La Chablisienne Bougros, Chablis Grand Cru, France

點擊次數：6233

The 2017 Chablis Grand Cru Bougros reveals aromas of white flowers and honeyed peaches, followed by a broad, full-bodied and ample palate that's powerful and enveloping but still youthfully tight-knit. This is very typical of the site, and it's the most immediate and obvious wine in the range of grand cru climats. Like all La Chablisienne's grand cru bottlings, it's closed with Diam 10.

The 2014 Chablis Grand Cru Bougros does not quite possess the complexity and nuance of the Les Preuses this year, although it is still well defined with candied orange peel coming through with aeration. The palate is well balanced with fine acidity, a touch of spice on the tip of the tongue and plenty of salinity. I would just like to see more precision and mineral tones to come through on the finish that does not quite complete what could have been a fine Bougros. Give it 2-3 years in bottle.

Given how consistently (and I hate to use this word, "ordinary") La Chablisienne's 2013s performed, the 2013 Chablis Grand Cru Bougros came out like a bolt from the blue. It has a much more floral bouquet than its peers - yellow flowers and even vanilla pod mixed with citrus fruit and light granitic scents. The palate is medium-bodied with a fine line of acidity, crisp and poised with superb mineralité and tension toward the utterly harmonious finish. This is a gorgeous, sophisticated Bougros '13 to enjoy over the next 15 to 20 years. Chapeau.

The 2012 Chablis Grand Cru Bougros is from 0.59 hectares of 30-year-old vine and spends 20 months in stainless steel and oak barrels. It has better definition and focus than Les Clos ‘12, with tightly wound granite and apple blossom scents. The palate is clean and fresh with good acidity that lends this Bougros fine tension, although I am seeking more complexity and terroir expression on the finish. Drink now-2019. La Chablisienne is one of Chablis’ most high-profile cooperatives and a great success story. Founded back in 1923 and still going strong, it is said that they oversee approximately one-quarter of the region’s production, around 300 individual growers. Therefore, just like Georges Duboeuf in Beaujolais or Louis Jadot in the Cote d’Or, it is important that they maintain standards irrespective of high volumes, since their size ensures that they have an ambassadorial role for Chablis, for ordinary punters perhaps seeking to broaden their horizons. In this respect, the wines should not be looked down upon given the showing here. While none of them reached the heady heights of Chablis’ most revered artisans, there was certainly a consistency across the range that when coupled with the volume produced, deserves to be applauded. Importers: Ruby Wines (MA), Opici Wines (NY), Grape Expectations (CA), Brescome Barton (CT)