2008 Gevrey Chambertin

The 2008 Gevrey-Chambertin is a totally sensual wine. It, too, shows superb inner fragrance, beautifully layered fruit and a finish that lasts forever. This is a great effort at the villages level. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2020. Claude Dugat farms 16 hectares, of which only 3 are owned. Dugat waited until September 20 to start harvesting. The fruit was 100% destemmed and spent 15 days on the skins with two punchdowns a day and no pumpovers. The wine was pressed, left 48 hours to decant and moved into barrel. The wines were racked the following April and were bottled with no fining or filtration. The Bourgogne were aged in neutral oak, the Villages and 1ers saw 50% new oak and the Grand Crus saw 100% new oak. Importer: Robert Kacher Selections, Washington, DC; tel. (202) 832-9083

Dark red. Perfumed aromas of red berries, spices and flowers, with a whiff of game. Taut and tangy in the mouth, with lovely acidity framing and lifting the red berry, pepper and spice flavors. Really excellent fruit purity here. Finishes with sweet tannins and a firm edge of acidity. Serious village wine, and much more classic than the 2009 version.

Good red-ruby color. Dark fruits, spices, game and leather on the nose. Good density of material is currently fighting strong acidity, giving the wine a slightly tart quality and a disjointed character. Rather severe today, but the penetrating spicy acidity extends the finish. This very serious village wine will require at least a few years of bottle aging.