Rene Bouvier 2006’s – A Producer Under the Radar!
12/2/2008 -
For Thanksgiving I had an absolutely lovely bottle of the 2006 Rene Bouvier Marsannay “En Ouzeloy.” I was amazed at how fresh and delcious it was! I have had many versions of Roty’s Marsannay “En Ouzeloy” and it has always been tight, austere and in need of aging. The Bouvier wines are completely different. Juicy and suave with lovely spice and velvety tannins. The oak use is brilliant and frames all the flavors perfectly. There is also a nice lash of acidity which makes them juicy and drinkable. On the En Ouzeloy there was a sauvage animal gaminess on the nose which only added to the complexity.
Bouvier’s wines are very highly regarded in France but relatively unknown in the US market. The 2006 vintage here was superb in general – the Bouviers feel that their quality has been improving consistently over the last 10 years due to better work in the vineyard. They have 17 hectares spread over six villages in the Cote d’Or which include parcels in Clos Vougeot, Echezeaux and Charmes-Chambertin. They practice sustainable agriculture, the soil is plowed and yields are kept low.
Their Bourgogne “Chapitre” is lovely in 2006. It is grown on a parcel in Chenove that defies the urban sprawl of Dijon. It is definitely a great slice of land as this Bourgogne Rouge is concentrated with lovely spice and roundness. Great acidity and some prominent florality on the nose that continues onto the palate. Sensational value too. There is also a lovely Marsannay Clos du Roy which many people say is better than their Ouzeloy. Splitting hairs if you ask me. It is more tannic than the Ouzeloy and a bit less aromatic. Seems like a wine that could be forgotten about for three to five years. The Gevrey Chambertin “Racines du Temps”, the only 2005 of this group, is from 70 to 80 year old vines and has dark fruit flavors with a nice minty herbal element, very dense and long. A wonderfully complex village Gevrey. The Gevrey-Chambertin Petit Chapelle is a wonderful wine with aromas of redcurrant and strawberry, darker black fruit on the palate with notes of smoke and musk and great length. The Charmes-Chambertin is superbly elegant with concentrated red and black fruits carefully framed by oak.. Great persistence. Vin de Garde.
This is a great domaine making succulent juicy drinkable Burgundies that perfectly reflect their respective terroirs.
