Bouchard’s 2007 Volnay Caillerets Ancien Cuvee Carnot smells almost savagely pungent and smoky, suggesting black tea, herbal concentrates, dark berries and bitter chocolate, all of which persist on a firm palate further accented with cherry pit bitterness and notes of game, and underlain by chalk. There is a certain austerity as well as audacity and brightness about this wine that are welcoming in the context of the vintage. I suspect this will be worth following for 7-10 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

A solid wine, showing some generosity and richness, the fruits displaying a fine balance between sweetness, dry tannins and bright acidity. It has some of the sensuous character of good Volnay, opening into ripeness. Worth aging for several years, but already offering considerable pleasure. ——R.V.(7/1/2010)—— 92