Bouchard’s multi-cru 2008 Beaune du Chateau reflects more than 70 acres of vineyards, so it can certainly fulfill its (century-old) mandate as an ambassador for Beaune as well as Bouchard! Hints of almond and pistachio extract and red berry distillates mingle with notes of leather and tobacco on the nose. A lovely amalgam of savory, saline meat stock; moss, peat, and forest floor generally; burley tobacco and brown spices; and fresh red fruits, informs a silken-textured, generous palate. This finishes with bright refreshment typical of the vintage while continuing to convey a sense of genuine depth, and I suspect it will still satisfy 10-12 years from now. 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

Fresh fruit shows the acidity of the year, while the black currant flavors give great freshness. The aftertaste is soft, flavored with strawberry juice. ——R.V.(12/31/2010)—— 86