Gilles Jayer’s 2008 Echezeaux du Dessus combines bright cherry, red currant and blackberry with marrow-rich and multi-boned meat stock; crushed stone; bitter-sweet herbs; and mouth-watering salinity. Texturally so refined as to be creamy, it’s hard to imagine this having come from the barrels next door to such an aggressively tannic Nuits Les Damodes. Not that the fat- and puffery-free leanness or energetic brightness typical of the best wines of its vintage are missing here – far from it. But there is exceptional polish and refinement. Hints of musk, white truffle, and black pepper add to the intrigue of an exhilarating finish. This ought to be worth following for at least the next 20 years. (As usual, there are eight barrels.)
Gilles Jayer did not commence harvesting is 2008 Pinots until October 1, with his Echezeaux. (In 2007, he began August 31.) With the exception of a few top parcels, he notes, triage had to be more severe in 2007 (just as in 2006) than it was in 2008, when he estimates that only 3-5% of what arrived in the press house was rejected. These 2008s evolved very slowly, in many instances retaining gaseous memoirs of their malo-lactic fermentations through the winter of 2009-2010, and not only were none of them bottled until after I last tasted them, but the Cotes de Nuits-Villages was simply not ready to be assessed.
Importer: Robert Kacher Selections, Washington, DC; tel. (202) 832-9083
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