2008 Bonnes Mares

The 2008 Bonnes Mares is dark, reticent and tightly wound. Still, with time in the glass, the tannins begin to soften just enough to get a glimpse of the wine’s fruit. This is a powerful Bonnes Mares, but there is more than enough quality and sheer pedigree to make me think the wine will develop fabulously over the coming years. The balance and sense of harmony are first-rate. Crushed rocks, red berries and sweet spices linger on the long, pointed finish. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2038. This is a beautiful set of wines from Bruno Clair. Every wine I tasted with Clair’s longtime oenologist Philippe Brun was gorgeous from top to bottom. While the top 2009s are certainly superb, the real jewels here are the village level wines which appear to be among the great success stories of the 2009 vintage. I tasted all of the wines from barrel, except the Marsannay and Marsannay Les Vaudanelles, both of which were bottled before the 2010 harvest. In 2009 Clair began harvesting on September 15 and ended on the 23rd. I also tasted a handful of 2008s, from a much later harvest that stretched into October. The handful of wines I tasted from that vintage are equally impressive, and equally worth your time. A Becky Wasserman Selection, Le Serbet, various American importers, including: Martin Scott Wines, Little Neck, NY; tel. (516) 327-0808, Fine Vines, Melrose Park, IL; tel. (708) 343-6702, The Source, San Francisco, CA; tel. (415) 621-6151