Pascal Bouchard Mont de Milieu, Chablis Premier Cru, France

點擊次數(shù)：3410

The 2015 Chablis 1er Cru Mont de Milieu, of which half the crop was matured in oak and the remainder stainless steel, has a slightly muffled bouquet, with touches of beeswax and white flower, yet it is missing the mineralité of the best wines this vintage. The palate is balanced with a touch of orange rind and mango on the entry and good weight in the mouth, but it is missing some tension on the finish.

The 2013 Chablis 1er Cru Mont de Milieu comes from 0.75 hectares of 25-year-old vines and sees 11 months aging. It has a lively, citrus-fresh bouquet with dried honey tones developing in the glass. The palate is fresh and taut with crisp acidity, touches of orange rind and that dried honey (again) embroidered throughout the palate. There is a generosity here that is appealing, a richness that suggests it will give more pleasure in its youth than with age.

Vinified largely in tank with just 15% rendered in barrel, the Bouchard 2008 Chablis Mont-de-Milieu smells of lime, huckleberry, and apple pip; displays a correspondingly slightly bitter, tart, austere palate impression, but with satisfying nuttiness welling up as it opens; and finishes long on juicy refreshment, crushed stone and discrete spice from oak. Enjoy if over the next 2-3 years.Pascal Bouchard’s large, north-western Chablis-oriented estate – which I visited this April for the first time in many years – supplements its production with contract fruit. Among Bouchard’s premier crus, only their Beauroy (from purchased grapes) is machine-harvested, and around one-third of their generic Chablis sites are hand-harvested. I have argued and continue to insist that the evidence by no means rules out impressive results via machines, but their relative insignificance at this address is certainly an indication of Bouchard’s seriousness about and willingness to sacrifice in what they believe is the interest of quality.Importers include William Deutsch & Son Ltd., White Plains, NY; tel. (914) 251-9463

Sweet fruit core, pure but subtle. Fresh acidity. Medley of citrus, leafy fruit and minerals. Nice harmony. Forward.