspects in pairing with food” over the next 3-5 years. Unsurprisingly, in Bachelet’s tiny, shallow, and frigid cellar, his 2008s did not complete malo until September. They were in barrel about to be prepped for bottling, when I visited him in late February, making it the ideal time in his view for tasting them. (And Bachelet’s tiny volume makes it relatively easy to accurately approximate the final blend of any wine.) He has always been adamantly opposed to showing his wines for 18-24 months after they are bottled, insisting that in his experience they always suffer in comparison with their performance from barrel as well as with how they will taste 3-4 years after bottling. He did relent and let me taste one 2007 from bottle during my visit, and it was impressive. A Becky Wasserman Selection, Le Serbet; fax 011-333-80-24-29-70