At their best, the '06s are indeed classic
Burgundies that are exceptionally aromatic
and elegant with the best transparency to the
underlying terroir since the 2001s, all
wrapped in admirably persistent finishes with
fine detail and a more pronounced sense of
minerality than most vintages possess.
-Allen Meadows, Burghound
Gevrey-Chambertin is one of the northernmost
appellations in the Côte de Nuits, which is
the northern part of Burgundy's Côte d'Or - that
blessed strip of sloping, pebbly, chalky,
limestone vineyards that produces in
minuscule quantities, some of the finest Pinot Noir wine
in the world. Gevrey-Chambertin is complex,
concentrated, and very serious stuff.
Most of you know Bernard Bouvier by now if
you've been reading my emails. You may have
had a few bottles of his stunning Marsannay
white and red. When I was in Burgundy last
October, his wines really exhilarated me and
ended up at the top of my "favorite wines of
the trip."
His Gevrey Chambertins are his best wines (and smallest production). These vineyards are the source of the best of Burgundy reds but in Bouvier's hands they produce astonishing wines.
La Revue du vin de France calls Bernard Bouvier
"one of the finest winemakers of his
generation."
There is more from La Revue:
"Terroir, terroir, terroir. Bernard lets
the land talk and he listens. He wants
the character of each of his diverse parcels
to find their ultimate Pinot Noir expression.
Bernard's first vintage was in 1986. Chemical
treatments are banned and yields are held to
a minimum. Bernard does not fine or filter
his wines. His Gevrey-Chambertin La
Justice
is raised in oak barrels (30% of which are
new) for 18 months. It is rich and intensely
flavored.
Subtle minerality, voluptuousness in the
mouth and a very long finish. That's what I
want in my cellar and my glass tonight.
Cynthia
Hurley
