2007 Bonnes Mares
Buying options
Tasting notes
Sweet, lightly-cooked cherry, vanilla, and brown spices on the nose of Bouchard’s 2007 Bonnes Mares leads to a veritable eruption of ripe red fruits on a palate of textural refinement and unusual energy and brightness for the vintage. Savory salinity, with citrus oil, cherry pit, and white pepper bitterness and pungency help prolong its finish. This displays the sort of vibratory intensity one associates with 2008, representing an exceptional achievement for 2007 and a wine almost certainly worth following for 12-15 years. 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
Critic scores
Average Score
Allen Meadows, Burghound
The Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
Good full red. An essence of Bonnes-Mares on the nose: raspberry, crushed owers, minerals, pepper, gunint, gingerbread and orange peel. Silky on entry, then wonderfully perfumed and pure in the mouth, with pungent spicy minerality giving the mid-palate outstanding lift. Broadens out impressively on the back end, and nishes with outstanding lingering sweetness and perfume. This has put on weight since I tasted it from barrel a year ago.
A serious, tight and brooding nose though aggressive swirling coaxes intensely floral, pure and elegant notes of very ripe black cherry and currant that merge into broad-shouldered and well-muscled flavors that offer excellent volume and concentration, all wrapped in an explosive and moderately austere finish. This is flat out terrific and blessed with huge amounts of dry extract. This should age extremely well but note that it is a wine for the very patient. Drink 2022 +.
Bright, deep red-ruby. Highly complex nose combines crushed blackberry, cherry and licorice; like a clafouti of black fruits. Quite silky on entry, then clenched in the middle, with blackberry and tar flavors displaying a serious medicinal reserve and no easy sweetness. In comparison, the estate Clos Vougeot is more expressive today. Finishes tannic and extremely unevolved.
About the producer
Bouchard Père & Fils is one of Burgundy’s oldest and most established wine producers. Founded in 1731 by Michel Bouchard, it is the largest vineyard owner in the Côte d’Or with 130 hectares of vines.