From 42 year old vines, the Carillon 2007 Bienvenues-Montrachet received 50% new wood since the only alternatives were 100% or 0%. This is amazingly suffused with salt, chalk, and generally oceanic matter, beneath a bed of citrus oils. But if – as Carillon correctly notes – this has more concentration, more minerality, and more amplitude than his premier crus, they seems to have come at the price of a bit of clarity, refreshment, or complexity. I would certainly like to re-visit this undeniably penetrating and formidable wine, and perhaps the moment at which I tasted it was inopportune. It’s also Carillon’s view that this cru is inherently slow to open, but while that has sometimes struck me as the case (vis a vis Batard, in particular), I'm not convinced I detect a broader pattern, and – if anything – Bienvenues has repeatedly proven memorably expressive in this vintage. Furthermore, Carillon’s 2008 Bienvenues displayed generosity and charm, even coming right out of malo Carillon started picking the last of August, which he points out is exactly a week later than conventional calculations based on the early date of flowering would have led one to predict. He chaptalized most wines around a degree, to arrive at finished alcohol levels of 13-13.5% Carillon’s wines spend approximately a year in barrel – 15-20% new – with the lees stirred, followed by six months in tank. Importers: Rosenthal Wine Merchant, Pine Plains, NY; tel. (800) 910-1990 and Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL; tel. (205) 980-8802