2008 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Bougros Côte de Bouguerots Grand Cru

Fevre’s 2008 Chablis Bougros Cote de Bouguerots – from the steep, riverside portion of Bougros – ripened to an exceptional degree for its vintage, relates Didier Seguier, yet retained the highest acidity. Crushed chalk; alkaline, saline, maritime elements; bright lemon and grapefruit segue from the nose to a silken-textured palate of vibratory vivacity, with tart fruit skin chew and citrus rind pungency adding further invigoration to a wine that already seems to be rumbling on the runway and poised to take off. As with the corresponding Preuses, the sweeter, more ingratiatingly savory side of Chablis minerality is absent here – for now at least – with sheer high voltage and strikingly palate-staining chalk, alkali, salt, and citrus offering ample compensation. Rapier as well as animated in finish, this preserves an admirable, indeed almost magical sense of transparency to mineral nuance. Look for a dozen or more years of intense fascination but don’t be in too much hurry to pull the second cork. The 2008 collection fielded by Didier Seguier and his team maintains their recent streak of excellence, but in a reversal of vintage typicity, seems, if anything, more dominated by its acidity and minerality than the 2007s, and less effusive than many of its vintage. Between poor flowering and dehydration, the crop was down around 20% in 2008 even from that of its hail-trimmed predecessor. The wines as usual were racked from barrel after malo (which this year, meant in April); some were bottled during the summer but the grand crus and most of the premier crus were bottled last November and December. Several of the wines that I tasted (noted in the text, and of course labeled without the word “domaine”) incorporate purchased fruit, but beginning with this vintage, the Fevre team not only calls the shots but does the picking for all of the grapes that inform wines labeled with their name. Like Hugel in Alsace, Fevre has been impressed enough with the new generation of DIAM composite corks to adopt them for a majority of their bottlings, in fact with this vintage for everything save grand cru – so let’s hope their confidence is well-placed! It perhaps also bears repeating that in my opinion there isn’t a track record for aging yet that one can apply to Fevre’s last three collections, the quality having improved too much to extrapolate with any reliably from previous vintages, so please take my prognoses as intuitive hunches. Importer: Henriot, Inc, New York, NY; tel. (212) 605-6706

Pale lemon-yellow color. Crushed stone, white pepper, mint, licorice, cumin, minerals and white flowers on the very ripe yet vibrant nose. Rich and broad on entry, then explosive in the middle palate, saturating the mouth without giving any impression of weight, thanks to vibrant floral and citrus flavors and penetrating acidity. A great grand cru with finishing flavors that expand to coat the palate and teeth. This seemed more tactile and voluminous after I spit it (okay, swallowed it). I don't recall a better vintage for this cuvee

Aged 12-15 months on fine lees in oak. Dusty yet bright. Much more mineral than fruit but there’s still a fine citrus fragrance. A little softer than the Bougros and not as concentrated. (JH)