2003 Chateau Chalon

With only a bit over an acre of family holdings in this prestigious appellation – not to mention the sacrifice of any less-than-cooperative barrels and the loss to evaporation – there cannot be very much of Bourdy’s 2003 Chateau Chalon or any other vintage from him of this appellation, though it’s not entirely clear to me what possibly larger sources, if any, were involved in the collection of now ancient Chateau-Chalon bottlings that rest in Caves Jean Bourdy. The herbal elements found in Bourdy’s vin jaune of this same vintage manifest themselves with even greater concentration, accompanied by walnut oil and curry. A smoky overall cast, as well as this wine’s sheer pungent intensity, were almost surely promoted by the character of the vintage, but as Bourdy promised and insisted, there is no sense of acid deficiency. “Frankly,” Bourdy contrarily opines, “vintage character is not all that important in vin jaune, including Chateau-Chalon. The wine’s evolution in barrel” – which, I feel compelled to add, is surely to a considerable extent hostage to chance – “is much more significant.” He bottles Chateau-Chalon from around five years out of six, Bourdy adds. This spicy, gripping rendition will almost certainly remain on form for at least 3-4 decades. Of a rivetingly fascinating, succulent, vibratory, indeed downright exhilarating 1969 Chateau-Chalon he served me on this occasion, Bourdy remarked that it was from a good rather than great vintage, but had reached an age where it is worth showing and drinking! Wines from Jean-Francois Bourdy’s small cellar in Arlay have been trickling into the world’s wine markets with increasing regularity over the past decade (though there is a history of these wines in the U.S. even before World War II), causing considerable waves, an American fan club having accumulated, with buzz centering understandably around the Bourdys’ huge assortment of vintages spanning well more than a century. What I tasted on the occasion of my November visit, however, was (with one memorable, antique exception) a small collection constituting the estate’s most recent releases rather than library wines, and whose quality was fine if not extraordinary. There can, however, be little question that Bourdy is very serious about achieving high quality the hard way. He was certified biodynamic in 2006, and he insists that what he and his brother Jean-Philippe are bottling today from the family’s 25 acres of vines will stand the test of time just as well as have the ancient wines on which he claims to – “with no adaptation,” as he puts it – explicitly model his contemporary vinification. (That includes a minimum of four years in cask – whether for whites or reds.) The family is also serious about perpetuating vine selection, though Bourdy says that some of their parcels are planted with late 20th century clones. A Thomas Calder Selection (various importers), Paris; fax 011-33-1-46-45-15-29, also a Zev Rovine Selection, Brooklyn, NY; tel. (718) 360-5837