(50% vendange entier): Bright red-ruby. Spectacular, ethereal nose offers aromas of cranberry, pomegranate, blackberry, dried rose, cinnamon and menthol. Like liquid silk on the palate, with superb sappy intensity and energy to the lightly saline flavors of dark fruits, clove, minerals and flowers. A wine of compelling complexity, finishing with noble tannins and great palate-staining persistence. Owing to the high percentage of uncrushed berries, this wine had the longest cuvaison in the cellar. 94-97 points
By Stephen Tanzer
Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, Jan/Feb 12

Note: from purchased grapes

Producer note: Philippe Prost, Bouchard's winemaker, noted that 2010 was "an up and down growing season with a difficult flowering that resulted in a very small crop with a very high percentage of shot berries, especially in the Côte de Beaune. We began picking on the 20th of September and picked through the 1st of October. The harvest conditions were very cool so the super clean fruit arrived at the cuverie at much more reduced temperatures than is typical. This allowed for longer and entirely natural cool macerations. The harvest itself though was less stressful than usual for the simple reason that various parcels were ready at different times due to the highly heterogeneous flowering and thus we could methodically organize our harvest regimen. Moreover, thanks to the tiny crop and cool harvest weather we had absolutely no rot pressure so again, we could pick when we chose. By contrast 2009 and 2011 saw everything basically ready at the same time so it was much more difficult to optimize the harvest for each parcel. I did our normal vinification with one exception which is that I opted to use a higher percentage of whole clusters than usual though not for all wines. In fact, particularly in the Côte de Beaune it tended to be a lot or a little but not much in between. We also elected to reduce the percentages of new wood and a rough estimate would be 15 to 30% for the villages wines, 35 to 45% for the minor 1ers, 35 to 55% for the major 1ers and between 55 to 75% for the grands crus. We used one-year old wood for the remainder. As to the wines, they have lots of energy and really speak of their underlying terroirs. They're classic burgundies if you will. As to relative performance, every commune in the Côte de Nuits was excellent though if I had to choose just one, then I would anoint Gevrey as the star. In the Côte de Beaune it wasn't quite so homogenous. The best village in my view was Pommard though Volnay was only just behind. Savigny and Beaune were also both quite good if not exactly at the same level." Proust noted that the reds were bottled in December, 2011 and January, 2012 and most wines were not filtered and none were fined.

Tasting note: This is also cool and restrained with a much broader range of spicy elements to the gorgeously complex red and blue pinot fruit aromas. An intense minerality suffuses the powerful and extract rich broad-shouldered flavors that are muscular but not rustic before terminating in a focused, balanced and linear finish. This should age successfully for many years and require at least 15, before it will be sufficiently civilized to enjoy properly. That said it should repay handsomely the cellar time.

Tasted: Apr 01, 2012 Score: 96 Drink: 2027+
- Comments: Don't miss!
Issue 46